Friday Fun #1
Terrain study. 2026. Watercolor on paper.
Well it’s here! It’s the first Friday Fun. Wow. Big step.
As promised, this is a series of 10-ish [1] links on the spaces and interfaces between people and technology. As requested by the internet, I am assuming the role of curator, and my philosophy is that if I’m interested, you might be interested too. I’m going to aim for a spectrum ranging from Upsetting — Intriguing — Cool — Delightful.
Let us begin.
Refik Anadol’s AI Art Museum in LA. Lots of AI, screens, and audio tech packed in here, some wearables, some snackies, some scent technology. Willy Wonka, meet GANs [2].
Dr. Emily M. Bender on navigating the ethics of using text generators. A very tight essay on patterns in ethical rationalizations for using generative AI from a highly-regarded linguist.
Prove you’re not a human. The robots-only captcha.
The Dark Forest. Open-source protocol to make your own internet — no agents allowed.
Palantir makes nice clothes. They call it Soft Wear, and it heavily references Off White by Virgil Abloh (RIP).
In defense of open-source technology. Akrites is bolstering the backbone of everything we use.
Another viral AI doomsday thought experiment. This time: Europe! ‘Sci-fi as policy artifact’ is having a moment. This (very long) piece is focused on competition: winning, missing out, squandering advantages etc. This is a zero-sum strategy perspective, but the piece gets close to imagining an alternative. [3]
Judging books without covers. Tinder for opening lines of novels. [4]
Golden Eggs don’t self-replicate. The SoftBank slides carry so much wisdom.
New York says “No Way mo’ self driving cars in these streets!” It’s a great pun. You’re welcome.
Alrighty-roo, that’s it for this week. Enjoy the weekend and stay cool, Europe.
Cheers,
Rox
