✍️ New post: A Past Tense Word

What I took away from a wonderful Josh Homme interview. And yes, it somehow turned into a post about working on the web again …

https://matthiasott.com/notes/a-past-tense-word

✍️ New short story: Jump
https://michellebarker.co.uk/writing/jump/
#ShortFiction

Interactive exercise: just try to spend a trillion dollars.

https://www.wired.com/story/spend-elon-musk-money/

Great job by Neal Agarwal from neal.fun.

Bite-size story today:
🕷️ She Spins https://michellebarker.co.uk/writing/she-spins/ #FlashFiction

RE: https://social.lol/@db/117313366685749740

"The AI industrial complex does not do consent. You will use it. You cannot look away, it will be stuffed down your throat and if you say “no” they’ll cut out your tongue … Call me a radical but I’ve chosen not to kowtow to billionaires."

Why Personal Websites Are Coming Back

https://deadparrotbbs.com/why-personal-websites-are-coming-back/

#web #websites

Short story: A Cursed Placed https://michellebarker.co.uk/writing/a-cursed-place/ #ShortFiction

RE: https://tldr.nettime.org/@tante/117251794290408891

“People who do not use these machines (or are forced to, but don't want to...) are discouraged, demotivated, and devalued. A feeling of personal worthlessness sinks in and is actively encouraged by ignoring the social part of the equation of production.”

This post is about a game dev engine community I know nothing about, but it could easily apply to many creative web dev spaces too.

In light of the UK government's recent advice to households to stock up on food and water in anticipation of potential interruption of supplies this winter, I thought I'd do a little thread on #DisasterPrep for people who aren't gun-obsessed misanthropes as someone who has managed water and sanitation for a few ecological fieldwork and bushcraft camps.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/03/angela-eagle-uk-stock-up-supplies-el-nino-warning

1/🧵

Edited to add: a few people requested this thread as a blog post, so here you go https://tangledbankforaging.co.uk/2026/09/06/disaster-prep-for-people-who-arent-gun-obsessed-misanthropes/

#ClimateBreakdown

✍️ New short story: https://michellebarker.co.uk/writing/the-void/ (probably not one to read if you’re feeling depressed)
#ShortFiction #CreativeWriting

I like libraries https://michellebarker.co.uk/writing/in-praise-of-libraries/

I wrote about new ways to better rate Netflix content. https://ericwbailey.website/published/a-proposal-for-new-netflix-content-rating-icons/

I actually strive for complete clarity with my color theme toggles.

https://codepen.io/editor/chriscoyier/pen/01a02ef8-aaaa-7623-a443-c3d6ea4eeb83

I wrote about why I believe that the true age of human-made art might still be ahead of us.

https://uarrr.org/free-range-human-art/

I wrote an essay about why I'm done using AI for coding, even if it costs me my job and career: https://brettcodes.com/im-done-using-ai/

The basic gist is: AI made me a worse, apathetic programmer. I think it's bad for humanity, the planet, and the craft of software engineering. And I'm done using it.

Sign the petition: No data centre on the Somerset levels https://c.org/CjmXwb9XC5

Short story: Paddington the Fox https://michellebarker.co.uk/writing/paddington-the-fox/ #ShortFiction

I wrote about how it feels to step out on stage https://michellebarker.co.uk/writing/stage-fright/ #writing

🔗 Ketan Joshi analysed Google's latest sustainability report, and yes, energy consumption went up (a lot).

Adding up the numbers, Joshi concludes it's not because of manual Gemini use, it's because Google's search engine shows AI results by default https://ketanjoshi.co/2026/07/01/googles-exponential-path-to-climate-wrecking-digital-bloat/

🦊

Wrote down some rambling thoughts on “AI”: as generational damage, on what repair might look like, and on asking what happens next. https://ethanmarcotte.com/wrote/all-tomorrows-parties/