Decentralized... science
Plus: An upstart Papal sports pundit, Burnquist merges ancestral knowledge and... the blockchain, Yurin Fujii commits, a poem for my Grandmother, and more.
The definitive weekly ranking and analysis of all the skateboarding and other things online I cannot stop consuming and how it makes me feel, personally.
Papal sports pundit
Rank: 1
Mood: 🏒✝️⚾
The Edmonton Oilers lost in the Stanley Cup Final. To the Florida Panthers. For the second year in a row. It's a heartbreak for a fanbase that has been pining for their team, and it's great shining star in Connor McDavid, to finally break through. Instead, they broke down. Again, ground out by the relentlessness of a rival hockey team based in Florida.
That's sports for you. The thrill and the agony. The agony and the agony, depending on who you root for. But the magical part about sports is that there's always something else tucked away within them. A lesson. An allegory. Cock your head at the right angle and you might just spot inspiration. On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV tweeted:
In our competitive society, where it seems that only the strong and winners deserve to live, sport also teaches us how to lose. It forces us, in learning the art of losing, to confront our fragility, our limitations and our imperfections. It is through the experience of these limits that we open our hearts to hope. Athletes who never make mistakes, who never lose, do not exist.
Many people noted that this was exactly what a Chicago White Sox fan would say, but I don't know enough about baseball to gauge the degree of zinger. What I do know is that it's a beautiful, universal message, and also, did Leo know that the Oilers' tank would dry up, fuel gauge crash to zero, and get sent home on a 5-1 loss just a day and change later? Was he speaking to and preparing me, the borderline bandwagon fan who bought an Oilers hat at Lids a month and a half ago and had been flying high up until Saturday's blowout loss in Edmonton, which, if we're being frank, clearly presaged Tuesday's?
Perhaps. Whatever the case, he's right. Losing is necessary. It provides perspective and an appreciation of the way things are, could be, or have been. That wasn't all the Pope had tweeted out on Sunday.
In an increasingly digital society, where technology brings distant people closer together, yet often creates distances between those who are physically close, sport proves a valuable and concrete means of bringing individuals together, providing a healthier sense of the body, of space, effort and real time. It helps to preserve a healthy contact with nature and with real life, where genuine love is experienced.
Real time. A fitting way to describe sport, skateboarding included. It's a challenge not to be present in the self while engaging in them. And as the economics of attention grows more dire, with everything optimized to steal it away, it does often feel like sports are one of the last sources of real time. That's something the Pope is keenly aware of. This was the first of his sports missives on Sunday:
In a society marked by solitude, where radical individualism has shifted the emphasis from “us” to “me”, resulting in a deficit of real concern for others, sport – especially team sports – teaches the value of cooperating, working together and sharing. These are at the very heart of God’s own life.
Radical individualism. That's another fitting way to describe skateboarding. Although the "me" immediately shifts to "us" when you skate with friends. You each have your own goals, but it's a shared event. If one friend achieves theirs and you don't, you can still share in the win, because one of "us" succeeded. Sometimes, no one gets anything, and you get to share in the loss.
Teams, togetherness, is how you get through, how we avoid the brutal, aimless atomization that has led us to now. Do you think the Pope has watched Battle at the Berrics?
To commit
Rank: 1
Mood: 😎
"Commitment" is a large part, and perhaps the most crucial aspect, of the physical act of skateboarding. In the macro sense, to become a skateboarder of any skill level, one must commit a significant chunk of one's lifetime to the practice, as with most learned things.
In the moment-to-moment application, to "commit" is all there is. If one does not commit to landing on a kickflip or taking their board over a set of stairs, down a rail, across a channel, etc., they won't succeed, simple as that.
To commit is to believe in one's current ability or one's future. To not commit is understandable. Skateboarding is often scary — that's part of the appeal, to see what new reality (trick) you can create for yourself by confronting those fears in a very real, physical sense.
Everyone handles this differently. Some, like myself, love to mindfuck themselves and get stuck for countless hours half-committing to something out of some worry, founded or unfounded, or for no seeming reason at all. Others are confident in their commitments to the point of recklessness, like one Tristan Funkhouser. Then there are some skateboarders who appear to experience a fantastic, glowing joy at putting their personal health and safety at risk, like Yurin Fujii.
In her Grit & Glam video part for OJ Wheels, uploaded last week, Fuji radiates this unmistakable glee as she spins helmetless 540s in the deep end of concrete bowls and pools. It's a level of enjoyment that's somewhat of a shock to witness, considering the risk entailed. Can you spot the mild amusement on Fujii's face as she commits to a potentially life-altering transfer?
If you can pull it off, pleasure in the face of fear is undoubtedly the coolest approach.
Decentralized... science
Rank: ...
Mood: 🌿💻🤨
What I'm going to try to do here, right now, is explain in one sentence what Bob Burnquist's new business venture, Farmaleaf, hopes to do:
Farmaleaf is a "sustainable wellness" flavoured tech startup that "uses AI" to sift through people's health data, which is collected and stored on the blockchain, where it's then used to provide "wellness recommendations," and if you're willing to throw some cryptocurrency their way, you can help decide which "plant-based" clinical research studies Farmaleaf will fund and facilitate.
Bit of a run-on, but I think that covers it. Let's see how Farmleaf's about page frames it:
Farmaleaf is a smart health ecosystem blending plant knowledge with modern tech. By combining AI-driven recommendations, decentralized science (DeSci) funding, and blockchain governance, we empower individuals to take control of their wellness with natural, evidence-based solutions. From the Amazon forests to AI, we bridge Black Label medicine with Green Label healing to offer a truly personalized path to health.
Mine was better. Great use of jargon-fluff, though! So, what stage in development is the company at?
Through meaningful dialogue and shared insights, we're beginning a collaborative journey to understand your unique wellness needs. Rather than jumping straight to recommendations, we're first gathering valuable perspectives from our community. Your input during this initial phase will help shape how we build solutions that truly resonate with real health experiences and aspirations. Together, we're laying the foundation for a more personalized and effective approach to wellness.
Alright. How will Farmaleaf be storing all of its users' data again?
Our data protection system leverages web3 technology for secure survey collection. We plan to expand our platform's capabilities with advanced blockchain identity technology and start the Green Label Data Intelligence in future phases, which will kickstart the project and provide enhanced control over your health data sharing and privacy. This staged approach ensures we can deliver a reliable, secure experience from day one while building toward our vision of fully decentralized health data management.
I guess you have to take their word for it. Wait, what's Green Label Data Intelligence?
Our Green Label Data Intelligence will match vetted suppliers with qualified leads while maintaining quality, transparency, and trust throughout the ecosystem. Through AI-driven recommendations, we'll connect healthcare providers, natural product suppliers, and consumers, generating transaction fees while preserving the integrity of our network.
Rooted in ethical sourcing and regenerative agriculture, our Green Label Movement will drive the market.
The jargon-fluff is getting thick. So, how does that personal information get shared if it's all safe, secure, and decentralized on the blockchain?
[Model Context Protocol] serves as the connective layer of Farmaleaf's Green Label Data Intelligence system. It transforms how our insights about plants, people, prescriptions, and wellness into actionable data that can be used across apps, pharmacies, partners, and communities. MCP seamlessly integrates medical records, user inputs, digital diagnostics, and AI models to deliver Green Label Data Intelligence securely and transparently.
Respectfully, isn't it a bit concerning that a startup founded by professional skateboarder and NFT champion Bob Burnquist wants your medical records? Also, what do they mean by "Unbiased Science" and, what's that, "DeSci"?
Our Decentralized Science (DeSci) approach transforms how plant-based research gets funded. Traditional funding systems often overlook promising natural medicine studies due to bureaucracy or controversial topics. Through our blockchain-powered platform, researchers can propose studies directly to a community invested in natural wellness. This innovative model bridges the gap between traditional research institutions and community-supported science, enabling important studies that might otherwise go unfunded while maintaining rigorous scientific standards.
I'm not sure they're using "decentralized" correctly here. Also curious what those "controversial topics" might be, reads a little RFK Jr.-y to me.
Additionally, Farmaleaf claims to be "raising funds to expand agroforestry systems in Brazil" through a partnership with the New Era Institute (Instituto Nova Era), though I can't find any mention of the partnership on Instituto Nova Era's website.
This is probably overly petty, but it's kind of funny that their website states one of their goals as being "Preserve biodiversity and protect existing forest ecosystems" while using planet-destroying generative AI to whip up an image of your in-house scientist standing in front of some approximation of the rainforest you aim to protect.
I understand that I'm being highly critical of a project that doesn't actually exist yet, and hey, maybe Farmaleaf's heart is even in the right place, but a future where scientific and medicinal research is funded and directed by "entreperneurs" or "vision architects" and is supported by and live on the "blockchain" in any sense is a dystopic one.
Also, who said this quote about Burnquist and were they yelling when they did?
Terrific titles for humans
Rank: 1
Mood: 📛
Last year, I marvelled at Daniel Wheatley's independent feature _SOUL_CRUSHER_. It's a fantastic video that should be revisited on its merits alone, but also because of this:
However, one of the most compelling parts of the video to me wasn't any of that. It was the names. Not names as in big-name stars featured in it (though there are those), but the eminently unusual names of the skateboarders involved, which, if anything, is one of skateboarding's overall strong suits — promoting people with cool-sounding names.
Skateboarders with names like Mingus Gamble, Matlok Bennett-Jones, and Judah Bubes topped the bill. Wonderful stuff. I had a similar experience while watching Small Bounty, a video by Brandon Cortez that Free published on Monday.
It's another great production, flush with talent like Cyprus Blanco, Curran Stagg, Cruise Mosberg, and Noah Fayyazuddin — all terrific titles for human beings. But there is one skater featured in Small Bounty whose name surpasses them all, and I assume is the reason they close the show.
Indy Jones.
Motherfucking Indiana Jones, the skateboarder. It's perfect. I didn't even look up whether or not his first name is Indiana because I don't want to know. I want to live in a world where talented skateboarders have names like this. Silly, powerful, and beautiful names. Some overt and obscure cultural reference. Gimme more.
Let's all steeple our fingers and ask a higher power that the next Daniel Dent offering showcases an up-and-comer named Count Orlok from Orange County.
Something to consider:
Alistair Kitchen
Good thing: 'sletter friend and fellow 'sletterer Dennard Dayle's new novel, How to Dodge a Cannonball, is out now and it is real good. NPR and The New York Times agree.
Another good thing: Alex Coles is getting into a regularly scheduled groove.
A good podcast round-up:
Posted by
Templeton
Good things about bad things, Defector edition:
David Roth
Albert Burneko
Until next week… a poem for my Grandma.
In the course of four weeks
our Grandmother died
she gained a great-grandchild
and her granddaughter will marry
It all keeps happening
because of her
At some point, we all grew up
somehow taller than
this towering woman
whose love
so complete and boundless
stretches up into the soft blue of the prairie sky
too high to mark on the door frame
She knew that we, as in everyone
are all we have
how many perogies did I want?
all of them, she knew that
She was a teacher
sometimes you learn by just watching
see that kindness is a habit
a muscle to use and make stronger
our Grandmother could break an apple in two
with her bare hands
Such was the strength of her
laughter, through the phone speaker
that people on the street would turn to look
you’re such a little shit
she says, before apologizing
to whom, I’m not sure
I love you, I tell her
under a soft blue sky
before hanging up.
Laser Quit Smoking Massage
NEWEST PRESS
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My new collection of essays is available now. I think you might like it. The Edmonton Journal called it a "local book set to make a mark in 2024." The CBC said it's "quirky yet insightful." lol.
Book cover by Hiller Goodspeed.
Right, Down + Circle
ECW PRESS
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I wrote a book about the history and cultural impact of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater that you can find at your local bookshop or order online now. I think you might like this one, too.
Photo via The Palomino.
