{%- if date and not omitMetadata -%}
- {{ date | formatDate("MMMM D, YYYY") }}
+
+ {{ date | formatDate("MMMM D, YYYY") }}
+ {%- if updated and not omitMetadata %}
+ (Updated {{ updated | formatDate("MMMM D, YYYY") }})
+ {%- endif -%}
+
+ {%- endif -%}
+ {{ tagList(tags.slice(1)) }}
+ {%- if coverInfo -%}
+ Image: {{ coverInfo | markdown | safe }}
{%- endif -%}
- {# {%- if tags -%} #}
- {{ tagList(tags.slice(1)) }}
- {# {%- endif -%} #}
-
\ No newline at end of file
+
diff --git a/site/_includes/components/collectionList.njk b/site/_includes/components/collectionList.njk
index f0920fe..e4012c3 100644
--- a/site/_includes/components/collectionList.njk
+++ b/site/_includes/components/collectionList.njk
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@
{%- for item in collections[tagName] | reverse -%}
{%- if (limit === 0 or loop.index <= limit) -%}
+ {% if item.data.cover %}
+
+ {% endif %}
{{item.data.title}}
{%- if item.data.date -%}
diff --git a/site/_includes/css/site.css b/site/_includes/css/site.css
index e1efb39..0ee9ddf 100644
--- a/site/_includes/css/site.css
+++ b/site/_includes/css/site.css
@@ -251,8 +251,34 @@ ul.collection {
padding-left: 0;
> li {
list-style-type: none;
+ position: relative;
+ &:has(.collection-cover) {
+ padding-bottom: 2lh;
+ @media (min-width: 60rem) {
+ padding-bottom: 0.5rem;
+ padding-right: 50%;
+ .collection-cover {
+ left: 50%;
+ width: 50%;
+ mask-image: linear-gradient(to right, transparent, white 20%);
+ }
+ }
+ }
+ .collection-cover {
+ position: absolute;
+ top: 0;
+ left: 0;
+ width: 100%;
+ height: 100%;
+ object-fit: cover;
+ object-position: 50% 30%;
+ border-radius: 0.25rem;
+ z-index: -1;
+ @media print {
+ opacity: 0.2;
+ }
+ }
@media screen {
- position: relative;
background-color: oklch(from var(--c-accent) calc(l * 0.4) calc(c * 0.33) h / 0.67);
box-shadow: inset 0 0 2rem -1rem var(--c-accent);
padding: 0.5rem;
@@ -281,6 +307,11 @@ ul.collection {
+ li {
margin-top: 1rem;
}
+ @media (max-width: 40rem) {
+ .tags {
+ display: block;
+ }
+ }
}
}
@@ -368,6 +399,31 @@ body > header > nav {
font-size: var(--s-1);
}
+.cover {
+ display: flex;
+ position: relative;
+ flex-direction: column;
+ justify-content: end;
+ min-height: 20rem;
+ > img {
+ position: absolute;
+ top: 0;
+ left: 0;
+ width: 100%;
+ height: 100%;
+ object-fit: cover;
+ object-position: 50% 40%;
+ z-index: -1;
+ mask-image: linear-gradient(to bottom, white 8rem, transparent);
+ border-top-left-radius: 1rem;
+ border-top-right-radius: 1rem;
+ }
+ > h1 {
+ padding: 0 0.5rem;
+ margin-top: 10rem;
+ }
+}
+
body > footer {
position: relative;
text-align: right;
@@ -427,6 +483,7 @@ h4 {
font-weight: 700;
text-shadow: 0 0 0.5em var(--c-highlight);
margin-top: 3rem;
+ line-height: 1.1;
+ h1, + h2, + h3, + h4 {
margin-top: 0;
}
@@ -465,6 +522,9 @@ h1 {
padding: 0 0.5ch;
}
}
+.cover-info {
+ color: var(--c-text-dim);
+}
:where(ol li) {
list-style-type: decimal;
diff --git a/site/posts/2021-04-03-trivium.md b/site/posts/2021-04-03-trivium.md
index b04da39..a779a6d 100644
--- a/site/posts/2021-04-03-trivium.md
+++ b/site/posts/2021-04-03-trivium.md
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@ description: An ancient methodology for learning, which formed the basis of clas
tags:
- learning
- how to
+cover: "/2021-04-03--the-seven-liberal-arts.jpg"
+coverInfo: "[The seven Liberal Arts - Museo del Prado](https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-seven-liberal-arts/89d9f351-fff6-4141-9efc-d5ea2951b488)"
+date: 2021-04-03
+updated: 2025-07-01
---
Information today has become siloed. It's a common belief that little, if any, expertise from one field of knowledge transfers over to other fields. But there is a forgotten tool that anyone can use to confidently approach new subjects and problems: the _Trivium_.
diff --git a/site/posts/2021-05-26-needs-based-communication.md b/site/posts/2021-05-26-needs-based-communication.md
index b13f9a6..00a4ed5 100644
--- a/site/posts/2021-05-26-needs-based-communication.md
+++ b/site/posts/2021-05-26-needs-based-communication.md
@@ -4,15 +4,31 @@ description: How to connect with others through shared human needs.
tags:
- communication
- how to
+date: 2021-05-26
+updated: 2025-06-30
+cover: "/2021-05-26--needs-based-communication.jpg"
+coverInfo: "[Jeremy Bishop](https://unsplash.com/photos/two-birds-sitting-on-top-of-a-white-rope-VYEBlG63bwc)"
---
Needs-based communication (usually called non-violent communication or NVC™) is a way of understanding yourself and others with a unique insight: everyone has their own personal reactions to the world, but people have the same basic needs. We recognize those needs in other people, and that common connection can allow us to communicate clearly when there is conflict.
-**Needs** are universal to humanity. They are common drives that we all experience, and this universality makes them perfect for connecting with each other. Some broad categories of needs are the needs for: connection, physical well-being, honesty, play, peace, autonomy, and meaning. Needs can also be specific: a need for clarity, nurturing, integrity, trust, space, etc. Needs are abstract, not connected to people or actions. For example, peace is a need, muting TV commercials is not. Here is [a partial list of needs](https://www.cnvc.org/training/resource/needs-inventory) from the Center for Non-Violent Communication (CNVC).
+## Needs
+
+**Needs** are universal to humanity. They are common drives that we all experience, and this universality makes them perfect for connecting with each other. Some broad categories of needs are the needs for: connection, physical well-being, honesty, play, peace, autonomy, and meaning. Needs can also be specific: a need for clarity, nurturing, integrity, trust, space, etc. Needs are abstract, not connected to people or actions. For example, peace is a need, muting TV commercials is not. Here is an abbreviated list of needs from the Center for Non-Violent Communication (CNVC):
+
+**Physical wellbeing** - air, food, movement/exercise, rest/sleep, sexual expression, safety, shelter, touch, water
+**Honesty** - authenticity, integrity, presence
+**Connection** - acceptance, affection, appreciation, belonging, cooperation, communication, closeness, community, companionship, compassion, consideration, consistency, empathy, inclusion, intimacy, love, mutuality, nurturing, respect/self-respect, safety, security, stability, support, to know and be known, to see and be seen, to understand and be understood, trust, warmth
+**Play** - joy, humor
+**Peace** - beauty, communion, ease, equality, harmony, inspiration, order
+**Autonomy** - choice, freedom, independence, space, spontaneity
+**Meaning** - awareness, celebration of, life challenge, clarity, competence, consciousness, contribution, creativity, discovery, efficacy, effectiveness, growth, hope, learning, mourning, participation, purpose, self-expression, stimulation, to matter, understanding
Everything _anyone_ does is an attempt to meet a need. None of these universal needs is wrong or inherently harmful, although sometimes the strategies we use can be.
-**Conflict** happens when our needs aren't met. We get stuck in conflict when we mix up needs and strategies. Needs never conflict with each other, only strategies do.
+## Conflict
+
+**Conflict** happens when several peoples' needs aren't met. We get stuck in conflict when we mix up needs and strategies. Needs never conflict with each other, only strategies do.
When we experience conflict or negative feelings, that indicates that there is an unmet need. In an attempt to end a conflict, we often settle on unsatisfying resolutions:
@@ -22,6 +38,8 @@ When we experience conflict or negative feelings, that indicates that there is a
These resolutions can happen despite our best intentions, as a result of not understanding what's happening as we fight. A very common mistake is to confuse needs and strategies.
+## Strategies
+
**Strategies** are things we do to meet our needs. In contrast to needs, which are abstract and universal, strategies are personal, specific, and widely varied.
For example, consider the need for self-expression. There are as many strategies as there are people and situations: singing, writing, talking, composing, dressing a certain way... and on and on.
@@ -30,10 +48,41 @@ Jumping into a conflict strategy-first is bound to cause problems if that strate
So, **how do you figure out your own needs?**
+## Feelings
+
Negative feelings are a sign that you have an unmet need. Unfortunately, most of us have learned to bundle in certain judgments and name them as feelings. For example, I might think I am feeling _abandoned_, but really this is a feeling of disconnectedness, vulnerability, loneliness, or something else, combined with a judgment that someone else has made me feel that way.
-The truth is that the same situation can affect people very differently. This means that feelings must come from a person's own response to things. In order to see your feelings clearly, it is important to take ownership of them as _your_ feelings rather than something caused by the world around you. I have found this to be very challenging, but also incredibly rewarding.
+The truth is that the same situation can affect different people in very different ways. This means that feelings must come from a person's own response to things. In order to see your own feelings clearly, it is important to take ownership of them as _your_ feelings rather than something caused by the world around you. I have found this to be very challenging, but also incredibly rewarding.
+CNVC provides an incomplete inventory of feelings:
+
+### Feelings when needs are met
+**Affectionate** - compassionate, friendly, loving, open-hearted, sympathetic, tender, warm
+**Engaged** - absorbed, alert, curious, engrossed, enchanted, entranced, fascinated, interested, intrigued, involved, spellbound, stimulated
+**Hopeful** - expectant, encouraged, optimistic
+**Confident** - empowered, open, proud, safe, secure
+**Excited** - amazed, animated, ardent, aroused, astonished, dazzled, eager, energetic, enthusiastic, giddy, invigorated, lively, passionate, surprised, vibrant
+**Grateful** - appreciative, moved, thankful, touched
+**Inspired** - amazed, awed, wonder
+**Refreshed** - enlivened, rejuvenated, renewed, rested, restored, revived
+
+### Feelings when needs are not met
+**Afraid** - apprehensive, dread, foreboding, frightened, mistrustful, panicked, petrified, scared, suspicious, terrified, wary, worried
+**Annoyed** - aggravated, dismayed, disgruntled, displeased, exasperated, frustrated, impatient, irritated, irked
+**Angry** - enraged, furious, incensed, indignant, irate, livid, outraged, resentful
+**Aversion** - animosity, appalled, contempt, disgusted, dislike, hate, horrified, hostile, repulsed
+**Confused** - ambivalent, baffled, bewildered, dazed, hesitant, lost, mystified, perplexed, puzzled, torn
+**Disconnected** - alienated, aloof, apathetic, bored, cold, detached, distant, distracted, indifferent, numb, removed, uninterested, withdrawn
+**Disquiet** - agitated, alarmed, discombobulated, disconcerted, disturbed, perturbed, rattled, restless, shocked, startled, surprised, troubled, turbulent, turmoil, uncomfortable, uneasy, unnerved, unsettled, upset
+**Embarrassed** - ashamed, chagrined, flustered, guilty, mortified, self-conscious
+**Fatigue** - beat, burnt out, depleted, exhausted, lethargic, listless, sleepy, tired, weary, worn out
+**Pain** - agony, anguished, bereaved, devastated, grief, heartbroken, hurt, lonely, miserable, regretful, remorseful
+**Sad** - depressed, dejected, despair, despondent, disappointed, discouraged, disheartened, forlorn, gloomy, heavy-hearted, hopeless, melancholy, unhappy, wretched
+**Tense** - anxious, cranky, distressed, distraught, edgy, fidgety, frazzled, irritable, jittery nervous, overwhelmed, restless, stressed out
+**Vulnerable** - fragile, guarded, helpless, insecure, leery, reserved, sensitive, shaky
+**Yearning** - envious, jealous, longing, nostalgic, pining, wistful
+
+## Resolving feelings from unmet needs
Once you have an honest name for what you are feeling, think about what need sparked the feeling.
There is a (kind of clunky) formula for requesting help meeting a need without tacking on strategies, demands, judgments, or other baggage. As the exercise becomes more habitual, you won't need the formula, and can accomplish the same thing more naturally.
diff --git a/site/posts/2025-04-24-thinking-machines.md b/site/posts/2025-04-24-thinking-machines.md
index 2419e02..5fefbbd 100644
--- a/site/posts/2025-04-24-thinking-machines.md
+++ b/site/posts/2025-04-24-thinking-machines.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
title: Thinking machines
slug: thinking-machines
description: "The computers will start thinking, and people will stop."
-cover: "/2025-04-24--computers-will-start-thinking.jpg"
+cover: "/2025-04-24--tron-mcp.jpg"
tags:
- zeitgeist
- ai