Friday Fun #4
Evolution Study. 2026. Watercolor on paper.
Hello today is Friday Fun #4 and this week we are talkin’ about digital analog formats!
Who knew that the Portable Document Format (.PDF), the lord’s most middle-aged file type (unproven) would be so impactful? Lots of companies are playing around (again) with the translation layer between digital and analog, when humans were sill in the loop, and printer paper was the business backbone of a cultural landmark show.
Visually harkening back to a time when the web was nascent (or non-existent) reminds us of a time when we likely had more trust in the web and the purveyors of services thereon. Surface-level references to what it looked like when nothing fishy was going on aim to make us forget that actually, the fishies have always lived below the surface. Don’t be fooled! Smooth waters run deep. The internet, though an effective time machine, cannot turn back time.
AI 2040 is available as a PDF. Since 2027 is not looking likely, maybe this longer time horizon will support more robust foresight.
The Humanist Review of AI. If this isn’t an analog online ‘zine, I don’t know what is. Featuring Cass Sunstein who I saw in the airport!
Dialogues Issue 3. I was sadly not involved in this one, but it looks good!
Play Rock-Paper-Scissors. All analog weapons (as in the title) in a Pokemon-style battle.
ClipArt Studio. Clippin’ art from online mags. If only I could découpage this on a notebook.
Playable Bayeux Tapestry. Running, jumping, ducking through medieval art.
A museum of icons. When ‘app icon’ meant digital illustrations of analog tools.
Billion Dollar PDFs. Papers, memos, essays, and pitches that moved money.
Digital Risograph motion. Motion design that looks like printed paper.
Illustoria. An interactive magazine for creative kids and their adults. Crafted!
That’s it for this week. Have a super weekend.
Cheers,
Roxanne
