Intro
There are many reasons I’m glad that I’ve born in Adana but a more recent one is that what Europe and this part of Turkey calls heat waves are the regular summer weather in Adana. Which means I’m prepared to deal with this weather both physically and mentally.
The number one rule to deal with this type of weather is that you don’t fight it. You can’t act like you can do what you do in normal days, you just accept that everything needs to slow down and you need to protect yourself with any means necessary. And if you’re in a high humidity city, you should take Douglas Adams’s advice and carry a towel with yourself at all times.
Greetings from Sangarius. Hope you’re all doing well.
Mission Control
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- Heat wave is here, meaning things need to slow down. Thankfully I don’t have any travel on my calendar and temporarily moved the basics of my office to downstairs to avoid boiling so I’m prepared for it.
- It looks like a writing and planning focused week right now. There has been some new work and projects arrived during the earlier weeks and I need to make sure they’re all put in their places in my plans.
Check my Now page if you want to see what I’m up to in a more detailed way.
Thermochauvinism vs Adaptation
Because of everything happening in the world, Andrew Dana Hudson recently shared one of his old articles, Against Thermochauvinism on Bluesky, which is a must read.
Here is a key quote, which also describes the term:
“Thermochauvinism is the (often unconscious) assumption that it’s reasonable to live in cold places but unreasonable to live in hot ones. Thermochauvinism doesn’t blink at the massive infrastructure investments required to keep much of the Global North functioning through the coldest months of the year: gas heating, snow removal, salting of roads and sidewalks, winter clothes for every citizen, hand warmers, engine warmers, antifreeze, snow days, etc. etc. And yet similar investments in cooling somehow constitute a moral failing.”
Against Thermochauvinism – by ADH – solarshades.club
The term and article is really important idea to consider, especially when we actively see the results of this mistake. But it also points out to something deeper and urgent: we need to be open about questioning our basic assumptions about the world. Whether it’s the climate crisis or another part of the polycrisis, mainstream approach is to try to protect status quo — or try and go back to good old days.
Thermochauvinism is a great example of this because it still assumes that we can still live in the world like climate isn’t changing. Insisting on our old habits and try to make them work in a world it clearly doesn’t, will only make things worse.
What we need to do is learn adaptation and figure out the best ways for it. I know it’s not an easy task but that’s the one in front of us right now.
“So we need to be very, very careful with language and policy that amounts to “stay away, there’s no more room/water/food/energy.” Instead, we should find ways to make the places where people want or need to go more habitable and welcoming. Not enough housing? Build some. Not enough food? Grow some. Not enough water? Clean some, pump some, pipe some in. Too hot? Invest in cooling. And give the newcomers good jobs helping get these things done. Do *not* find excuses to turn people away.”
Against Thermochauvinism – by ADH – solarshades.club
Song of the Week
I don’t want to accept the fact that this song is more than 20 years old.
Reading Log
“If nothing else, it’s a sign that the contemporary scene is just as myopic and navel-gazey as its antecedents; the content has changed, but the social form has stayed the same. The scrappy young punks become the new stadium acts, but still see themselves as rebel upstarts… which is usually an indicator that something new is about to emerge, and treat them as the stodgy hidebound establishment that they have become.”
we (believe that we) have always lived in the castle – Velcro City Tourist Board
“So perhaps the grotesque part, the unavoidable part of optimization culture, is the idea that there must be clear rules that work for everyone and guarantee large, measurable, quantified improvements and that every intervention must work like a miracle drug. The rare case of an impressive discovery like Ozempic convinces people that every problem can be solved by one simple trick.”
I Want A New Drug – by Ben Recht – arg min
“The Cherokee Boiler House, near downtown Denver, sits at the center of this plan. Despite the mothballed plant’s handsome brick exterior, inside it’s filled with rattling pipes, hazard signs, and cockroach carcasses.
“It looks like a good place for a rave or potentially a horror movie,” says Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.”
Denver has a plan to heat and cool buildings with —wait for it— sewage | Canary Media
Outro
Keeping it short for this week. Take care of yourselves, stay hydrated, and I’ll see you around!
If you’d like to collaborate with me or use my services, Tuhaf Studio is open for new clients and collaborators.
For speaking or panelist opportunities, contact London Speaker Bureau Türkiye.
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