30-Degree Shift
Reality is a mass of reasons; I’m just here to map the gravity. 30-Degree Shift is a weekly publication of essays exploring the structural irony of the world through a neurodivergent lens. Whether it’s special relativity, the craft of fiction, or the sensory weight of a blue-buttercream cake, I’m looking for how light bends around our baggage.
TL;DR - My brain is a messy equation and I’m trying to solve it on the chalkboard in front of class.
Subscribe on substack for weekly essays every Wednesday at 11:11am.
30-Degree Shift is a weekly column by William T. Torgerson
Minimum Relative Suffering
While complete annihilation of suffering remains theoretically impossible, several laws have been discovered which outline methods to decrease relative suffering.
On Winning Monopoly
Sometimes I wonder if my choice to live out in the country is just one more revolt against Monopoly.
Easier to Remove the Option
I have one tick. I think it’s a tick.
Commit!
It is a tick.
On Receiving a Package
Receiving a package is so much more powerful that it used to be. From junk mail to drunken purchases, we truly live in the best time of history.
A Convenient Theory of History
We assume the grand and mysterious structures of the ancient world to have been constructed for equally grand ambitions: religion, astronomy, legacy, the afterlife, what have you.
But isn’t the truth obvious?
Pretty, Handsome, Hot
I have a confession to make - I’m pedantic. Don’t worry, I know when to keep it locked up. Still, sometimes it can be useful.
The Weight of Invisible Work
The story behind Tears of Inti: how I complicated yet another simple idea, turning into four months of research, illustration, revision, and one handmade zine.
Looking for the Deli Cup
The trick to good worldbuilding isn't adding more detail. It's finding the one detail that makes someone say, "Huh. Hah!”
Robert Frost’s Bill
One life never seemed enough to me. Sadly, it’s all I have. No worries, I’ll just learn everything.
… shit.
Missing the Garden for the Peas
I walk through my garden every morning to inspect my plants. It’s been a while since I stepped back.
Get Ready With Me for Lunch With the Neighbor
We collect things as one life tumbles into the next. Of course, I'm talking about clothing.
Pick Up the Cone
A small moment with a cone has evolved into something to live by.
Ode To a Water Oak
A baby squirrel and a dangerous tree have more in common than you might think.
Show and Tell
Awe is non-transmissible, but we keep trying anyway.
The Cell Phone
At first I was excited about the wedding of my DND friends. Then I realized my ex would be at their wedding.
It’s Loud, But Not Loud Enough
After a blackout, every thought had room to breathe.
What I Learned by Staring at a Dog Dick for Five Hours
I almost didn’t ask for help.
That would have been a mistake.
When Did Compromise Become Dangerous?
An exploration in of the evolution of a word brings insight into how ideas are born.
Passion Isn’t About Success
Passion isn’t about success.
It’s about whether you love the work even when it doesn’t matter.
Most of us don’t realize the difference until much later. Some never do.
Why Is It So Hard to Listen to the Voice in Your Head?
I almost lost my thumb the other day.
The worst part? I knew it was going to happen.
This is an exploration of the anatomy of a single choice.