Edition #12: I Can't Stop Creeping On My Neighbor
Plus, a scary new form of AI, not everyone has a voice in their head, and a self knowledge questionnaire
A Note from the Editor
When I first moved into my apartment nearly two years ago, I had every intention of putting up blinds or curtains in my bedroom. The unit was newly renovated so this meager detail was left to me, but just enough time passed that I grew used the blinding brightness that woke me up every morning. Though my windows face another apartment building on the backside of a quiet street, no tenants occupied the units across from mine, so I never prioritized the task.
Then one day a man about my age moved in directly across the way, and his windows were also bare. I expected him to put up curtains, especially since I have a clear view of the most intimate spaces in his room (his desk and his bed), but he never did. It's worth mentioning that I can hide behind the chunk of wall separating my two windows and that my bed is obscured from sight, which allowed me to justify my own stubborn insistence that he should be the one to take initiative in creating a visual barrier between us. "After all," I reasoned, "I was here first."
After months of unintentionally observing the life of a stranger, I've grown oddly attached to the mundane moments of his day-to-day. He wakes up every morning around 7 am, puts on a long-sleeved white shirt and sits at his desk for an hour; he retires for the night even earlier than my own 10 pm bedtime. I make inferences about his personal life, a fabricated backstory that changes based on my mood (is he working on a novel in the mornings, or frantically finishing an assignment due later that day? Are the long-sleeved white shirts his version of Steve Jobs' black turtleneck, and is his closet full of them?). I can't help but find a certain comfort in his predictable rituals, and in a way, they've become a part of my own.
My friends and boyfriend insist that it's time to "put up some damn curtains," and I know they're right. But when I do I'll mourn the loss of this stranger, one that I knew on an improbably intimate level -- and that sentiment makes me feel very human (and, I'll admit, a little bit creepy).
Cheers my dears. have you ever peeped on your neighbors? Take my advice: put up those curtains sooner rather than later.
Three Piece of Content Worth Consuming
A Scary New Database With Your Face In. People of the past imagined a dystopian future where technology leads to a scary new reality, and that's exactly what I thought when I read about this new facial recognition software. The tool is unlike any other in that is scrapes the entire internet to create a massive database of faces, and police departments have started using it with great success. But what happens when the app gets in the hands of an everyday person, someone who simply needs to snap a photo of your face to learn every detail about you, down to your address? Alarm bells are ringing all over the world, and it's worth listening to this episode of The Daily to hear more.
Women, As Told By Disposable Cameras. In the age of Facetune and Instagram filters, there's something wildly charming about life unedited. That's the inspiration behind this creative project: 25 women from all over the country were sent disposable cameras and asked to document their lives, and the results are a lovely mix of candor and individuality. It's interesting to see the intentional spin a few notable women put on their photos-- Katie Couric documented her life in East Hampton, while Kristen Bell showed off a political activism tee shirt.
Not Everyone Has a Voice In Their Head. Last week, a simple Tweet caused a digital frenzy that is only possible via the internet: allegedly, certain people cannot hear a voice in their own head and instead think in more abstract, non-verbal terms. To those who do talk in their heads (me amongst them), the notion is unthinkable. How can you not hear your own thoughts? What happens when you try? The questions are boundless and I must know, do you have a voice in your mind?
Perhaps You Should...
Drop Some (Self) Knowledge
I'm a sucker for a good personality quiz, and I loved how abstract these questions were-- the opposite of those quizzes where you can easily predict the box they're trying to shove you in. After being click-baited into the quiz, I got sucked into an internet rabbit hole of the company behind the quiz and discovered their thoughtful online shop, which I will be exclusively using for most gifts this year (starting with these cards).
(Cute and Cuddly) **Bonus Content**
In what I would consider the best volunteer opportunity to ever exist, an animal sanctuary in South Carolina is asking for volunteers to cuddle with their pigs in an effort to domesticate them. I can't think of anything better than having an altruistic excuse to play with these little fat boys, and people from all around the country are venturing to South Carolina to do exactly that.
A Quote From a Book You Should Read:
"We don't like to admit it,' said Julian, 'but the idea of losing control is one that fascinates controlled people such as ourselves more than almost anything."
-The Secret History by Donna Tartt
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