mastodon 4.8.0-nightly.2026-10-06Nosey generalist and purveyor of semi-cunning plans.
Random photos @opoponax
"I use emdashes and I'm not a robot" may be the most subversive writing act you can do today.
Last week I learnt about the Future Library in Norway, a 100-year project from 2014-2114. Each year, a new writer is chosen to write a book which is kept secret until publication in 2114.
It's interesting because it raises questions about the future of the environment and inter-generational legacy. We assume paper-based books and the languages they’re written in will still exist in 100 years’ time. And that the people who know those languages will still be here and able to read them.
Famous last words
Thanks to AI shaming, the em dash has been unfairly maligned as a sign of AI-generated writing. But, as Brian Phillips writes for humanity's salvation, the em dash is the most human punctuation of all: "It would be a tragedy if writers stopped using em dashes out of fear of sounding like AI, because em dashes are one of the best tools writers have for not sounding robotic in the first place."
I'm thinking of getting a Plant Wave, after hearing music made from plants by the Data Garden Quartet years ago and backing Midi Sprout on Kickstarter (although I didn’t get it). Plant Wave converts plant biofeedback into musical notes so you can hear to what a cactus or a tomato sounds like or listen to a plant grow. Curious to know if anyone here has actually used one.
#PlantMusic #Music #PlantWave #DataGardenQuartet #ElectronicMusic