Dear Diary… A post that will ramble, so apologies in advance.
Given I posted four times yesterday, I guess is makes sense that today I don’t feel much like posting at all. I shouldn’t have looked on Twitter, though I’m waiting for Biden’s VP announcement since I intend to write about it. However, having looked, I got drawn into reading arguments about masks which then just made me very very fed up…
To coin a phrase: politics is the science of certainties; science is the politics of uncertainty. In one, you argue from what you believe. The other, you argue based on what you suspect. It leaves scientists sounding like they hedge their bets, aren’t certain of their conclusions, and are liable to change their mind. Political types don’t seem capable of seeing this. They pick and choose their science, repeat things they heard six months ago which might no longer be the consensus opinion, and dig themselves into even more entrenched (and wrong) positions.
The argument that children don’t get affected by the coronavirus is persistent but looks increasingly wrong. First, as I said yesterday, “children” is too vague. What’s true about children under 10 years is different for those over 10 years. Second, masks don’t protect people from catching the virus. It really isn’t difficult. It stops the infected from spreading it when they are themselves asymptomatic.
If people can’t get the basic facts right, what chance have we when it comes to the more complicated arguments around getting the economy functioning in a post-COVID world?
But what the hell do I know?
I spent yesterday thinking about my next project and not getting particularly inspired by any of the ideas I had. I read a few graphic novels/comics and didn’t really feel an urge to go in that direction. I have no idea why beyond the fact that I don’t think my skill set is advanced enough to try something that challenging. Plus the long form just doesn’t fit with my brain at the moment. I wish I could feel enthusiasm for drawing some long strip but… I don’t know. Just not there. Maybe if I could draw figures better…
It’s an idea I’ve thought about often. Moving more towards illustration and (dare I say it) art, simply to improve my technique.
But enough of that. This morning, I jotted down a few cartoon ideas. I might do another book. It keeps me grounded more than this state of not quite knowing what I want to do next. I also know that my PC can handle it.
I’m also a bit on edge, if I’m honest. I’ve now entered the window when the past couple of months I’ve had Amazon make payments into my bank account. They weren’t life changing amounts but my hope was that by doubling the number of books I have available, I might push the numbers up. I have no idea if I’ve sold anything in July, though I know three new books of my cartoons appeared that month. I’m essentially waiting to know if anything I’m doing has any purpose. Can I justify writing this blog every day? Will I ever be able to get rid of this damn machine?
It’s sometimes infuriating. I watch quite a few Youtube channels where “influencers” build PCs. I understand the economics of the system. These channels have enormous viewerships but that still doesn’t make it entirely fair. Linus’s Tech Tips has just launched a new series that’s sponsored by Intel where each member of his team gets $5000 to spend upgrading their setups. That means these people who already have top of the line gaming rigs get even more money to throw at machines… just for gaming.
Give me strength…
Yes, I know I’m bitter. This poor old machine of mine produces up to four podcasts a month, in the past month alone 50+ cartoons, plus about 50,000 words of writing, much of which is dumped unceremoniously onto the web and, in the case of the podcast, for almost none of the credit. Yes, these are familiar gripes but, Christ… The “doing it for the pleasure” and “doing it for myself” only gets me so far.
Then the world isn’t a place that rewards effort. I noticed today that Putin is claiming that Russia has the first vaccine. Sounds about right. He might indeed have a vaccine, which might or might not be safe, but, really, Putin was just being brazen enough to be the first. Other populists had already been edging towards that position, eager to see each phase of the trials completed so they could rush vaccines into production. I believe Johnson’s government had made plans to start making various vaccines before they were cleared. I have no doubt that Trump would do the same given the speed with which he jumped onto the hydroxychloroquine bandwagon and (correct me if I’m wrong) urged the FDA to speed up authorising its use for Covid-19.
It’s shameless but shamelessness seems to win the day. Perhaps I need to be a little more shameless myself, though I have no idea how…
