Ideas in Progression

A digital space where music, travel, and storytelling converge.

Author: Ever

  • The Cartography of Nothing:  Mapping a Life Without Borders

    The Architecture of Less

    For years, I dreamed of a life unbound by geography—a existence defined by movement, not an address. But let’s be honest: freedom isn’t cheap, and it certainly isn’t easy to fund while paying rent on an empty flat. So, I did the only logical thing: I liquidated my entire existence.

    Collect Memories, Not Things

    I had long considered myself a minimalist, well before this lifestyle became a curated social media trend. Yet, despite that mindset, I discovered that getting rid of everything you own is far harder than simply boxing it up and moving to a new place (in my case; no place)

    Dare To Be Different

    The 2019 transition wasn’t without tremors. As usual, my “family” offered zero support, entrenched in their conservative modus vivendi. – I wear the ‘black sheep’ badge with pride. Why adhere to the prescribed linear march? Corporate drudgery, a flashy car, a beachside flat, offspring. I harbour no judgment for those who find fulfilment in that script, but it was never mapped for my feet. My compass points elsewhere: no borders, new customs, acquiring cultural depth. Money is a tool, not a trophy. Vanity? Abandoned long ago.

    Nine-to-Five? Hard Pass

    I have no desire to fund a boss’s luxury fleet or endure petty micromanagement from “work mates”. Now, I dictate my own priorities. Minimalism, coupled with location-independent work and house-sitting, dissolved the rigid structures of calendar days, weekends, and fixed hours into irrelevance.

    The Fine Print of Fate

    A word of counsel for those eyeing the leap: invest in quality, not quantity. Ignore the frenzied consumerism of Black Friday; buy functional, enduring items. And boycott the monolithic convenience of online stores in favour of local, (in my case) European commerce. To me, the hyper-consumerist USA-model was always hardly a template worth following.

    This is my perspective. But be careful what you wish for: you might just like it.

    Yours in freedom,
    e.

  • Off the Beaten Tracks: Long Distance Calling

    Off the Beaten Tracks: Long Distance Calling

    Long Distance Calling hit my radar way too late in my journey through the instrumental realms of Rock and Metal. Honestly, I still don’t get it—while I was already deep in the RUSH catalog from day one, Long Distance Calling keeps popping up in every “essential prog bands” list in those specialised music mags. How did I miss this?

    The Basics: Formed in 2006 in Münster, Germany, Long Distance Calling carved out their own lane in the post-rock landscape. Their sound? Think adventurous post-rock that isn’t afraid to wander into post-metal territory when the mood strikes.

    What Makes Them Tick: Here’s the thing—they’re built on extended instrumentals that create atmospheric soundscapes hitting you right in the chest. No filler vocals, just pure sonic architecture.

    The Lineage (Some of Their Influences): You can hear the DNA of PORCUPINE TREE, LUNA, and ISIS woven throughout their discography. They’re instrumental, progressive, contemporary—all the descriptors fit. Call it instrumental atmospheric rock, post-metal, or post-rock; whatever label you slap on it, the music speaks for itself.

    Essential Listening – Start Here:

    Black Paper Planes

    Voices

    Aurora

    Trauma

    Nucleus


    IMO: For Post-Rock/Metal heads, this is essential listening. Each album carries a central theme that anchors the whole experience. The songwriting is playful, packed with ideas and stylistic shifts. Sometimes they drop samples that make you wonder if you’ve heard them elsewhere—but you can’t quite place them. That mystery is part of the magic.

    Bottom line: If you’re into instrumental music that breathes, builds, and blasts, Long Distance Calling deserves a permanent spot in your rotation. Better late than never.

  • Books that Matter: The Coming Wave

    The Coming Wave: A Quick Take

    Mustaqim Suleyman’s The Coming Wave is a timely wake-up call. He argues that the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and synthetic biology poses serious risks to humanity, urging us to regulate and contain these powerful forces before they spiral out of control. It’s a classic double-edged sword: tech can heal or harm, depending on how we wield it.

    But here’s the catch—the wave has already hit the shore. We’re no longer waiting for it; we’re already wading through it.

    For readers new to the world of AI, this book offers a clear and urgent overview of what’s possible—and what’s coming. For those already familiar with the landscape, much of it will feel like a refresher course. Still, one thing is certain: within just a few years, AI will be doing many jobs better than humans. That’s not speculation; it’s the trajectory we’re on.

    The book is packed with thought-provoking ideas, but it’s also a bit messy. At times, it contradicts itself or gets lost in unnecessary detail—especially when revisiting past tech revolutions, which feel more like filler than insight. Some sections are so exaggerated they lose credibility. In short, it lacks focus.

    Honestly, this feels like an essay that got stretched into a full-length book. Some chapters are sharp and engaging; others drag. If you’re looking for a clear roadmap, you might be disappointed. But if you’re willing to skim the fluff and dive into the good bits, there’s plenty to chew on.

    Final thought: Read it in chunks, skip the fluff, and keep your expectations in check. It’s worth the time—but only if you take it with a grain of salt.

  • Off the Beaten Tracks: Not Your Average Playlist

    Off the Beaten Tracks: Not Your Average Playlist

    Here’s Blood Ceremony

    So, picture this: it’s 2006 in Toronto, and a bunch of Canadians decide that regular rock is a bit dull. Enter Blood Ceremony. They’ve carved out a niche so specific it sounds like a surreal dream: “flute-tinged witch rock.” And yes, that is exactly what it sounds like.

    They’ve taken the heavy, sludgy bits of doom metal and mixed it with the trippy vibes of 70s psychedelic folk, then sprinkled in a dash of occult rock for good measure. The result? A sound that feels like you’ve stumbled into a séance in a dusty library, but someone’s playing a killer guitar solo in the background.

    Here’s the thing that makes them proper unique:

    • The Flute Factor: Forget the bagpipes; they’ve got flute solos that would make Ian Anderson nod in approval. It’s weirdly brilliant.
    • The Lyrics: We’re talking black magic, grimoires, and references to classic horror flicks. It’s like The Wicker Man meets a heavy metal concert.
    • The Sound: Think early ’70s “downer” rock (the good kind, of course) fused with prog-rock complexity.

    Who They’re Stealing From (and Why It Works): They’re basically time-travellers from the late 60s and early 70s. Their playlist is a who’s who of the occult and the heavy:

    • The Heavy Hitters: Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, Electric Wizard, and Witchfinder General.
    • The Prog/Folk Crew: Osanna, Pentagram, Pagan Altar, plus the British folk legends Pentangle and Fairport Convention.

    If you love the gloomy majesty of Black Sabbath (RIP Ozzy) but secretly wish Jethro Tull played more doom metal, you’re in the right place.

    Essential Listening: Don’t know where to start? Queue up these five:

    • Witchwood (live)
    • Eldritch Dark
    • Goodbye Gemini
    • Ipsissimus
    • The Devil’s Widow

    IMO: They’ve got that unique “occult folk-metal” signature sound that makes you wonder if their setlist includes incantations or just really good solos. Either way, it’s a proper trip.

  • Books That Matter: Branson’s LOSING MY VIRGINITY (and his mind)

    Losing My Virginity isn’t a polite memoir; it’s a riot. Branson goes from scrappy zine-pusher to balloon-hopping tycoon, proving that branding is king and his spine is made of reinforced steel. Forget the headmaster’s threat of prison—he chose the millionaire route, and he didn’t wait for permission.

    His rule? “Say yes to the impossible, figure out the rest later.” In a world of cowards, that’s the only manifesto you need. It’s raw, it’s useful, and it’s exactly what we need right now. Read it. Then go break something.

  • The Donkey Palio: A Madcap Adventure You Won’t Believe

    The Palio dei Somari: Where Donkeys Steal the Show

    Since 1966, Torrita di Siena has been celebrating its Palio dei Somari—a festival that puts Saint Joseph (patron of carpenters) and his humble donkey companion centre stage. Born to honour both toil and simplicity, the event sees the town’s eight contrade battling for a painted banner on St Joseph’s feast day.

    Each district—Porta a Pago, Porta a Sole, Porta Gavina, Porta Nova, Le Fonti, Stazione, Refenero, and Cavone—sports its own colours, crest, and spot-on 15th-century garb. It’s Siena’s famous contrada rivalry, but with a donkey twist and a whole lot of character.

    Source: torritadisienaliving.it

    One Last Lap: The Palio dei Somari on my channel

  • An invitation to wander through the moving parts of a life in motion

    There is a peculiar comfort in believing that ideas, once formed, settle into place like stones in a riverbed. We tell ourselves that our tastes are fixed, our philosophies carved in granite, our trajectories mapped with precision. But anyone who has lived long enough knows better. Nothing stays static—not thoughts, not playlists, not passports and nothing is written in stone. This work (always in progression) exists because I grew tired of pretending otherwise.

    Ideas in Progression is a workshop. A space where thoughts are allowed to breathe, shift, and occasionally contradict themselves. Some entries here will evolve into something substantial; others will fade like morning mist. But all of them matter, because each one captures a moment in motion—a snapshot of where I was when the world felt a certain way.

    And WHY this matters?

    We live in an age of curation overload. Social media “demands” that we present polished, finished versions of ourselves. But growth happens in the messy middle—in the coffee stained drafts, the revisions, the false starts.

    Here, I am not trying to convince you of anything. I am simply documenting what I find true at this particular moment. Your mileage may vary. My opinions may change. That is the point.

    However, some of what I write will be confident. Some of it will be tentative. I will say “I believe” when I mean “I am still figuring out.” I will admit when I have changed my mind. And I will invite you to do the same.

    This is not a destination. It is a progression.

    So, if you like; wander through the posts. Take what resonates, leave what doesn’t. And if you find yourself thinking along with me, well—that is the best kind of company. Leave a note whenever you feel like. I may reply to you sooner or later. Or may not.

    Welcome aboard. The journey has already begun.

    e.

  • Hello, wanderers and thinkers.

    Welcome to Ideas in Progression, a digital space where music, travel, and storytelling converge. This isn’t just another blog—it’s a living archive of moments, melodies, and musings collected along the way.

    What You’ll Find Here

    Think of this as a curated collection of the things that keep me awake at night and the things that keep me moving during the day.

    Hand Crafted Articles: Sometimes it’s something I’ve written, sometimes it’s someone else’s work that deserves your attention.

    Books I read and recommend — Not just the bestsellers, but the ones that linger. The pages that dog-ear themselves because they refuse to be forgotten.

    Music I am listening to — From albums I revisit to tracks I find by chance: soundtracks for different versions of myself.

    Movies I like or dislike — Because sometimes a film’s flaws teach us more than its triumphs.

    Videos: Visual stories that complement the written word.

    Bits and pieces from here and there — The observations that don’t fit anywhere else, like notes scribbled on napkins for example.

    Podcast Corner: Conversations or monologues that linger; for those who prefer to listen while they move.

    Minimalist lifestyle — An ongoing negotiation with what we truly need versus what we merely accumulate.

    Travel tips and tricks — For those who believe that getting lost is sometimes the point and also the philosophy behind why we move.

    Digital Nomad life — The reality behind the social medias aesthetics. The freedom, the friction, and everything in between.

    Viajante Minimalista: For real-time travel snapshots and visual diaries, follow my Instagram journey. It’s where the road meets the lens.

    Talk Loud and About: There’s a message box below. Say hello, share your thoughts, or tell me what you’d like to see next. This space grows with your input.

    Carpe Diem!
    e.

    About the Author

    A perpetual student of life, happily married to my sanity and currently navigating the intersection of minimalism, movement, and meaning.
    Based somewhere between here and there.