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Catching up on the news in a quiet corner of a cafe this evening. A young man approached me and asked what year my newspaper was from. I said it’s from today. He laughed and so I laughed too. Looking confused, he asked me no seriously what year is it from. Looking more confused, I said no seriously it’s from today. I pointed at the corner of the page with the date. He gasped. Then he asked how often it prints. I explained it’s a daily paper that arrives at my house each morning. His eyes widened. “Every day?!” He asked many follow up questions. We had a lovely conversation about the joy of reading in print. I even said, “I predict, in 2026, print’s going to make a comeback.” I’m not sure I actually believe this, but if I recreate this interaction enough times I may have a shot at willing it into existence.

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Yesterday reminded me of meeting Sophia a while back. Sophia is one of the more social media savvy robots out there. She’s gone viral for saying “okay I will destroy humans” and for being granted Saudi citizenship. Seeing humanoid robots again yesterday reminded me how quickly novelty decays. Interacting with Sophia once felt uncanny and marvelous to the public. Now with everyone accustomed to ChatGPT, she comes across as what she is - a LLM with camera sensors. We now see LLMs serving as confidants and de facto therapists for many people. Not because they are more accurate readers of humans, but because machines offer something other humans cannot. Infinite patience to listen without social consequence. Outside of manufacturing and military settings, the plan is for humanoid robots to provide labor in clinics and nursing homes and hospice care. It’s possible that if I live long enough, I will be supported into my old age and eventual death by a humanoid robot in my home as unquestioningly as I ride a Waymo to dinner. If that’s the future, I’m interested in how that changes the way we face mortality. I think we will experience dying differently than we do today. Patients won’t be staring up at a hospital ceiling alone for hours on end due to staffing shortages, but have an option for constant conversation. What happens when the humanoid robot administering medication also happens to have infinite patience in listening to your emotional worries too, instead of rushing off to the next patient? Will we feel less lonely and more comforted? Or will the presence of a human at our bedside become even more precious and necessary?

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Found this walking by a little free library on the trail the other day. “Mirrors are wonderful things. They appear to tell the truth, to reflect life back out at us; but set a mirror correctly, and it will lie so convincingly you’ll believe that something has vanished into thin air, that a box filled with doves and flags and spiders is actually empty, that people hidden in the wings or the pit are floating ghosts upon the stage.” It made me think of all our mirrors: cameras, news publications, feed algorithms, LLMs, our own minds. Many claim to present “reality” to us, but all can’t help do it at an angle. There is no perfect mirror to reality. Accepting this requires a humility and surrendering that is hard for people. Anyway, I haven’t read any Neil Gaiman since his Sandman series.

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Drought is shipping me another one of these and I’m trying to think of something fun to do with it. I added the ornaments on top for festivity. Last one’s of my old iPod (an antique, I fear). It’s a treasure trove of music I risked many viruses to obtain, plus songs I wrote as a teenager.

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We had a sweet Sunday afternoon here listening to old music and the laughter of children. Sounds that are very good for the soul. Featuring @twochanz.eth @asylum @dfern.eth @july and the spirit of Kishi Bashi. I’ll be doing some form of this for the next few Sunday afternoons and seeing where that leads. DM if you’d like to join one in the future!

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Hangout is happening. Calling it “Sunday Wrapped.” I’m reserving one hour of it for listening to people’s song choices together because Sundays are not just for holiday shopping but also for reflection. If you can’t join, I still want to know your answer. What’s one nostalgic song from your younger days that represents something you may want to reawaken for next year?

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Lately on my walks I see the sunset facing the moon. These photos are from last night. The shape of the clouds (photos don’t do them justice) made me say “wow!” out loud. Tonight’s going to be the last full moon of 2025. They’re calling it a “Cold Supermoon.” Cold because of the winter temperature right now. Supermoon because the moon will be closest to us in its elliptical orbit, making it appear larger and brighter.

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There’s going to be a “winter wonderland market” by a local art collective right in front of /thenextwave this Sunday, 12-4 pm. I’m told there will be a matcha bar and a DJ. But the average age of our neighborhood is like 80 years old so expectations should be tempered. I’m thinking I’ll set up coffee and pastries at my space during the market for friends to just hang out. DM me if you want to come over!

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Getting my video channel ready for this week; a long coffee with a friend who shares my niche enthusiasm for Northern Irish history; roses bloomed while I was away; a sky of many hues of blues before the rain.

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Hey all, I’m just so happy to be alive.

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The oldest TV:

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Homemade vanilla latte, banana bread with Swiss chocolate, and going through footage from a sail around the bay hosted by Midjourney. Being on the water with strangers opened my eyes to how small yet intentional IRL experiences can deepen the understandings of both the souls of the users and the product (goes both ways). This year, I've shied away from opening up the /thenextwave for more events because 1) privacy + safety, and 2) the space has been in flux. But I think cozy gatherings will be an important part of the work in 2026.

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If you’re looking for a weekend DIY project, here’s a simple recipe for making your own CPU from scratch. First steps: 1) Get a rock. 2) Smash the rock.

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Chop wood, carry water. Paper 1: Steve Wozniak's original Apple II prototype sketches Paper 2: Quentin Tarantino's handwritten script for Pulp Fiction

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