Mark
@philoserf.bsky.social
a human being, being human
(intending to) sleep, move, eat, grow, play, and share.
(while I) love, laugh, cry, and eventually die.
HOMO, HOMINIS ESSE
自然為人
maðr verandi mannligr
انسان بودن انسان
אדם בהיותו אדם
मनुष्यः मानुषं भवन्
mtu kuwa mwanadamu
(intending to) sleep, move, eat, grow, play, and share.
(while I) love, laugh, cry, and eventually die.
HOMO, HOMINIS ESSE
自然為人
maðr verandi mannligr
انسان بودن انسان
אדם בהיותו אדם
मनुष्यः मानुषं भवन्
mtu kuwa mwanadamu
Pinned
Mark
@philoserf.bsky.social
· Oct 5
To remain invisible, inconsequential, or to become dangerous?
Opinion:
Discussions about AI are generally poor, and conversations about consciousness are worse. Combining these topics to AI consciousness is even worse still.
Discussions about AI are generally poor, and conversations about consciousness are worse. Combining these topics to AI consciousness is even worse still.
November 21, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Opinion:
Discussions about AI are generally poor, and conversations about consciousness are worse. Combining these topics to AI consciousness is even worse still.
Discussions about AI are generally poor, and conversations about consciousness are worse. Combining these topics to AI consciousness is even worse still.
I saw the flurry of trad news headlines about one winter weather prediction followed by many small creator copies followed by even more AI-generated knockoffs. None of them added to the story. These echo chambers are deafening.
November 11, 2025 at 4:43 PM
I saw the flurry of trad news headlines about one winter weather prediction followed by many small creator copies followed by even more AI-generated knockoffs. None of them added to the story. These echo chambers are deafening.
Anyone not directly involved in politics, beyond voting and news, should stop identifying as a Democrat or Republican. They’re not us.
November 11, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Anyone not directly involved in politics, beyond voting and news, should stop identifying as a Democrat or Republican. They’re not us.
The Democrat, big D, response to a few Democrats, small D, decisions is to ensure the shutdown gets blamed on Democrats, big D.
November 10, 2025 at 6:02 PM
The Democrat, big D, response to a few Democrats, small D, decisions is to ensure the shutdown gets blamed on Democrats, big D.
Human attention is drawn more strongly to threat, loss, and unfairness than to comfort or opportunity. Bad events feel vivid; good events quickly become invisible.
November 9, 2025 at 4:37 AM
Human attention is drawn more strongly to threat, loss, and unfairness than to comfort or opportunity. Bad events feel vivid; good events quickly become invisible.
I am pretty sure headline and news blurb writers have perfected the art of ensuring I will not read the article.
After all, they got the ad impression. Their work was done.
After all, they got the ad impression. Their work was done.
November 8, 2025 at 4:38 PM
I am pretty sure headline and news blurb writers have perfected the art of ensuring I will not read the article.
After all, they got the ad impression. Their work was done.
After all, they got the ad impression. Their work was done.
We are in the golden age of replacing things that already exist with things that are inferior.
November 7, 2025 at 3:24 PM
We are in the golden age of replacing things that already exist with things that are inferior.
What’s something people take for granted that still surprises you?
November 6, 2025 at 4:14 AM
What’s something people take for granted that still surprises you?
"Private equity to eat Denny's" or "Money pools and kills its source."
With the concentration of wealth continuing, money works hard to harvest more value from the shrinking pool as it accelerates its destruction of value itself.
www.mlive.com/news/2025/11...
With the concentration of wealth continuing, money works hard to harvest more value from the shrinking pool as it accelerates its destruction of value itself.
www.mlive.com/news/2025/11...
Beloved affordable breakfast chain sold in $620 million deal
The chain is being sold to a group of investors who plans to take the company private.
www.mlive.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:13 PM
"Private equity to eat Denny's" or "Money pools and kills its source."
With the concentration of wealth continuing, money works hard to harvest more value from the shrinking pool as it accelerates its destruction of value itself.
www.mlive.com/news/2025/11...
With the concentration of wealth continuing, money works hard to harvest more value from the shrinking pool as it accelerates its destruction of value itself.
www.mlive.com/news/2025/11...
Using Claude Code to improve my Claude Code configuration. Turns out, it knows its configuration possibilities pretty well. I needed to know enough to ask why questions that resulted in a tight, finished product.
October 22, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Using Claude Code to improve my Claude Code configuration. Turns out, it knows its configuration possibilities pretty well. I needed to know enough to ask why questions that resulted in a tight, finished product.
i wonder what a rational, well intentioned, and obstructionist administration could do.
October 14, 2025 at 12:38 PM
i wonder what a rational, well intentioned, and obstructionist administration could do.
Social media isn’t destroying democracy—it’s revealing what direct democracy actually looks like. Our founding fathers built an indirect system that, for reasons expedient at the time, we have since whittled away, exposing the core of our heartwood. And that core, now as ever, is rotten.
October 8, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Social media isn’t destroying democracy—it’s revealing what direct democracy actually looks like. Our founding fathers built an indirect system that, for reasons expedient at the time, we have since whittled away, exposing the core of our heartwood. And that core, now as ever, is rotten.
Business leaders have long wanted to get free from the need for developers. Many times they've thought the next thing would make that real. Now the hope sits in AI. I doubt it will work.
The parts work together. Different thinking styles.
The parts work together. Different thinking styles.
October 6, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Business leaders have long wanted to get free from the need for developers. Many times they've thought the next thing would make that real. Now the hope sits in AI. I doubt it will work.
The parts work together. Different thinking styles.
The parts work together. Different thinking styles.
Is it time for governors to activate their national guards in defense of their citizens against illegal federal paramilitary troop actions?
October 6, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Is it time for governors to activate their national guards in defense of their citizens against illegal federal paramilitary troop actions?
To remain invisible, inconsequential, or to become dangerous?
October 5, 2025 at 11:19 PM
To remain invisible, inconsequential, or to become dangerous?
I am pretty tired of the "steal man" that so often is a weak one, more likely, a straw man in disguise.
October 5, 2025 at 1:35 AM
I am pretty tired of the "steal man" that so often is a weak one, more likely, a straw man in disguise.
I cannot yet fathom what an intelligent and curious eight-year-old armed with the current LLM chatbots will do when they are thirty years old. Even if nothing in AI advances, their world experience will be something beyond my comprehension.
September 26, 2025 at 9:17 PM
I cannot yet fathom what an intelligent and curious eight-year-old armed with the current LLM chatbots will do when they are thirty years old. Even if nothing in AI advances, their world experience will be something beyond my comprehension.
We are now in the "who moved my cheese"-time of Apple's OS 26. Just ignore the noise. It'll be okay. You’ll like it when you've seen it for a while.
September 18, 2025 at 1:03 AM
We are now in the "who moved my cheese"-time of Apple's OS 26. Just ignore the noise. It'll be okay. You’ll like it when you've seen it for a while.
Infinities may be our era’s alchemy and aether—powerful, useful illusions that organize thought but likely do not exist; wrong, waiting to be replaced.
September 15, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Infinities may be our era’s alchemy and aether—powerful, useful illusions that organize thought but likely do not exist; wrong, waiting to be replaced.
I think candidates for Word of the Year 2025 will be:
- agency: as it relates to human action
- vibe: as in vibe coding (any now expanding rapidly beyond)
- agency: as it relates to human action
- vibe: as in vibe coding (any now expanding rapidly beyond)
September 2, 2025 at 3:07 PM
I think candidates for Word of the Year 2025 will be:
- agency: as it relates to human action
- vibe: as in vibe coding (any now expanding rapidly beyond)
- agency: as it relates to human action
- vibe: as in vibe coding (any now expanding rapidly beyond)
Substack users. You should know. The platform is now evil.
> ...
Continue reading this post for free in the Substack app
> ...
Continue reading this post for free in the Substack app
August 25, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Substack users. You should know. The platform is now evil.
> ...
Continue reading this post for free in the Substack app
> ...
Continue reading this post for free in the Substack app
I don't break rules. I apply principled improvisation within understood constraints.
August 23, 2025 at 2:12 PM
I don't break rules. I apply principled improvisation within understood constraints.
Language changes through its use by those who took no care to understand what the words they use meant to others who had previously used those words.
August 20, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Language changes through its use by those who took no care to understand what the words they use meant to others who had previously used those words.
FTR: Substack is now officially evil. Changes to drive reader behavior are clear and ubiquitous.
July 1, 2025 at 1:58 PM
FTR: Substack is now officially evil. Changes to drive reader behavior are clear and ubiquitous.