Proceed With Care + Caution

Avoiding Danger + Finding Delight On The Internet

PHOTO BY JARROD ERBE ON UNSPLASH

Last night, for just under an hour, collidepress.com was offline due to a simple human error—mine. Fortunately, the fix was relatively quick and painless. But if you happened to try visiting during that hour and found nothing, I send my sincere apologies.

The silver lining? I learned one more domain setting I should never mess with again.

As I’m doodling about what I’ll be doing this Studio Saturday, I am also noodling about the many legal stories flooding my “news” feed this past week.

From the $400 million lawsuit filed by Justin Baldoni, the co-star/director of The End of Us, against the film’s star Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and others, to CNN settling a defamation case after being found liable by a jury (but before punitive damages could be awarded), to Drake suing his own record label for defamation—let’s just say, what’s left of the legacy infotainment industries are keeping its legal teams busy.

For me, these “news” headlines serve as a reminder:
Don’t fuck around. Don’t find out.

While I like the media circuses surrounding such legal brouhahas—the schadenfreude is real—I don’t have the money, patience, or time to engage in legal battles myself. So, I’ll be over here scrolling for more fun distractions, like cat memes and vintage photos, while trying to steer clear of preventable digital disasters and online drama.

THE INTERNET = PLAYGROUND + SWAMP

Let’s be honest: the internet is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s a colorful playground for education, entertainment, and inspiration. On the other hand, it’s a murky swamp of misinformation, misunderstandings, and misfortune.

And much like my brief website snafu last night, most dangers are man-made, arising from human error(s)—run amok.

Online “news” and social media—where the lines between parasocial relationships, personal opinions, and public discourse collide—create a perfect storm for man-made chaos, danger, and destruction.

Here are a few steps I’m taking to keep myself safer than sorry:

• Care + Share
  A simple comment or post may feel like a passing thought, but it can have lasting consequences. Words carry weight, and once they’re out there, they’re hard to take back. Even harmless banter, criticism, and sarcasm can easily be misconstrued. So I share with care—just like a Care Bear.

• Think Twice + Be Nice
  It’s easy to get caught up in online squabbles. I may be sweet by nature, but when my inner Spice Girl comes out, things can escalate fast. I remind myself how quickly anger can fuel a fire, so I try to pause, breathe, and ask if it’s really worth fighting for. Is this a “good” fight, or should I let it go?

• Distrust + Verify
  Misinformation spreads like wildfire. So, before reposting, retweeting, or sharing anything that’s not my own work, I take a moment to verify. If it’s too good (or too scandalous) to be true, it probably isn’t.

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SHOW + TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD

Let’s not forget the real reason we go online: the “good” stuff.
Whatever that is for you, there are at least a thousand sites for it.

The internet isn’t just a collection of cautionary tales. It’s a digital space where creativity, connection, education, and entertainment are alive, survive, and thrive.

While I enjoy a good drama video, I do my best to spend most of my time collecting, creating, and curating things that brighten and lighten my day.

Here’s how you can enjoy the internet without stepping on digital landmines:

• Explore Your Bliss
  Whether you’re into knitting, birdwatching, or obscure 80s cartoons, there’s a community for everything. These little corners of the web can be incredibly rewarding, filled with like-minded individuals who share your passions. (Reddit)

• Get Creative
  Try your hand at creating something online. Whether it’s an art project, a dance challenge, or even a simple blog post, expressing your creativity is a fulfilling and relatively safe way to engage with the online world. (Fun Things To Do Online)

• Find Some Entertainment
  Who doesn’t love a good movie or music marathon or a podcast/tv binge? The internet is a goldmine for entertainment, and it’s a great place to unwind without all the drama. (LGBTQ Film/TV Worth Watching…For Free)

• Support Positive Causes
  Use your online presence to lift up the causes that matter to you. Whether it’s supporting a small business, sharing an inspiring story, or donating to charity, the internet is full of opportunities to do good. (LGBTQ Charities Worth Supporting)

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FINDING MY LIGHT = THE FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT

As I reflect on the past week’s media storms—and whatever the next "news" cycle brings—I’m reminded to focus on the light, not the dark. I try to learn from others’ mistakes to become more of myself, not less.

For better and worse, I am who I am.
Some will like me and my work.
Others won’t.
Oh. Well.
Human.

My job is to show up, do what I do, and—with care and caution—proceed with joy.

Thanks for reading…and have a great day (or night) ahead!
Clint 🌈✌️

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FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

• 3 Mistakes That Cost Blake Lively the Court of Public Opinion… (Ulyses Osuna) 📺

• Justin Baldoni's $400M Lawsuit Against Blake Lively… (Law&Crime Network) 📺

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ON THIS DAY = JANUARY 18

BIRTHDAYS

• 1779 = Peter Mark Roget = English physician, lexicographer, and theologian

• 1882 = A. A. Milne = English author, poet, and playwright

• 1892 = Oliver Hardy = American actor and comedian

• 1904 = Cary Grant = English actor 🌈

• 1911 = Danny Kaye = American actor, singer, and dancer

• 1933 = Ray Dolby = American engineer and Dolby Laboratories founder

• 1949 = Philippe Starck = French industrial architect and designer

• 1960 = Mark Rylance = English actor, director, and playwright

• 1969 = Jesse L. Martin = American actor and singer

• 1971 = Jonathan Davis = American singer-songwriter

• 1980 = Estelle = English singer-songwriter and producer

EVENTS

• 1778 = James Cook is the first known European to discover the Hawaiian Islands, which he names the "Sandwich Islands."

• 1896 = An X-ray generating machine is exhibited for the first time by H. L. Smith.

• 1973 = Viewers of An American Family, a 12-part documentary series about the lives of an “average” American family, discover that son Lance Loud is living as an openly gay man in New York City.

• 2012 = More than 115,000 websites engage in an online protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act in the US.^{[citation needed]} The websites involved viewed the laws as infringing on the right to free speech and many of them temporarily shut down in protest.

HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES

• National Winnie the Pooh Day

• National Thesaurus Day

PHOTO + QUOTES OF THE DAY

“I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me.”
Cary Grant

'“Do your job and demand your compensation - but in that order.”
Cary Grant

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