# Town Hall #17: Scrimmage

[^note]: [Subscribe to Taylor's Town Hall via email](https://newsletter.taylor.town).

In [American football](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NfnXdXpjL0), the
[line of scrimmage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_of_scrimmage) is an
imaginary border at which the next round of play begins.

To "move the ball forward" is to push that imaginary border into favorable
territory.

We fantasize about heroic
[Hail Mary passes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail_Mary_pass), but often
fumble when it counts.

Creation is a toilsome, boring, everyday thing. Historic plays can't be planned
in advance.

Keep moving that line of scrimmage forward. Use your lunchbreak to add a
paragraph to your magnum opus. [Scrounge for between time.](/between-time)
Clearly structure large projects with lots of alcoves that can be decorated
independently. Build
[Hemingway Bridges](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceberg_theory) that beg to be
completed. Do something. Anything.

## New Writings

- [cram those ideas into a clown car](/clown-car)
- [“MVP” is dead! Long live “FPC”.](/fpc)
- [graphic design is my passion](/grapic-design)
- [HNTV: play hn yt links locally](/hntv)
- [Measure twice, vise thrice.](/vises)
- [husband, father, obligation](/husband-father-obligation)

## Projects

- **[wigwam.directory](https://wigwam.directory):** I added some excellent
  recommendations from the supreme and lövely [Kartik](https://akkartik.name).
- **[scrapscript](https://scrapscript.org):** Some brilliant folks have saved me
  from another design/death spiral, so now we're actually nearing the first
  public release! Very excited to share more details soon.
- **[blogs.hn](https://blogs.hn):** No recent updates. Does anybody know a
  simple way to create a global RSS feed from all the listed RSS feeds?

## Recommendations


[^note]: You can also scour my entire history of [book reviews](/books),
[album ratings](/music), and [active podcasts](/podcasts). You may also want to
[read about my rating system](/2-stars).

### Purchases

- [electric cardboard cutter](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYSCP5M4)
- [deodorant with peel-off label](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS28YWYB)
- [jig](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXBX2PRY) and
  [brackets](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08F264WH1) for floating shelves
- [laser level](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VRZS44Z)

### Books

|      |                                    |                                                            |
| ---: | ---------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------- |
|  ★★★ | [review](/books#the-trial)         | _The Trial_ :: Franz Kafka                                 |
|   ★★ | [review](/books#lucky-jim)         | _Lucky Jim_ :: Kingsley Amis                               |
|    ★ | [review](/books#high-rise)         | _High Rise_ :: J.G. Ballard                                |
|  ★★★ | [review](/books#things-fall-apart) | _Things Fall Apart_ :: Chinua Achebe                       |
| ★★★★ | [review](/books#htwfaip)           | _How to Win Friends and Influence People_ :: Dale Carnegie |