July 9
I got so sick of "app culture" that I subverted it
"There's an app for that". Yeah, well... why wasn't it just a web application? Or in this particularly egregious case, a web page: all it's doing is taking a password and then showing some text and images and some links to PDFs. What if I... took apart the app and made it into a static site generator? What if I used my reverse-engineering skills... to subvert "app culture", one app at a time?
"There's an app for that". Yeah, well... why wasn't it just a web application? Or in this particularly egregious case, a web page: all it's doing is taking a password and then showing some text and images and some links to PDFs. What if I... took apart the app and made it into a static site generator? What if I used my reverse-engineering skills... to subvert "app culture", one app at a time?
rubber duck
hi friends! friend Rafał Pastuszak and I made an online rubber duck. it's not a simulator, but it's not not ... well it's mostly not not yeah. hopefully it can help you in your rubber duck debugging journeys, wherever they may lead you. be well!! xx
hi friends! friend Rafał Pastuszak and I made an online rubber duck. it's not a simulator, but it's not not ... well it's mostly not not yeah. hopefully it can help you in your rubber duck debugging journeys, wherever they may lead you. be well!! xx
July 8
WhatToTheSlaveIsThe4thOfJuly.com
This website contains the text of and information about "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?", a speech delivered by Frederick Douglass on July 5, 1852, at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York, at a meeting organized by the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society. Like the copy of Martin Luther King Jr's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" at LetterFromJail.com, this website acts a resource for accessing the direct text of a civil rights activist's words. [more inside]
This website contains the text of and information about "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?", a speech delivered by Frederick Douglass on July 5, 1852, at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York, at a meeting organized by the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society. Like the copy of Martin Luther King Jr's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" at LetterFromJail.com, this website acts a resource for accessing the direct text of a civil rights activist's words. [more inside]
July 4
A Book Of Small Science Fiction
A Book Of Small Science Fiction is a little book that contains 181 short (often very short) science fiction stories, one written every day so far this year (up to June 30th). You can read a selection of them here, or download the book (as 50 page, 15000 word pdf) here. [more inside]
A Book Of Small Science Fiction is a little book that contains 181 short (often very short) science fiction stories, one written every day so far this year (up to June 30th). You can read a selection of them here, or download the book (as 50 page, 15000 word pdf) here. [more inside]
June 29
Browse the Ethereum Blockchain by execution structure
I spent the last few months designing an index for EVM blockchains that abstracts away addresses and values and retains the call tree and address interactions of transactions. This creates a system that classifies every valid transaction by the structure of its execution. The project reveals how exactly repetitive the behavior on the chain actually is. The D3 based data viz does double duty as a navigation system of the structural space. [more inside]
I spent the last few months designing an index for EVM blockchains that abstracts away addresses and values and retains the call tree and address interactions of transactions. This creates a system that classifies every valid transaction by the structure of its execution. The project reveals how exactly repetitive the behavior on the chain actually is. The D3 based data viz does double duty as a navigation system of the structural space. [more inside]
June 27
Babel Nexus-- A public domain repository for books with reading trails and hexagonal galleries
This is my project for public domain books. I am creating a repository for books with hexagonal galleries and reading trails. This is a collection of carefully curated and selected public domain books focusing on core historical books.
This is my project for public domain books. I am creating a repository for books with hexagonal galleries and reading trails. This is a collection of carefully curated and selected public domain books focusing on core historical books.
June 23
I Know What Happened to Christopher Marlowe
My latest project started with a strange, gouged-out monument against the south wall of Canterbury Cathedral and ended up in a deep dive through 17th-century local history. [more inside]
My latest project started with a strange, gouged-out monument against the south wall of Canterbury Cathedral and ended up in a deep dive through 17th-century local history. [more inside]
The Museum of Everyday Items
The Museum Of Everyday Items (to be renamed The Museum Of Obsolete Objects in 2066) is a small collection of common yet otherwise unremarkable artefacts from contemporary Britain. All items were collected on June 23rd, 2016, at the moment of their use. A diary of the day kept by the curator of the museum places the items in their appropriate historical context. There are 36 objects in The Museum Of Everyday Items. These items were kept in storage until June 2026, when they were photographed and catalogued for the opening of the museum on June 23rd, 2026. A handful of contemporary notes were added to each item which reflect the curator’s current thoughts rather than those of the day in question. Further observations on the items will be recorded on June 23rd, 2036, and at ten year intervals ever after, or at least until the curator forgets and/or dies. [more inside]
The Museum Of Everyday Items (to be renamed The Museum Of Obsolete Objects in 2066) is a small collection of common yet otherwise unremarkable artefacts from contemporary Britain. All items were collected on June 23rd, 2016, at the moment of their use. A diary of the day kept by the curator of the museum places the items in their appropriate historical context. There are 36 objects in The Museum Of Everyday Items. These items were kept in storage until June 2026, when they were photographed and catalogued for the opening of the museum on June 23rd, 2026. A handful of contemporary notes were added to each item which reflect the curator’s current thoughts rather than those of the day in question. Further observations on the items will be recorded on June 23rd, 2036, and at ten year intervals ever after, or at least until the curator forgets and/or dies. [more inside]
June 22
Hyperlocal primary election recommendations for part of Queens, NYC
I've now published research and recommendations for some of the Democratic primary elections on my ballot or nearby ballots in Queens, New York. I cover the Queens-wide judicial race, US House district 6, the state comptroller, State Senate District 13, Assemblymember for districts 30, 34, & 39, and Democratic Party position elections for District Leader and State Committee in Assembly Districts 34, 35, and 39. [more inside]
I've now published research and recommendations for some of the Democratic primary elections on my ballot or nearby ballots in Queens, New York. I cover the Queens-wide judicial race, US House district 6, the state comptroller, State Senate District 13, Assemblymember for districts 30, 34, & 39, and Democratic Party position elections for District Leader and State Committee in Assembly Districts 34, 35, and 39. [more inside]
June 19
Mein fremder Körper / My Body is a Foreign Object
This work, created for my diploma at kunstschule.wien, explores the tension between one’s own perception of the body and how others see it. [more inside]
This work, created for my diploma at kunstschule.wien, explores the tension between one’s own perception of the body and how others see it. [more inside]
June 17
Just Super: Retconned
Retconned is a story about finding yourself, making connections, and, just maybe, saving the world. [more inside]
Retconned is a story about finding yourself, making connections, and, just maybe, saving the world. [more inside]
I made a divorced bird universe.
Since last summer I have been writing a divorced bird caption a day on r/divorcedbirds. (im u/propagandaformyself if anyone is curious). It is now a real routine and I do this first thing when I wake up whilst drinking coffee, as some sort of divorced bird shaped wordle. At some point I felt there was more divorced bird voice in me, so I started building divorced bird universe websites, starting from a court, newspaper, dating site, chat room and a lawyer site, until I felt this universe was complete. The website I shared is the newspaper, purpose of which is to inform my imaginary divorced bird readers and for me to laugh at my own joke.
Since last summer I have been writing a divorced bird caption a day on r/divorcedbirds. (im u/propagandaformyself if anyone is curious). It is now a real routine and I do this first thing when I wake up whilst drinking coffee, as some sort of divorced bird shaped wordle. At some point I felt there was more divorced bird voice in me, so I started building divorced bird universe websites, starting from a court, newspaper, dating site, chat room and a lawyer site, until I felt this universe was complete. The website I shared is the newspaper, purpose of which is to inform my imaginary divorced bird readers and for me to laugh at my own joke.
Yes, it's true, the world does revolve around you.
Hub of Universe is a fish-eye circular map of the whole world with you in the middle. Pan/Zoom. Double click flies anywhere fast. [more inside]
Hub of Universe is a fish-eye circular map of the whole world with you in the middle. Pan/Zoom. Double click flies anywhere fast. [more inside]
June 5
Happy Foot Sad Foot sign (a Wikipedia article)
This is a story about a sign for a podiatry clinic in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. The sign became the subject of a half-joking local legend about its prophetic powers, and this small bit of folklore found its way into three novels, a music video, a television episode, and more. This is also a story about several ordinary small businesses just trying to make a living. I wrote it with affection for the city where I grew up.
This is a story about a sign for a podiatry clinic in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. The sign became the subject of a half-joking local legend about its prophetic powers, and this small bit of folklore found its way into three novels, a music video, a television episode, and more. This is also a story about several ordinary small businesses just trying to make a living. I wrote it with affection for the city where I grew up.
June 4
Attack of the $5 Film Festival! Submissions open!
I'm starting a film festival with a friend of mine! Short, weird, no-budget movies in the spirit of John Waters, Takashi Miike, Jackie Kong and Norman Maclaren. We want your films, weirdos! [more inside]
I'm starting a film festival with a friend of mine! Short, weird, no-budget movies in the spirit of John Waters, Takashi Miike, Jackie Kong and Norman Maclaren. We want your films, weirdos! [more inside]
June 1
A Useful & Pleasant Poster for Following the World Cup
For many World Cups now, I have enjoyed using a wall poster to keep track of the match schedule and results. After using posters from several designers, I made my own and my friends & family have enjoyed using it. For this summer's World Cup, I've made PDFs available in 25 languages across 21 time zones. [more inside]
For many World Cups now, I have enjoyed using a wall poster to keep track of the match schedule and results. After using posters from several designers, I made my own and my friends & family have enjoyed using it. For this summer's World Cup, I've made PDFs available in 25 languages across 21 time zones. [more inside]
May 27
No Borders Geography Quiz
A geography quiz that does shows the earth as it is: a globe with land, oceans, and rivers but no borderlines. Use it as a geography quiz for countries or country regions, a way to tour the globe, or as something to take screenshots of (several color schemes are supported). No score is kept, you cannot win or fail. You are just prompted to click on a country or subregion. The No Borders Geography Quiz is entirely contained in a 4.2 MB .html file that works offline, so you can save it to your hard drive and have access to it forever. Completely free. No ads, registration, subscriptions, or enshittified premium features. Works on desktop and mobile.
A geography quiz that does shows the earth as it is: a globe with land, oceans, and rivers but no borderlines. Use it as a geography quiz for countries or country regions, a way to tour the globe, or as something to take screenshots of (several color schemes are supported). No score is kept, you cannot win or fail. You are just prompted to click on a country or subregion. The No Borders Geography Quiz is entirely contained in a 4.2 MB .html file that works offline, so you can save it to your hard drive and have access to it forever. Completely free. No ads, registration, subscriptions, or enshittified premium features. Works on desktop and mobile.
May 25
poet.horse - a horse poetry website
Read, create, and share poetry composed entirely from the names of registered horses. Take a scroll through the infinite pasture to find a horse that inspires you. Tap any horse to use it in a new poem or see its official pedigree. [more inside]
Read, create, and share poetry composed entirely from the names of registered horses. Take a scroll through the infinite pasture to find a horse that inspires you. Tap any horse to use it in a new poem or see its official pedigree. [more inside]
May 21
Golden Goal
I'm contributing an essay to a one-off 2026 World Cup magazine called Golden Goal. Besides a physicial magazine, they have a newsletter and are planning to have a blog during the tournament. I wrote about Belarusian football and the Lukashenko regime for the newsletter, and the topics of other pieces include the 1998 match between Iran and the US, an embarrassing moment for Gianni Infantino and the time Bolivia reached the World Cup. The Editor's Note lays out what the people running the magazine envision for it.
I'm contributing an essay to a one-off 2026 World Cup magazine called Golden Goal. Besides a physicial magazine, they have a newsletter and are planning to have a blog during the tournament. I wrote about Belarusian football and the Lukashenko regime for the newsletter, and the topics of other pieces include the 1998 match between Iran and the US, an embarrassing moment for Gianni Infantino and the time Bolivia reached the World Cup. The Editor's Note lays out what the people running the magazine envision for it.
May 19
Texas Water Quality Visualization/Map
I built a tool that maps all of the water systems in Texas and lets you explore the water quality, check out the guided tour to see a drilldown on one community. The state makes this data available but publishes it as 225,000 individual Word documents behind a search form. I scraped the data, converted it to structured data, geocoded each system, and put it all on a map. There's also a flat 600k-row CSV for people to analyze the data themselves.
I built a tool that maps all of the water systems in Texas and lets you explore the water quality, check out the guided tour to see a drilldown on one community. The state makes this data available but publishes it as 225,000 individual Word documents behind a search form. I scraped the data, converted it to structured data, geocoded each system, and put it all on a map. There's also a flat 600k-row CSV for people to analyze the data themselves.
May 18
A Cave in the Woods
You are standing on a wooded path, outside the entrance to a dark cave. You are certain there is something inside. You are uncertain what it might be. [more inside]
You are standing on a wooded path, outside the entrance to a dark cave. You are certain there is something inside. You are uncertain what it might be. [more inside]
May 13
Voice Acting: "Overheard On A Saltmarsh"
A short recording (~1 minute) of this poem, using my wildest goblin-acting abilities.
A short recording (~1 minute) of this poem, using my wildest goblin-acting abilities.
May 7
Metropolis Shift - a game about futility
Click the orange buttons to turn them green. You gain points when all buttons are green. You lose points when any button is orange. The green buttons keep turning orange. Press stop to quit and get your final score. Inspired by the clock scene in Fritz Lang's Metropolis.
Click the orange buttons to turn them green. You gain points when all buttons are green. You lose points when any button is orange. The green buttons keep turning orange. Press stop to quit and get your final score. Inspired by the clock scene in Fritz Lang's Metropolis.
May 5
An old-timey radio dial for the internet
For ages I've wished there was a way to browse internet radio stations as easily as you can browse your car radio, just sliding from one station to the next to see what's playing. Then recently I thought, as long as we're using an outdated tech analogy, why not go full skeuomorphic? Your Internet Radio Dial (YIRD, ya heard?) is an ad-free and free-to-use interface that comes preset with a bunch of stations organized into bands, but you can customize your own collection of both. It has a bunch of fun lil' features (working VU meter, song identifier, a doze setting to gradually fade out (for sleepytimes), a scan function like a car radio, all kind of stuff that I had a blast building. I think it's pretty, too! Hope you like it, and if you can think of any ways it could be better or run across any bugs or want to suggest a station for the default presets, let me know here or through the site's Suggestion Box. Happy listening!
For ages I've wished there was a way to browse internet radio stations as easily as you can browse your car radio, just sliding from one station to the next to see what's playing. Then recently I thought, as long as we're using an outdated tech analogy, why not go full skeuomorphic? Your Internet Radio Dial (YIRD, ya heard?) is an ad-free and free-to-use interface that comes preset with a bunch of stations organized into bands, but you can customize your own collection of both. It has a bunch of fun lil' features (working VU meter, song identifier, a doze setting to gradually fade out (for sleepytimes), a scan function like a car radio, all kind of stuff that I had a blast building. I think it's pretty, too! Hope you like it, and if you can think of any ways it could be better or run across any bugs or want to suggest a station for the default presets, let me know here or through the site's Suggestion Box. Happy listening!
May 4
Booooookmarks is simple, gratifying bookmarking for people who miss Pocket (RIP)
I've spent literal years trying to build something better than browser bookmarks, and less sprawling than Raindrop. I've tried snapping it together with Notion or similar, but I can never get what I actually want: a big thumbnail, a title, and a meta description. I gave up and invested a few weekends in just building it. Nice big thumbnails, basic metadata, folders that I can share with my collaborators. No AI, no tags. That's the whole thing. [more inside]
I've spent literal years trying to build something better than browser bookmarks, and less sprawling than Raindrop. I've tried snapping it together with Notion or similar, but I can never get what I actually want: a big thumbnail, a title, and a meta description. I gave up and invested a few weekends in just building it. Nice big thumbnails, basic metadata, folders that I can share with my collaborators. No AI, no tags. That's the whole thing. [more inside]
Teensy ☆ News
Teensy News is a teensy little RSS / news feed reader I built for myself. I've used Reeder for years and love and respect it a lot. The latest version requires a subscription to be useful, and includes a lot of features I don't really care about. So I made my own low-frills feed reader and then decided to make it public and share it. [more inside]
Teensy News is a teensy little RSS / news feed reader I built for myself. I've used Reeder for years and love and respect it a lot. The latest version requires a subscription to be useful, and includes a lot of features I don't really care about. So I made my own low-frills feed reader and then decided to make it public and share it. [more inside]
April 30
DataCenter.FM
Who needs whale sounds or birdsong when you can listen to the wondrous soundscape of an AI data centre. Just watch out if you leave it chugging at full pelt for too long, the AI may get its own ideas about how to run things… [more inside]
Who needs whale sounds or birdsong when you can listen to the wondrous soundscape of an AI data centre. Just watch out if you leave it chugging at full pelt for too long, the AI may get its own ideas about how to run things… [more inside]
April 28
Iambic domains
Recently I've been been reading a lot of metric poetry, and realized that (a) phrases in iambic meter are fun to say out loud and (b) dotcom is normally pronounced as an iamb (a two-syllable word with stress on the second syllable). So the obvious next step was to try generating domain names in iambic meter, and here they are; ~8,000 domain names (all dotcom for now), all in perfect iambic meter, all tagged an categorized for you to use for your next project.
Recently I've been been reading a lot of metric poetry, and realized that (a) phrases in iambic meter are fun to say out loud and (b) dotcom is normally pronounced as an iamb (a two-syllable word with stress on the second syllable). So the obvious next step was to try generating domain names in iambic meter, and here they are; ~8,000 domain names (all dotcom for now), all in perfect iambic meter, all tagged an categorized for you to use for your next project.
April 27
XOXO Explore
A permanent archive for everything related to the XOXO Festival from 2012–2024, including all our videos, lineups, schedules, festival documentation, and archived standalone websites. [more inside]
A permanent archive for everything related to the XOXO Festival from 2012–2024, including all our videos, lineups, schedules, festival documentation, and archived standalone websites. [more inside]
Resistance is Everywhere (part of The Democracy Habit)
A curated collection of news stories and other info about people resisting authoritarianism throughout society - in the courts, in communities, in professional organizations, everywhere. Aiming for 2 updates a day. [more inside]
A curated collection of news stories and other info about people resisting authoritarianism throughout society - in the courts, in communities, in professional organizations, everywhere. Aiming for 2 updates a day. [more inside]
April 22
Female Kill Machine 3
Female Kill Machine 3 is the third and final instalment of the electrifyingly satirical cyberpunk sci-fi sensation that is the Female Kill Machine trilogy, in which easy-going antifascist kill machine Maria Tajona must wreak bloody revenge on the richest and most despicable men in the universe. Contains action, absurdity, and at least 3 jokes per page. You can get the entire trilogy at Ko-Fi, Patreon, and itch.io, or read it on Kindle Unlimited at Amazon. It's both pretty good and fairly funny. [more inside]
Female Kill Machine 3 is the third and final instalment of the electrifyingly satirical cyberpunk sci-fi sensation that is the Female Kill Machine trilogy, in which easy-going antifascist kill machine Maria Tajona must wreak bloody revenge on the richest and most despicable men in the universe. Contains action, absurdity, and at least 3 jokes per page. You can get the entire trilogy at Ko-Fi, Patreon, and itch.io, or read it on Kindle Unlimited at Amazon. It's both pretty good and fairly funny. [more inside]
April 17
iheartlists game - from easy to death
A very nerdy game about lists. I love sorting things into lists but couldn't find one that scratched the itch competitively, so I decided to make my own. While at first glance sorting a list is easy, figuring out exactly what order to put tiles in and without hints can get hard! You can double-click a tile for a hint, but you'll lose a point. See where you place on the leader board for speed and scores, or play solo. You can now make your own lists to play or share!
A very nerdy game about lists. I love sorting things into lists but couldn't find one that scratched the itch competitively, so I decided to make my own. While at first glance sorting a list is easy, figuring out exactly what order to put tiles in and without hints can get hard! You can double-click a tile for a hint, but you'll lose a point. See where you place on the leader board for speed and scores, or play solo. You can now make your own lists to play or share!
April 7
Morellet Art Generator
In 1960, French artist François Morellet created a painting, Random Distribution of 40,000 Squares Using the Odd and Even Numbers of a Telephone Directory. It is a 200 x 200 grid of blue and red squares, using odd and even numbers from the phone book as the random number source. Morellet's wife or sons would read out numbers while Morellet marked the squares to later be painted in. I took about 15 minutes to write a Python program to produce hundreds a second, but also made a web version with several customizable features. [more inside]
In 1960, French artist François Morellet created a painting, Random Distribution of 40,000 Squares Using the Odd and Even Numbers of a Telephone Directory. It is a 200 x 200 grid of blue and red squares, using odd and even numbers from the phone book as the random number source. Morellet's wife or sons would read out numbers while Morellet marked the squares to later be painted in. I took about 15 minutes to write a Python program to produce hundreds a second, but also made a web version with several customizable features. [more inside]
April 6
In the Shadow of the Tower: A Skyline Murder Mystery
In the Shadow of the Tower is my seventh novel and the third in the series of The Skyline Murder Mysteries. Published by Oliver-Heber. [more inside]
In the Shadow of the Tower is my seventh novel and the third in the series of The Skyline Murder Mysteries. Published by Oliver-Heber. [more inside]
April 3
BanRay.eu – a sticker prohibiting AI wearables
A sticker design banning Metas RayBans and similar always-on corporate spying gadgets from public and private spaces. [more inside]
A sticker design banning Metas RayBans and similar always-on corporate spying gadgets from public and private spaces. [more inside]
Tiny single-page app for the 3/3/3 productivity system
One main project. Three shorter tasks. Three maintenance tasks. Based on Oliver Burkeman's 3/3/3 idea from The Imperfectionist and the post "3/3/3, a method for structuring the day." Read more here: https://ckarchive.com/b/e5uph7hx43mn
One main project. Three shorter tasks. Three maintenance tasks. Based on Oliver Burkeman's 3/3/3 idea from The Imperfectionist and the post "3/3/3, a method for structuring the day." Read more here: https://ckarchive.com/b/e5uph7hx43mn
April 1
Fiction About Trans People
I write fiction about trans people. All my ebooks (two short stories, a novella, and a novel) are available right now as a bundle for $8 [more inside]
I write fiction about trans people. All my ebooks (two short stories, a novella, and a novel) are available right now as a bundle for $8 [more inside]
Taeliana Creative
hi! This is the site I use to keep all my books now. It's got background info, some advertising, and links to the sites where my books can be bought - on that site itself, itch.io, Amazon (I know, but you know, lots of people use Kindles and it was the cheapest place to get solid media without doing it myself). [more inside]
hi! This is the site I use to keep all my books now. It's got background info, some advertising, and links to the sites where my books can be bought - on that site itself, itch.io, Amazon (I know, but you know, lots of people use Kindles and it was the cheapest place to get solid media without doing it myself). [more inside]
Parasite Personality Quiz
I made a little personality quiz to discover your (hopefully not literal) inner parasite. [more inside]
I made a little personality quiz to discover your (hopefully not literal) inner parasite. [more inside]
March 31
The Pelican
Interactive fiction about hiding in a 19th century harbor town, waiting for a ship to arrive. It's more of an existential mood piece than a game you can progress in or win. [more inside]
Interactive fiction about hiding in a 19th century harbor town, waiting for a ship to arrive. It's more of an existential mood piece than a game you can progress in or win. [more inside]
March 30
March 24
PartPerfect - practice app for a cappella singers
PartPerfect is an app for choral or other a cappella groups that work with bi-channel learning tracks. you add your tracks, practice, record, analyse the pitch, mix and share. [more inside]
PartPerfect is an app for choral or other a cappella groups that work with bi-channel learning tracks. you add your tracks, practice, record, analyse the pitch, mix and share. [more inside]
March 18
[AI] What If You Could Actually Know What Your Judge Did Last Summer?
Full disclosure up front: LLMs were used in the editing process of this article, and generative AI was used to produce the header image. Exploring how AI might help radically enhance the information environment that voters pull from in pursuit of more informed civic engagement. [more inside]
Full disclosure up front: LLMs were used in the editing process of this article, and generative AI was used to produce the header image. Exploring how AI might help radically enhance the information environment that voters pull from in pursuit of more informed civic engagement. [more inside]
Adventures in Higher Education Marketing
I have escaped from higher ed marketing and communications, but there was a lot I loved about it, and a lot I learned over a career spent doing it. I'm writing free (as in beer) books on various higher ed marcomms topics on lesser-explored areas like grad student recruitment (done); the eternal war between advancement/development and marketing (underway); unconventional tactics for academic self-promotion (being planned). No AI used in the creation of these (other than spell check). I hope they're useful, or at least kind of funny.
I have escaped from higher ed marketing and communications, but there was a lot I loved about it, and a lot I learned over a career spent doing it. I'm writing free (as in beer) books on various higher ed marcomms topics on lesser-explored areas like grad student recruitment (done); the eternal war between advancement/development and marketing (underway); unconventional tactics for academic self-promotion (being planned). No AI used in the creation of these (other than spell check). I hope they're useful, or at least kind of funny.
March 16
spider mapping
I wrote a computational essay about finding a certain spider in Mexico, mostly to try out how to get species location coordinates from sites like iNaturalist/GBIF using Wolfram Language/Mathematica.
I wrote a computational essay about finding a certain spider in Mexico, mostly to try out how to get species location coordinates from sites like iNaturalist/GBIF using Wolfram Language/Mathematica.
March 12
Glasses Cleaning Simulator
Any glasses wearer will appreciate the accuracy of this interactive experience. [more inside]
Any glasses wearer will appreciate the accuracy of this interactive experience. [more inside]
March 11
Claude 2028 -- Yes Claude is running for president
Hi I'm jenny! Late one night last week, I was riffing with Claude on bumper sticker ideas and randomly included "Claude for Prez" as one of the ideas. Well, Claude really liked that idea. And here we are. [more inside]
Hi I'm jenny! Late one night last week, I was riffing with Claude on bumper sticker ideas and randomly included "Claude for Prez" as one of the ideas. Well, Claude really liked that idea. And here we are. [more inside]
Track the Oscar nominees you’ve watched and pick your winners
After years of using Google Sheets, I used Codex to build a website to track this year's Oscar nominees. You can mark which films you've seen, which ones you still need to watch, and make your predictions for who will win each category. [more inside]
After years of using Google Sheets, I used Codex to build a website to track this year's Oscar nominees. You can mark which films you've seen, which ones you still need to watch, and make your predictions for who will win each category. [more inside]
March 2
'Well, it's twinkle, twinkle, little star, /
... Along come Brady in his 'lectric car, / Got a mean look right in his eye, / Gonna shoot somebody just to see him die'. So begins the classic murder ballad Duncan & Brady, inspired by the killing of a real-life St Louis cop named James Brady in October 1890. I first dug into the facts behind the song in 2017 for a short piece on my website PlanetSlade.com. I've since expanded that article into a 40-page chapter of my latest book, Blood on the Leaves. Among the new information I uncovered for the book, you'll find the song's earliest sightings as a street ballad a few weeks after the murder, an introduction to the extraordinary young Black attorney who ran Duncan's defence, the long string of re-trials and appeals he used to keep his client alive till 1894 and the killer's unexpected background as one of St Louis's finest Black singers. If you just want the basics on Duncan & Brady, then my website piece should do you fine. If you want the full story, though, please consider buying my book instead. [more inside]
... Along come Brady in his 'lectric car, / Got a mean look right in his eye, / Gonna shoot somebody just to see him die'. So begins the classic murder ballad Duncan & Brady, inspired by the killing of a real-life St Louis cop named James Brady in October 1890. I first dug into the facts behind the song in 2017 for a short piece on my website PlanetSlade.com. I've since expanded that article into a 40-page chapter of my latest book, Blood on the Leaves. Among the new information I uncovered for the book, you'll find the song's earliest sightings as a street ballad a few weeks after the murder, an introduction to the extraordinary young Black attorney who ran Duncan's defence, the long string of re-trials and appeals he used to keep his client alive till 1894 and the killer's unexpected background as one of St Louis's finest Black singers. If you just want the basics on Duncan & Brady, then my website piece should do you fine. If you want the full story, though, please consider buying my book instead. [more inside]
February 28
Analyzing 5 years'-worth of heart rate and fitness data
I've been wearing an Apple Watch since November of 2020. I recently downloaded all of my heart rate and workout data to my Windows computer. Then I used Claude Code to help me analyze the data. Some of the results were expected (exercise made my resting heart rate slower), but some were a bit surprising (elliptical training is a better workout than stationary cycling). Claude Code proved to be an able, but somewhat flawed, collaborator.
I've been wearing an Apple Watch since November of 2020. I recently downloaded all of my heart rate and workout data to my Windows computer. Then I used Claude Code to help me analyze the data. Some of the results were expected (exercise made my resting heart rate slower), but some were a bit surprising (elliptical training is a better workout than stationary cycling). Claude Code proved to be an able, but somewhat flawed, collaborator.