Everything's television; Make something heavy; Done lists
Issue #378
š”Think
Hello, Iām back!
Shortly after the last episode in October, I took a wrecking ball to my personal life and have since had arguably the toughest few months of my life. No sympathy required, but I thought Iād let you know why the newsletter has been somewhat low on the priority list.
On a positive note, Iāve done more thinking about well basically everything than Iāve ever done and feel a lot clearer not only about my life but also where we are in the state of things AKA the industry.
Living in the eye of the artificial needle means that most things can feel inflated to me, but what I have noticed recently is the bleeding out of I suppose mostly ChatGPT into the lives of the non-tech folks. My brother, for example, uses it to order his shopping list into which aisle the items live in.
Tech-washing aside, this feels like dust settling. Dust settling into a future we can almost wipe away from the surface with our finger, only to see that the surface doesnāt actually exist and our finger is owned by Sam Altman. The every enhancements, not the sweeping destruction of an entire profession.
For that reason, Iām optimistic.
Enjoy this weekās recommendations! They are from a much longer time span than usual, but I hope still as enjoyable.
Luis
š· Look
š Read
ā¶ Why everything became television
Damn, the title is so good itās almost one my job for me here. Iām sure youāve felt it though, every thing we do must feel like entertainment now, and āsocial has become less socialā. Itās tiring.
ā· Make something heavy
I love this framing. We associate quality with heaviness in the physical world (an oak table), but online nothing weighs anything. We want light, thanks to article #1. Make something with friction, something that lasts, something youād put your name on.
āø Keeping a ādone listā
This may hit a nerve, but do you wake up every day feeling behind on tasks already? So does the author of this article, who accurately describes that sense of task debt that we all have.
ā
Bonus round
Related to the first article: how to reclaim your attention
From January, but I encourage you to watch Ben Affleck talking eloquently about AI
š§ Listen
Mysteries of Claude
A story about Anthropic mostly, but the industry in a wider sense and just what on earth is happening. Iād encourage you to watch mostly because of the linguistic excellence of the guest, a journalist. They talk about government interference, safety, origins, and futures.
Have a great week,
@disco_lu