Sean
Braacx

A creative outlet

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Glasses and Moustache
Moustache

Welcome to my creative outlet. A place to share ephemera I’ve collected online and offline,
along with some writing.

  • Friday Tunes

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    Some fun new tracks

    Searching through Spotify for new music is a guilty pleasure of mine, and I love to share new songs with others.

    In sharing here, I also realize just how hard it is to accurately describe music and how bad I am at explaining why I like a particular song or artist. But that won’t stop me from trying!

    Here are two very different songs. The first, Honeysuckle is a fun, upbeat and encouraging tune from Northwest Stories. I love their vibes and lyrics – and resonate as a fellow PNW hipster (if that’s still a thing).

    The second song, Zone 1 to 6000 is from London based artist Nabihah Iqbal who I discovered recently. Her dreamy synth-y sound and spoken word vocals are captivating. Enjoy 🎧

  • How I work

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    Working hard!

    This was my son doing an imitation of how I work. I can’t vouch for how accurate it is.

  • Awareness & Justice

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    As a Christian, I am called to live a just life in the full sense of the word* – both seeking to do things rightly, and to correct injustice when it is in my power.

    However, if I am not aware of an injustice, especially one that I am somehow part of, does that clear me?

    Continue Reading

  • Jumping over Things

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    Safety first-ish

    One of my hobbies is jumping over things … ideally filmed in slow motion. Thanks to my son for being the daring extra.

    As I get older, I need to really think before doing things like this though, as my air time is getting lower and my recovery time is much longer.

  • Faith + Work Archive

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    Some encouraging letters about faith & work I wrote years ago

    In 2017 I started writing a weekly letter to encourage others in their faith and vocation – especially entrepreneurs, based on what God had taught me in my journey.

    Over a year and a half I wrote 70+ letters, covering failure, planning, control, sleep, and more. All the letters are available here.

    These are a few of my favourites:

  • Boring

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    I discovered John Van Deusen a number of years ago, and keep coming back as he releases new music. His blend of angsty rock and raw but honest lyrics are refreshing and so often relatable.

    Make me weird and make me noisy
    Prone to flipping tables crazy
    Fearsome in the face of evil
    Not afraid of broken people

    John Van Deusen, Boring

  • Beasts

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    A good reminder to question my daily choices.

    There are two beasts inside my chest
    one is cursed the other blessed
    one I love and one I hate
    the one I feed will dominate.

    Anonymous

  • Take a walk

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    A city view near my home

    As life gets busy and the world gets crazy, taking a walk has been one of the most helpful escapes. Looking away from the screen and seeing the reality we live in, engaging with people, not profiles, and realizing how much bigger and more nuanced the world offline is.

    In these times, I look at the wonders of creation, smell the scents of the season, listen to noises around me, think about my thoughts, and pray to the God who is bigger than it all.

    If you can, take that time away from the desk or phone or whatever you are focusing on, and walk.

  • Attention & information

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    Fight for your attention

    A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.

    Herbert Simon

    We are living out the fulfillment of this quote today. We have more information than ever before, but we’re losing our ability to actually focus, and think critically.

    This can be seen in the adoption of AI to do work that normally requires deep attention – writing, coding, designing. Yes we can have it done for us, but at what cost?

    Additionally, as attention decreases, commanding that attention requires ever greater provocation; no longer can we read and evaluate long form content, but we are swayed by the most shocking soundbites, leading to … even more shocking soundbites. How do we regain our ability to focus and think when every platform is designed to consume us?

  • Sleepin’

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    Listen closely for his lyrical genius!

    Nobigdyl is one of my favourite rappers. His lyrics are not only innovative, but also uplifting and real. You can hear the influence of his southern roots, but he isn’t limited to one category.

    My flow handsome like Bradley Pitt …

    Nobigdyl, Sleepin’

  • Blue screen of death

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    This wouldn’t have happened with Linux.

    Although I try avoid using Windows whenever possible, it seems I cannot escape the blue screen of death!

  • Man conforms

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    Technology should serve humanity, not the other way around.

    Science finds, industry applies, man conforms.

    Chicago World Fair motto (1933)

    The motto for the Chicago World Fair sums up how backwards our approach to technological development is.

    We leverage science to make new discoveries, which is great, but then let the application of these technologies be led by industry (aka business), which means profit first and people be damned.

    Vehicles lead to unwalkable neighbourhoods – man conforms.

    New machines replace thousands of skilled artisans – man conforms.

    Pesticides poison water sources – man conforms.

    But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can use technology to make life better for people, and if it causes serious harm or unintended damages, we can even choose not to pursue that technology, or place limits on its use.

    As technologies like AI get rammed into every aspect of life by businesses seeking to grow revenue, thinking critically about how we apply and adopt new innovations is more important than ever; individually, as business leaders, and at a macro level (politically) too.

  • Computers & Accountability

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    What decisions do we let computers make?

    The photo above was taken from an IBM presentation in 1979, and yet it is more relevant than ever.

    With the advances of AI, it feels like the entire tech industry (and everyone on LinkedIn) believes that it can solve any problem, and any pushback will be solved with the next release.

    How can we use technology like AI well, without losing human agency and accountability, especially in situations where lives can be significantly impacted (healthcare, transportation and more)?

  • Quiet Moments

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    You have to be happy in those quiet moments when you remember that you are alive; not in those noisy moments when you forget.

    GK Chesterton

  • Dit Dat

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    Dancehall tune that will get stuck in your head.

  • Biking

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    There is nothing like riding a bike.

    I have always loved riding a bike, there is something about the freedom of getting anywhere quickly, without being in a vehicle.

    This was my favorite bike – a white and purple fixie that was so much fun, and so impractical. Sadly it’s been sold, but the memory remains.

  • Behind the machine

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    This is a prescient quote in today’s AI hype.

    However formidably automatic the machine may look, there is always a man lurking in the background, adjusting it, correcting it, nursing it; and the machine itself is half slave, half god.

    Lewis Mumford, Art and technics

  • The Media

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    How does your media intake impact you?

    I like to collect photos of random signs that I’ve seen around the world. Though crude, this sign is probably more true each day.

    Taking a break from news this lent has made me realize how much my media consumption was consuming my mental capacity, and probably increasing my anxiety too.

  • Welcome

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    My personal notes about each post will go here.

    ephemera

    1. The minor transient documents of everyday life.

    Hey there, welcome to my personal place on the web. Somewhere to share digital ephemera I’ve collected over the years that I find interesting, along with quotes, music, and some writing.

    Check out the About page to learn a bit more.