highlands away, my john

I’m quite sick, and I spent my Sunday morning cleaning out my 100+ mobile browser tabs. The below pieces are ones I’d kept open for weeks to months after reading them, with the intention of responding to them more fully. A few of them I may return to, others I am simply sharing out of interest.

Ten Questions Concerning Generative Computer Art by Jon McCormack, Oliver Bown, Alan Dorin, Jonathan McCabe, Gordon Monro and Mitchell Whitelaw

The Western notion of art has been radically transformed from the classicism of antiquity to the relational aesthetics of the present day. Throughout this time, the meaning of terms such as “create”, “generate” and “originate” has been far from stable. If the language and computational concepts used in this paper change as dramatically as the concepts and motivations of artists and their audiences over this period, then we should expect our discussions to become a caricature of their time rather than a far reaching analysis of the possibilities of generative art.

The Cult Roots of Health Food in America by Diana Hubbell

Baker began attracting young acolytes through the daily public meditation sessions he held at the restaurant. As teenagers, feeling disenfranchised by the war in Vietnam and betrayed by their parents’ generation, left their homes in droves, the Source offered them refuge and an alternative path. They came for the salads and spiritual guidance, and stayed for the cult.

“Refusal is an Act of Design”: Rethinking Data Ethics an interview with Jonathan Zong

People who are affected by technologies are not always included in the design process for those technologies. Refusal then becomes a meaningful expression of values and priorities for those who were not part of the early design conversations. Actions taken against technologies like face surveillance — be it legal battles against companies, advocacy for stricter regulations, or even direct action like disabling security cameras — may not fit the conventional notion of participating in a design process. And yet, these are the actions available to refusers who may be excluded from other forms of participation.

The Gamemaster’s Guide to Short Story Plot by Ursula Whitcher

Counterintuitively, letting a protagonist solve their own problems can also make a story arc cleaner. As characters use aspects of their world, throwaway detail transforms into foreshadowing.

on “energy” by enantiomer

I don't feel that reclassifying “energy” as a quality of consciousness is any sort of demotion or disenchantment because I see consciousness as more fundamental to the universe's structure than (physics) energy. To me it's clear (when l remember to look at it this way) that we are points of awareness in conversation with the World (and with each other!) and that consciousness is the medium of this conversation. […] World and Person are not separable — there is no such thing as an uninhabited universe, no such thing as a Person without a World to inhabit. They are a system. Their interaction is what makes them. They emerge from it.

Adapting Intuitive Eating for Neurodivergent People by Shira Collings

I believe that quality eating disorder care involves exploring each individual’s unique cognitive style, challenges, and needs, and navigating what recovery means to each person on that basis, rather than imposing a one-size-fits all definition of what recovery, eating, or movement should look like. It is my hope that the above modifications will help providers support people in recovery to explore what works for them and use their intuition to make recovery-oriented choices, rather than feeling compelled to recover according to neurotypical or ableist standards.

Emotional Landscapes, Becoming Friends With the Depths, and To Know and Be Known by nathanlovestrees

For as long as I can remember there has been a chasm dividing me from my friends and peers. Not only does it divide me from those to whom I wish to be connected, it divides me from myself as well. Acting from the values and beliefs I have about the world—which are rooted in my inherited situation—necessarily results in choices that are in opposition to those around me, people who do not share or understand the values and commitments I have. My choices seem, from their perspective, impossible.

What Would You Eat in a Cold War Fallout Shelter? by Andrew Coletti

Ultimately, the government portrayed consumerism as the key to survival. Americans were led to believe that they had the means to protect their families, just as long as they bought enough of the right products. This emphasis on shopping as part of preparedness, Bishop notes, was “tapping into the people who have disposable income, to be able to afford it. So it’s survival for a certain section of the population. But it’s not survival for everyone else.”

The growing struggle to access gender-affirming health care in rural Canada by Rhea Rollmann

Nova Scotia led the country in its proportion of trans and non-binary people, and per capita Halifax is the second-most gender diverse Canadian urban centre. Yet in May the province’s only TRS surgeon announced he would no longer provide those surgeries, blaming the province for its refusal to designate “appropriate” fee codes for TRS. In addition, two endocrinologists who provide referrals that are mandatory to access TRS announced they would no longer accept new clients, saying they don’t have the capacity.

Slow Change Can Be Radical Change by Rebecca Solnit

Describing the slowness of change is often confused with acceptance of the status quo. It’s really the opposite: an argument that the status quo must be changed, and it will take steadfast commitment to see the job through. It’s not accepting defeat; it’s accepting the terms of possible victory. Distance runners pace themselves; activists and movements often need to do the same, and to learn from the timelines of earlier campaigns to change the world that have succeeded.