The Chris DeLuca Newsletter


In defense of slowness.

Because the job is not to know; it's to become. A sociopath knows what kindness is and how to weaponize it; a saint becomes it.

2024-01-15


Susuru Ramen in Astoria is absolutely incredible. I had the garlic oil Kuro. Great broth, noodles cooked just right.

A bowl of ramen with garlic oil on the side, pork slices, a soy sauce egg, chives.

2024-01-15


A great map of the independent web, assigned to categories you can look up by clicking. What you’re reading is part of the “Personal web” but there’s so many interesting nooks. Folder poetry? The feral web? Let’s go.

2024-01-15


Snow is sticking in New York for the first time time this year.

A three story brown stone building seen from a window on the third floor of the opposite building. A light dusting of snow coats everything. It’s especially visible on the fire escape. The sky is steel grey.

2024-01-16


A desk caddy corner in a bare walled room. The desk has two levels, one for the monitor, and another for the keyboard. It is light, processed wood. On the left is a mic arm and audio deck on the lower level, and headphones and canned air on the upper level. In the middle is a 26 inch acer monitor on the upper level, and an old magic keyboard and even older wired mouse on the lower level. The lower level also sports an abstract, colorful star patterned mouse mat. On the right is a mac book pro sitting on top of a laptop stand, clamshell closed. There are various dumb stickers all over it. A mug of coffee and a water thermos sit on the far right on the lower level.

I put my desk together yesterday. It's missing a support beam underneath (I must have accidentally thrown it out in the frantic move), so the lower level wobbles, but I figure I can replace it with a two by four. In the mean time, I have a dedicated desk and large monitor for the first time in nine months!

2024-01-16


Currently reading: The Last Colony by John Scalzi 📚

Started last night. Thought I’d take a break from the Old Man’s War series, but was feeling a light fun novel last night so keeping on!

2024-01-16


Another entry in the AI Novel covers series. Here's the generating prompt:

Generate an image of a fake novel cover called "Illegal Touching by Jillian St. Basketball". It is a sports romance novel.

An AI generated novel cover. It shows two attractive young people embracing on a basketball court. On the left is a dark skinned man with slicked back hair. On the right is a white woman, leg up, with flowing hair, as if in a breeze. The man grits his teeth strangely, and the woman's expression is skeletal somehow. The man holds a basketball over the womans butt, but the angle is all wrong. Two hoops are in the background, and they seem to melt, and are too close to each other. People with melty faces sit on the court. The book is called "Illegal Touching" by Jjlliain st Basketball

What is going on with that basketball? And why is the guy's teeth like that? Melty hoops I understand.

2024-01-18


I found this seashell in the grating of the radiator (seen behind). I know the previous tenant must have accidentally knocked it in but my first thought was that the heat was an ancient seabed.

My white hand holding a classically scalloped seashell with dark red coloring in front of a baseboard radiator.

2024-01-20


On my way to California for two weeks. I’m really excited but hoping this is my last trip for a while.

2024-01-21


Spotted two people flying with their cats this morning.

2024-01-21