Hypertexthero / Linked List / January 2026

Linked List: January 2026

Saturday, 31 January 2026

Monty Roberts joins up with a horse ✶

The kind man who listens to horses.

When the professionals first saw this in the late 40s when I was showing it, man, I was ostracized. And after I wrote a book about it, and identified it, after 11 world championships I was thrown out of the hall of fame because I didn’t respect tradition.

And that’s okay.

If you have to respect tradition to the extent that you can’t improve, then I don’t want to be in their hall of fame.

…

To blame a horse for anything is like blaming the night for being dark.

Sirāt ✶

An astonishing fable in film form.

Thursday, 29 January 2026

Streets of Minneapolis ✶

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

Stay free, Bruce Springsteen

Wednesday, 28 January 2026

Freedom Fighters & Reaper Just In Time ✶

We tried two different Arma Reforger mods in yesterday’s livestream.

I like the Reaper Just In Time mod technically, but the narrative of the story doesn’t vibe with me.

Feels like I’m playing as the bad guys who already have all the best toys instead of starting from the bottom and working up slowly in Freedom Fighters.

I like playing as the “underdog”, I guess. Resonates more with me.

Between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it, I will always stand on the side of the egg.

Yes, no matter how right the wall may be and how wrong the egg, I will stand with the egg. Someone else will have to decide what is right and what is wrong; perhaps time or history will decide. If there were a novelist who, for whatever reason, wrote works standing with the wall, of what value would such works be?

What is the meaning of this metaphor? In some cases, it is all too simple and clear. Bombers and tanks and rockets and white phosphorus shells are that high, solid wall. The eggs are the unarmed civilians who are crushed and burned and shot by them. This is one meaning of the metaphor.

This is not all, though. It carries a deeper meaning. Think of it this way. Each of us is, more or less, an egg. Each of us is a unique, irreplaceable soul enclosed in a fragile shell. This is true of me, and it is true of each of you. And each of us, to a greater or lesser degree, is confronting a high, solid wall. The wall has a name: It is The System. The System is supposed to protect us, but sometimes it takes on a life of its own, and then it begins to kill us and cause us to kill others - coldly, efficiently, systematically.

—Haruki Murakami

Need to play the mod more to make up my mind. Maybe it is actually something antiwar, like Spec Ops: The Line, or Far Cry 2.

I did love the gear and doll dressup with TACTICOOL gloves and TACTICOOL flashlights on helmets, etc 😂

And Grant’s experience disguised as luck!

Artwo replies:

You might be taking video games too seriously my friend 😀 Not that I’m any different, I can’t play pvp cause it’s too stressful for me 😀

Exactly! I can’t not take video games seriously, because they’re a medium of communication, and an art form!

Regarding PvP, I think you’d enjoy Arc Raiders a lot, with its PvPvE and aggression-based matchmaking system (if you are generally friendly and only fire after fired upon, you’re put in lobbies with players with the same playstyle).

Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Beyond the door ✶

Finally beginning Exanima story mode.

Monday, 26 January 2026

Freedom fighters valise delivery & night poster run ✶

Arma Reforger stream #50 with cooperative play starring Artwo and Yootsvik.

Tuesday, 20 January 2026

Uniting people ✶

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech today reminded me of what good leaders do: Unite people, for the benefit of all.

We aim to be both principaled and pragmatic. Principaled in our commitment to fundamental values, sovereignty, territorial integrity, the prohibition of the use of force except when consistent with the UN charter, and respect for human rights.

I hope he means it, and that others listen.

Monday, 19 January 2026

Letter from a Birmingham Jail ✶

You may well ask: “Why direct action? Why sit ins, marches and so forth? Isn’t negotiation a better path?” You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word “tension.” I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. The purpose of our direct action program is to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. I therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in a tragic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue.

Happy MLK day.

Tuesday, 13 January 2026

We need cooperation to save our world ✶

And other lessons learned from gaming, in the editorial to Simulation & Gaming Volume 57 Issue 1, February 2026.

Monday, 12 January 2026

Exanima Expert Practice complete ✶

Two more Exanima videos, starring shieldmaiden Joan Rambo.

4. The weight of the swing
5. Precision in chaos

Story mode starting next stream!

Foley ✶

In sound design, Foley is the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to films, videos, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality. It is named after sound-effects artist Jack Foley. Foley sounds are used to enhance the auditory experience of viewers across film, audio dramas, and video games. They can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and breaking glass. Foley can also be used to cover up unwanted sounds captured on the set of a movie during filming, such as overflying airplanes or passing traffic.

Monday, 5 January 2026

Everything, Sound Space 6 ✶

It’s hard to imagine that everything could be here for each other, because you can only see things from your own perspective.

From the work of art video game Everything, where I began a new playthrough using autoplay while taking breaks for music improvisation in Sound Space #6.

Sunday, 4 January 2026

Double-wielding & music improv - Exanima 2 ✶

15 minutes from Exanima stream 2.

7-minute exercise (and stream marker tool) updates ✶

The workouts page is more green and glowy, with voices working in iOS. Your pocket computer phone now stays awake instead of going to sleep while you are in the middle of exercising.

The stream marker tool has placeholder titles automatically selected when created and saved after 10 seconds, nicer buttons, and subtle sound effects for button presses.

Thursday, 1 January 2026

Vinyl, tape, books, lifestream ✶

Vinyl record covers are nicely-sized artworks for displaying in a room.

Listening to an album you love, while taking the time to flip the record or tape, or taking the time listen to an entire album in your streaming service of choice, helps you to notice things and be present.

Recommended film: Perfect Days by Wim Wenders.

Recommended book: Bridge of Waves by W.A. Mathieu.

In 02026: Slow down, and fix things.

Slow is smooth.
Smooth is fast.