“before the invention of boundaries (which was the invention of fences, and also the invention of countries – countries being the invention of men wearing clothes the colour of trees, patrolling the arbitrary lines, the dark promise of their rifles);
before the invention of stamps (which was the invention of bureaucracy, which was the invention of embassies, which was the invention of old women gathered hopelessly on Hope Road, the quartz of their sweat glistening on their foreheads)”
~from “Here That Was Here Before” by Kei Miller
Musings

Boop-rah, sexy fried heart!
Issue 33 of the Manufacturing Serendipity newsletter. AI-generated Valentine’s cards, stealing William Gibson’s creative process, Hugh Hayden’s art installation,and my brain when writing an email.
Read more "Boop-rah, sexy fried heart!"“creative output of any kind depends upon a steady stream of tiny self-delusions — guardrails to keep yourself from veering into a pit of self-doubt and despair…”
R.E. Hawley

Tailwind Writers’ Bloodhound
Issue 32 of the Manufacturing Serendipity newsletter: Oulipian constraints; why people really hate the word “moist”; polar bear housemates; and judging books by their covers.
Read more "Tailwind Writers’ Bloodhound"“We order our lives with barely held stories…”
Michael Ondaatje, Warlight

I am now the proud owner of a metal ruler…
My second attempt at collage.
Read more "I am now the proud owner of a metal ruler…"we are not doomed yet
juggle the numbers
some are doomed
but not the 3 of us
or not the 3 of us
just yet
or maybe 1 of us,
the smallest,
the 1 of us
still learning
numbers,
who doesn’t know
what 2 of us
are keeping to ourselves
~from Alphabet, by Ailbhe Darcy (2018)

Very Peri
Issue 31 of the Manufacturing Serendipity newsletter: Crushing your hopes and dreams in a pestle and mortar, at midnight, on a full moon; attempted calendar reform; ’90s Dad Thrillers; and delightful lego fonts.
Read more "Very Peri"“In truth, Luddism and science fiction concern themselves with the same questions: not merely what the technology does, but who it does it for and who it does it to.”
Cory Doctorow, Science Fiction is a Luddite Literature

2021: 100 Good Things
Much like 2020, 2021 wasn’t the easiest of years, but there were many wonderful moments. Here are 100 of them.
Read more "2021: 100 Good Things"