INSTANT DOGMA
Opinions, essays, blog posts, articles, op-eds, ruminations, soapbox rants, and much more
My Precotopia
On the Space Between Quantity and Quality The problem on my mind right now is hard to quantify—in fact, it’s about quantification itself. I recall attending a talk by DJ Spooky way back in 2020 showcasing his work around the notion of “Quantopia,” which looks at trends through the lens of a half century living
The Draw
Dear Ardra714, It’s weird being out here in space, even though humans have been doing it for decades now. I guess I’m just one of those throwbacks who’s still more comfortable on dry land. But I’ve learned to embrace the ride anyway, since the future is up ahead and I totally get how we
Raze and Shone
Finally we get to that part where things start To simmer up not due to climate or pent up Gases and last gasp chances as time passes But mainly because there is never a pause Between effect and cause being the same Old game in every refrain and too much pain To go around
Totally Awesome
On Digitization and Deification Past Prologue Lara T. Singl surfs the web: self-improvement, infotainment, political partisanship, neurotica, fluff. They are rewarded as badges appear and new windows of experience open. Then they adjust their privacy settings, delete cookies, ask not to be tracked, visit sites anonymously, and trade in non-monetized knowledge. Lara is punished with
The Futurn
It was a time like no other voices in Rooms of desperate escapes from Conditions woven in the wombs of Neglectful dejection by unelected Henchman of the apocalypse within But also to their chagrin a brand new Beginning was unleashed from its Moors as the tired and poor took their Fair share of the
Civilization Crumbles
“Pass the salt.” “Wha-a?” “I said, pass the salt. I can’t eat this crap without it.” “SO picky. How did you even survive the Upheaval?” “Very funny. You know that I carried your sorry carcass out of the gates of hell and into this even worse version of a world.” “Tsk. You’d think one
Button Pushers
When the machines take over, it won’t be with a bang but a whimper. Or maybe even just a glitch… Did you ever have the feeling that every time you push a button, it pushes you back? Extrapolating from Newton’s law of “equal and opposite reaction,” we might update this to note that everything
Powered By Practice
“I…can…hardly…breathe.” “It’s okay,” Toran reassured me. “Focus on the silence, feel it around you, let it keep you safe. One deep breath, then another. Good, keep going. Almost there…” they whispered. “Okay, thanks, I feel better.” This was the third time this month that I had a problem during the service, but so far
On Brand
They spend a lot of time ticking boxes Selecting options to be somewhere else Someone of wealth claiming the flame At all costs of appearances keeping Up with the image of foes and trending In the feeds taking cues from below Far down the queue who post meager Reviews for shoppers and hoppers galore
Next Pair of Dimes
The sign blinked insistently, making Fredd really anxious. Not that he needed any help — the whole stupid affair had him on serious edge already anyway. But that damn sign, over and over again: “Please insert 20 cents to continue the session.” Without this, the gate would close and the drones would arrive. He had
Therefore I Was
Cogent I think right now What really rends In the end Isn’t decay Or disease Or tragic events But more so A failure to See light ahead And a purpose To continue Against all logic A tenuous existence So beautiful and frail Horrible in its gravity Never knowing the truth Ergonomic Woke today From
Life Is Good
So at Least There’s That… I was listening to a recent podcast where the discussion was about how we value the support structures in our lives, as well as the obstacles put before us. Not surprisingly, the conclusion was that people tend to overstate the latter and underestimate the former. In other words, we tend
Bed-death and Beyond
The day the inevitable happened was, surprisingly, warm and sunny. I’d always pictured it as forebodingly dark with a torrential downpour of historical — nay, biblical — proportions. Since I knew it was of course coming at some point, I suppose it was comforting to think of it as somehow dramatic or noteworthy. But
By Grace
You think there’s always time To do the things you want to do To finish that abandoned project To get over to that faraway place To reach out to long lost friends To abandon reason for intuition To revel in awe of time and space To rediscover that dormant art To plant seeds before
Arc of the Pilgrimage
As we progress in years, holidays oftentimes can lose some of their luster. Things just don’t have the same spark anymore, the sense of magic and wonder ebbs a bit, and the latitude of a “day off” gets supplanted by a multitude of logistics and preparations. Still, some holidays resonate on a different level