We recently moved to a new place in San Francisco, which created a cascade of to-do items. The move coincided with the death of my mother-in-law and our daughter starting a new school–three big life changes at once. It’s been a challenging time, but I’ve managed to not drop too many balls, even in the […] The post What I’m Doing to Stay Organized in 2024 appeared first on J.D. Moyer ..read more

My mother-in-law passed away recently. I had a good relationship with her, despite the fact that we were both stubborn people with frequently divergent opinions. Alta was a poet, famous in some circles for both her poetry and her press. Andrew Gilbert has written an outstanding obituary on kqed.org that really does her justice. Though […] The post Alta (She Made History) appeared first on J.D. Moyer ..read more

Just a quick post here to announce a new album: Jondi & Spesh – REFLECTIONS This is my sixth full-length electronic album with my longest-term collaborator and one of my closest friends, DJ Spesh. Way back in the day we hopped on a young genre called “progressive house” and rode it a long way. Spesh […] The post New Progressive House/Deep House Jondi & Spesh Album appeared first on J.D. Moyer ..read more

I have the GG (val/val) variant in SNP rs4680, which corresponds with high COMT enzyme activity. COMT breaks down dopamine in the part of the brain related to higher cognitive and executive function. People with my COMT genetic variant tend to have a hard time sustaining attention and motivation in low-stakes situations. We tend to […] The post How I Maintain Motivation (and dopamine levels) appeared first on J.D. Moyer ..read more

In Tim Ferriss’s recent interview with Arthur Brooks, Brooks discusses the four false idols, what Thomas Aquinas called “the four substitutes for God.” Aquinas named those substitutes as honor, wealth, pleasure, and power, but Brooks uses fame as an Instagram-age stand-in for honor. In this short, Brooks uses U.S. cities to demonstrate each of the […] The post Purpose Is the Fifth Idol appeared first on J.D. Moyer ..read more

Over the course of the pandemic, I had a pervasive sense of deferment. I postponed many projects and activities with the mindset of “just trying to get through.” Which was appropriate, I think, given that the pandemic took a mental toll on me, as it did with most people. I prioritized the things that absolutely […] The post What’s Next? Post-Pandemic Expansiveness… appeared first on J.D. Moyer ..read more

Announcement My novella “The Discovery at Alexandria”, a far-future triptych featuring cuttlefolk (uplifted cuttlefish), arcology-dwelling humans, and nomadic dogkin, was recently officially accepted by Sheree Thomas for Fantasy & Science Fiction. I’m delighted to have found a great home for this story. Publication date TBD (could still be awhile). This will be my first published […] The post New Novella Acceptance, Thoughts on Gender Dysphoria, Art and Money appeared first on J.D. Moyer ..read more

I’ve been experimenting with Midjourney 5, which is probably the leading generative AI for visual images. But it’s not there yet, in terms of both image quality and ethical use. Image quality — Midjourney often creates monstrosities of merged limbs, unnatural joint insertions, and other body horror fodder. Some examples from the prompt “two women […] The post A Proposal for Distributing Royalties for AI Generated Artworks “in the style of…” appeared first on J.D. Moyer ..read more

I’m gearing up for some changes to this site. Probably a new theme, and hopefully a better system for signing up for my newsletter. Considering these changes has led me to consider what this blog is for. Self-expression? Self-promotion? Is it a lifestyle blog? A health blog? A creativity blog? Sure, all of the above. […] The post Communications from my Past Self (and other reasons to write) appeared first on J.D. Moyer ..read more

Recently I read Steve Pavlina’s post “What It’s Like Being Me”. Steve really enjoys being himself, it seems, and part of my reaction was a slow clap — good for you, you smug vegan, your life is so great. But on the other hand, I really like Steve and his writing has benefited me immensely […] The post Empowering Action vs. Depression appeared first on J.D. Moyer ..read more