Give me the 411!

Offline Recess is a newsletter that invites you to pause from digital distractions and rediscover the joy of finding inspiration on your own terms, away from the algorithm.

A quick summary: It’s Sunday and today we’re exploring:

• That information does not equal truth (serious)

• Three examples of this (less serious)

• Asking someone to kindly show you the way

I did not have anyone edit this so if you see a typo, be relieved that I’m a human and not a robot.

Intersections

things that are connecting during my recess

The other day, someone asked me: “What’s the point of being so informed about everything?”

It’s a fair question. We live in a time where we can find whatever answer we want to almost anything with a quick search. I read an article recently that said, “Because we have all of the information at our fingertips, there’s a strange satisfaction in being right about how bad things are.” This can be said of feeling satisfied when things are going well. You feel a certain way and you find “proof” that supports your feeling so you stop looking. It would be easy to disengage at that point. Being right about how things are isn’t exactly productive.

But if I’m going to be honest with myself (and with you), I know I’ll never stop reading or learning. Years ago, I took the StrengthsFinder test and learned that intellection is one of my top strengths. It describes it like this: “You like to think. You like mental activity. You like exercising the muscles of your brain, stretching them in multiple directions.” Joan Didion once said, “If I examine something, it’s less scary.” That resonates with me.

Right now, I’m reading a book about the history of information networks (from the Stone Age to AI). It lays out something I haven’t stopped thinking about: Information doesn’t always represent truth. In fact, most of the time, it doesn’t represent anything at all.

That’s why I believe staying informed still matters. We need to be able to tell the difference between truth, lies, and just plain information. Not so we can be “right” about how bad things are, but so we can better understand the world around us and make decisions based on what’s real.

As Sharon McMahon recently said, “It is difficult to oppress an educated population. Education has always been liberation.”

Sticky offline things

things that stood out over the week

• I’ve started my Parker Poser movie marathon. This marathon will happen over the course of the rest of the winter I’m sure. Not in one sitting. Party Girl (streaming on Tubi) was the first one on my list. You’ll love it if you miss 90s fashion (jk you don’t need to miss it, it’s back baby!), need an example that public libraries make everything better, and want a story about how truthful information helps even the most chaotic DJs and immigrant lovers.

• Speaking of information not always equaling truth: I watched the entire season 8 of Selling Sunset. Incredibly entertaining information.

• Last week, I learned about the Mechanical Turk. It was an 18th-century hoax: a chess-playing "machine" that amazed audiences with its apparent intelligence, only to later be revealed as a clever illusion powered by a human hidden inside. It was “suspected by some, but never proven in public while it still existed.” 

Kindly Show Me The Way

a quote that stuck with me

P.S. You’ve enjoyed this newsletter over the years, you can help contribute to the cost of publishing. I don’t have any intention of putting up a paywall but you can Venmo me @alliepal or send a tip via Paypal (this account is under my maiden name Jocson because Paypal makes it nearly impossible to change your name). Thank you to all who tip me!