Monday, 2026-05-25

Silent tornado
Unassuming framed still
Fixed eyes owe caution

Surely I won't write a software development poem on day 3, I told myself. Yeah, let's avoid that. I've been shopping around for Instax cameras recently, so that's also on the mind. Instant-film photos are literally snapshots.

With that in mind, I'll back off the literal interpretation (as usual) and focus on the meaning.

Photos, or any sort of moment-capturing device (keepsakes, time capsules, etc) are snapshots of the past. My hot take is that these snapshots are subtly dangerous objects. They are manifestations of context collapse; without mindful exposure, they hold the power to lead people into getting lost in a nonexistent, idealized past.

Snapshots don't need to be wholly avoided, of course. One must exercise caution and reflect on the nature of their relationship with nostalgia. You can learn and derive joy from the past, but you cannot afford to lose sight of the present and future.

Anyways, that's my life advice column for the day.