When the combination of inside temperature, outside temperature, number of plays, distance travelled, the moon & the mood is right the car will eat the tape, as it should; it is foretold.
So true, and why I will not entertain this “tape cassette revival” bullshit. Been there done that lost too much.
The internet encourages a form of assemblage, where users collect images, memes, and bits of information under particular themes. In the Tumblr era, this practice was referred to as a user’s “aesthetic”; more recently, on TikTok, this indexing is marked by the suffix “-core” (as in cottagecore). This impulse finds its outlet on every social media platform, from Instagram’s “saved” tab to platforms dedicated to such collections, like Are.na or Pinterest. To see someone else’s curated hoard is a very personal kind of poetry. It’s also a kind of folk art: There are recognizable forms, a movement for a certain kind of reference. And yet, these aesthetic assemblages aren’t often critically examined. Few, if any, are questioning the message embedded in a mood board. What is its history, context, medium, or intent?
If you’re heading into a haunted site with a historical story attached, ask three simple questions:
Which parts of this tale are documented history, and which are tour-script lore?
What here might be stagecraft, mood, or expectation at work?
Am I treating someone’s tragedy with dignity while I investigate?
If your answers stay honest, your methods will too. It doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy ghost stories – but this is a way to enjoy them responsibly, while honouring the dead.
morning computer: some useful things first thing in the day.
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