Glad to see you're enjoying "A Short Hike"! It was one of my 2 favorite games to play during the pandemic. The other one was "Coffee Talk" (this one is more like watching a movie).
After you finish "A Short Hike", I highly recommend watching this presentation from the creator of the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW8gWgpptI8 . He talks about the creative process behind the making of this game (as a one-man team) and how this side project (he was struggling to create a bigger game at the time) turned out to be more successful than he expected.
There's also a small part in that video about how players tend to ignore in-game instructions and what can be done to solve this problem. I think this has implications for learners in general, and it reminds me of a recent blog post I read from Adam Mastroianni: https://open.substack.com/pub/experimentalhistory/p/you-cant-reach-the-brain-through?r=40obi&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web . In this, the author explains, from a psychological perspective, why children/students would often not do what they are told. As a teacher, I find this pretty fascinating and true in my own experience :)
I think it’s beautiful that your mind/memory connects Cocteau Twins with Spring. I have a similar connection where I consider Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips to be a Christmas-time album.
I have and have read Steal like an artist so I wasn’t so keen on the audio offer. Last night, with nothing of interest to listen to I decided to spring for the lousy five bucks and got the audio. It was a very different experience listening to the book than it is reading it. I really enjoyed listening to it. I had no distractions, nothing else I was doing, and I just listened to you read your work. I loved it.
Tuesday I ran an experiment where I had ChatGPT Plus do all of my work for me. It was a pretty great collaborator and assistant as I had it draft job descriptions, write emails, and summarize a bunch of legislative bill background documents and then write a two-minute testimony I have to give at a hearing. It saved me a bunch of time, even though I did some editing (and for a couple of things, like a meeting agenda, it was just fine). AI as intern is brilliant and definitely how I will think of it from now on.
Thank you for the connection between young Burroughs and Korzybski. Looking out my window at the hill with the broken pipe and seeing the absurd plumbing bids with drawings on my desk, I get it: the map is not the terrain.
As an educator who exists in a space where people are equally horrified and invigorated by the sudden emergence of chat-style AI, your post on AI as intern is definitely one of the best explanations of how I am exploring it right now.
I thought I wasn't interested in AI, but it's making me think so much about what makes us special as humans, and what I think happens when humans make art.
Whenever I’ve tried listening to an audiobook in the past, the experience left me cold. If I’m listening to an audiobook, I’m almost certainly doing something else--commuting, washing the dishes, cleaning, etc. A split attention. So I retain less and find it too difficult to take worthwhile notes. Despite all this, I bought your audiobook trilogy, because I’ve read them and know I enjoy them.
A revelation! Audiobooks are a great way to revisit a book I’ve already read. It reinforces ideas I’m familiar with and reminds me of concepts that have faded from memory. And because it’s not my first exposure to the material, there’s no guilt attached if my attention drifts.
Thanks for all your work, Austin! Really enjoying the audiobook.
One thing I've been doing recently is listening to podcast interviews with the authors I'm reading — so I can hear their (actual) voice, reinforce the big concepts, etc.
The B-52s, one of the bands I regret not seeing back in the day. Another fave out of Athens, GA is Pylon. They might even fall into my top 10 favorite bands, should I ever undertake sorting that out.
Another great book about the Athens, GA music scene is Party Out Of Bounds by Rodger Lyle Brown - highly recommended if you love B-52's AND R.E.M. - I learned a lot about other great bands like Love Tractor, Guadalcanal Diary and many more.
That first B52's album is so much fun and sonically interesting. Are you familiar with the Australian band Tropical Fuck Storm? Their track "Braindrops" is bathed in B52's residue but rocks much harder. Check out the video in my recent newsletter.
Also, has there ever been a more exciting intro to a movie than Rosie Perez dancing to Public Enemy?
Glad to see you're enjoying "A Short Hike"! It was one of my 2 favorite games to play during the pandemic. The other one was "Coffee Talk" (this one is more like watching a movie).
After you finish "A Short Hike", I highly recommend watching this presentation from the creator of the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW8gWgpptI8 . He talks about the creative process behind the making of this game (as a one-man team) and how this side project (he was struggling to create a bigger game at the time) turned out to be more successful than he expected.
There's also a small part in that video about how players tend to ignore in-game instructions and what can be done to solve this problem. I think this has implications for learners in general, and it reminds me of a recent blog post I read from Adam Mastroianni: https://open.substack.com/pub/experimentalhistory/p/you-cant-reach-the-brain-through?r=40obi&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web . In this, the author explains, from a psychological perspective, why children/students would often not do what they are told. As a teacher, I find this pretty fascinating and true in my own experience :)
This is great stuff, thank you!
I think it’s beautiful that your mind/memory connects Cocteau Twins with Spring. I have a similar connection where I consider Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips to be a Christmas-time album.
I have and have read Steal like an artist so I wasn’t so keen on the audio offer. Last night, with nothing of interest to listen to I decided to spring for the lousy five bucks and got the audio. It was a very different experience listening to the book than it is reading it. I really enjoyed listening to it. I had no distractions, nothing else I was doing, and I just listened to you read your work. I loved it.
happy to read this!
Tuesday I ran an experiment where I had ChatGPT Plus do all of my work for me. It was a pretty great collaborator and assistant as I had it draft job descriptions, write emails, and summarize a bunch of legislative bill background documents and then write a two-minute testimony I have to give at a hearing. It saved me a bunch of time, even though I did some editing (and for a couple of things, like a meeting agenda, it was just fine). AI as intern is brilliant and definitely how I will think of it from now on.
Thank you for the connection between young Burroughs and Korzybski. Looking out my window at the hill with the broken pipe and seeing the absurd plumbing bids with drawings on my desk, I get it: the map is not the terrain.
As an educator who exists in a space where people are equally horrified and invigorated by the sudden emergence of chat-style AI, your post on AI as intern is definitely one of the best explanations of how I am exploring it right now.
I thought I wasn't interested in AI, but it's making me think so much about what makes us special as humans, and what I think happens when humans make art.
Oh yes. 100%. There hasn’t been a time where it’s generated a bit of writing that I haven’t had to edit to make it sound human.
Whenever I’ve tried listening to an audiobook in the past, the experience left me cold. If I’m listening to an audiobook, I’m almost certainly doing something else--commuting, washing the dishes, cleaning, etc. A split attention. So I retain less and find it too difficult to take worthwhile notes. Despite all this, I bought your audiobook trilogy, because I’ve read them and know I enjoy them.
A revelation! Audiobooks are a great way to revisit a book I’ve already read. It reinforces ideas I’m familiar with and reminds me of concepts that have faded from memory. And because it’s not my first exposure to the material, there’s no guilt attached if my attention drifts.
Thanks for all your work, Austin! Really enjoying the audiobook.
I love this, of course, so thank you.
One thing I've been doing recently is listening to podcast interviews with the authors I'm reading — so I can hear their (actual) voice, reinforce the big concepts, etc.
That’s a great idea! I’ll have to try that out myself.
Love this because I much prefer the hand-on tactility of reading a book, dog-earring the pages (I know, I know! Can’t help myself) to go back to, etc.
The idea of revisiting it via a different sensory input is an excellent idea.
Love the books, headed to purchase the audio trilogy! Thanks so much!
The B-52s, one of the bands I regret not seeing back in the day. Another fave out of Athens, GA is Pylon. They might even fall into my top 10 favorite bands, should I ever undertake sorting that out.
spring and this newsletter - rabbits and rabbit holes - saved again from the drudgery of a pod job - thank you austin
Another great book about the Athens, GA music scene is Party Out Of Bounds by Rodger Lyle Brown - highly recommended if you love B-52's AND R.E.M. - I learned a lot about other great bands like Love Tractor, Guadalcanal Diary and many more.
That first B52's album is so much fun and sonically interesting. Are you familiar with the Australian band Tropical Fuck Storm? Their track "Braindrops" is bathed in B52's residue but rocks much harder. Check out the video in my recent newsletter.
Also, has there ever been a more exciting intro to a movie than Rosie Perez dancing to Public Enemy?
1) I am NOT familiar with LOL
2) it's intoxicating!
Your comments have the depth of newsletters, Joe — thank you!!!