James Parker
Narrative Architect
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Self-Hosting Is the New Gardening
A small server in a cupboard, tended on weekends, has more in common with an allotment than a data centre.
The Lost Art of the Mixtape Liner Note
Before the playlist there was the handwritten card, and it carried things a tracklist cannot.
Forty Hours on a Cargo Ship to Nowhere in Particular
Passenger berths on freighters still exist. I took one, mostly to see what boredom at sea feels like.
The Lost Art of the Contact Sheet
Before the instant verdict of the screen, photographers learned to read a whole roll at once. We gave up more
Reykjavik in the Off-Season, When the Tourists Leave
November strips the city back to the people who actually live in it.
A Case for Cooking the Same Soup Every Sunday
Repetition in the kitchen is not a failure of imagination. It is how you actually get good.
The Anchovy Is the Most Misunderstood Fish in Your Pantry
People who swear they hate anchovies have usually been eating the wrong ones, in the wrong way.
I Stopped Counting Steps and Started Counting Mornings
The wrist tracker measured everything except whether I was actually well.
The Cold Shower Argument Nobody Asked For
Two years in, here is the honest version, with the evangelism removed.
The Typeface on Your Train Ticket Has a 90-Year Backstory
The letters you never read were drawn to be legible at speed, in the rain, by tired eyes.
