# week 38 of 2025 **September 15 - 21** ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7cUn!,w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4ce37d7-3822-4d4e-8a53-31a60c9427e5_1653x2440.heic) Good advice from Austin Kleon's book [Keep Going](https://austinkleon.com/keepgoing/). These days it seems harder and harder to carve out a bit of time to find myself. I'm spending most of my days encouraging art students to do this for themselves. --- Missed last week because I was so busy with classes and other administrative work. Literally working from morning to evening just about every day. When I do have time to take a break, my brain sort of shuts down for a little bit. Slowly getting through the piles. Finding efficiencies where I can. --- ### web design stuff [Pattern Fun](https://patterncraft.fun) is a collection of cool CSS backgrounds and gradients for your website. Click to preview and copy. Flavioscopes has a full [CSS handbook](https://flaviocopes.com/the-css-handbook-2025-edition/) and a full HTML handbook for 2025, as well as books for PHP, SQL, Python, etc. Tons of updated concepts and content. These could easily be used as textbooks for intro web design courses. Free for signing up for the newsletter. Speaking of web resources, [web.dev](https://web.dev/) has wonderful online courses/references for [CSS](https://web.dev/learn/css) and [HTML](https://web.dev/learn/html). ### graphic design stuff Another trove of vintage print ephemera. This time it is a [collection of old cocktail recipe books](https://euvs-vintage-cocktail-books.cld.bz) that spans time and geography. Entire books and recipes, not just covers. ![[shaking60s.png]] ### indie web stuff Unplatform has this nifty [definitive guide for escaping social media (and joining the indie web.)](https://unplatform.fromthesuperhighway.com). ### interactive stuff They have found ways to put the video game Doom on [every device and system imaginable](https://canitrundoom.org). This isn't that, but it is related. [Doomscroll](https://gisnep.com/doomscroll/) is a simple, browser-based video game that uses to your mouse scroll button to fight demons. Fun little time-waster. The band OK Go is known for their [amazing music videos](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC194cPvPaGJjhJBEGwG6vxg). The most recent release [_Impulse Purchase_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwzbIUffcR4)uses live motion-capture of the artists. [You can download the Blender files to try it out yourself.](https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/ok-go-will-anderson-digital-film-project-150925) ### coffee & capitalism I'm an unashamed coffee addict. Have a little coffeemaker in my office. Have both the regular and portable Aeropress systems. Definitely don't need it, but I really want this [OXO Rapid Brewer](https://www.oxo.com/rapid-brewer.html). Anyone want to gift one to me? ![[rapid-brewer.png]] ### creativity and AI I've been doing creative work for four decades now. I've been teaching aspiring creative people for two decades. Tools and processes have changed and evolved in that time. I'm used to change so I'm not all that worried about the rise of AI in the creative industries. It is just a tool, like many others. Quality work will rise to the top by those who can utilize it well. I do like the idea of using AI, not for the creative work but to remove the friction in the administrative work that takes so long to do. This can potentially make it easier to devote more time to the creative pursuits. > The fact is, most creators spend very little time actually creating. We spend most of our time doing tasks. Some of those tasks include getting published, some include sorting our files. There's a long list, but the actual number of minutes per day that you're doing something profoundly original—I've never met someone who does that more than an hour a day. I'm up to seven hours a day because one of the things that's happening for me with AI is there's no one to slow me down and no one to say no. > > — Seth Godin ### curiosity Migrating this to my page on [[curiosity]]. I want to explore that more when I get the time. > Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people. > > — Leo Burnett, advertising executive credited with creating Tony the Tiger, the Jolly Green Giant, the Keebler Elves, and many other advertising icons.