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So I started the year with a personal announcement here that I would be working on a new artistic coding project every month and release what I have. And for January… I dropped the ball hard.

I have plenty of excuses that I would easily accept from others for why I didn’t get a new site theme done. Why is it so hard to accept it from myself? I was sick twice, started new meds which have messed with my energy levels, got negative pet health news, and had to take my work laptop in for repairs and am still on a loaner.

I guess I’m just thinking that I need to say it’s ok not to produce to myself, just as easily as I say that it’s ok for others to do the same. Life comes first, and right now those things are taking priority over a new personal coding project.

I’m still moving forward with choosing a new project for February. Something that I’ve wanted to do for a while is make a short text adventure of sorts. With a very loose definition of the word adventure. More like I want to explore the space a bit.

I’m looking at likely using Twine to start out, but I’ve also been interested in trying out Ink and seeing which one fits my interests/needs more. If anyone reading has experience with either of these or other platforms for interactive fiction, I’d love to hear about it!

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📚

Searching for Susy Thunder – Claire L. Evans, The Verge

A great longread from a writer who knows how to tease interesting stories out of the history of women in computing.

Posting for posterity – terry nguyen, gen yeet

I am bad at it, but I do like keeping a notebook. For a while I was into the whole quantified self thing. After a while I realized that better than trying to maintain and organize (and often code to fit my needs) such a system, dropping services and things to track was much better.

‘Jeopardy!’ Hasn’t Had a Player Like Amy Schneider – Shane O’Neill, NYT

I wish that new episodes of Jeopardy went to stream somewhere so that I could see them. I want to see a 40 episode run of a trans woman besting the show with kindness!

Abuse and harassment on the blockchain – Molly White

It’s true: tech companies are rarely talking about how they’re baking anti-harassment into their products. It only comes up as a too-little-too-late reaction to bad actors.

Bee bricks become planning requirement for new buildings in Brighton – Amy Frearson, Dezeen

I do hope that something like this would work, but I just think that it’s a cute idea to incorporate some nature reinvigoration into human spaces.

An Unsung Hero of Gaming History Deserves a Higher Profile – Alex Miller, Wired

At least they’re honest about why Jerry Lawson isn’t more well known for inventing the game cartridge. Kinda.

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📽

The Legend of Zelda vs The Great Wave off Kanagawa

This is a great mashup that makes me want to learn to work with resin and silicon molds

Why are NFTs so Ugly?

the most important question about NFTs to ask besides how to pronounce them, I guess

Antz vs. A Bug’s Life: Who Loves Capitalism More?

Since I saw both of these movies around the age of ten, I guess I never thought about the capitalist plotlines of two kids movies about ants that came out in the same year.

450 Year Old Pumpkin Cheesecake

I never knew the origin of jack-o-lanterns but now I know that, some history of cheesecake, and a recipe that looks really tasty

Time loops are a weird genre for an anxious time

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🎧

Bandcamp Friday has returned! I didn’t make time for suggestions this month, but I encourage you to poke around the site and find an independent artist with music that you like and can buy from. They get all of the revenue today, with Bandcamp waiving their share!

funky friends (an imaginary 90s cartoon soundtrack)

I enjoy imaginary soundtracks for old cartoons and games. Which reminds me of one share for Bandcamp Friday that I do have: Bird World (and all other releases) by leon chang

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If you made it this far, why not share this newsletter with a friend? Or share with me some of the things that you found that you liked this week. Either way, I’m thrilled!

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