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lesscomputer.ca

Turnover at a glance: Nunziata –> Padovani Perks –> Chan McNally Saxe –> Layton Moise –> Stikuts Fletcher –> Ehrhardt Bradford –> Erskine-Smith Myers –> Chen Other than the loss of Myers, this is going to be a pretty strong Council for Chow.

If you look at what corps are doing and not just saying, "human in the loop" is more of a blame strategy than a real principle. The human is outnumbered by computer processes and overwhelmed by design. If we actually want to empower humans we need Less Computer

On Dec 4th I'm running an AI etiquette workshop with Jerrold McGrath. It's in-person at 401 Richmond - more details and registration here: www.inthemeantime.work/events/ai-et...

This is directly parallel to how UX design thoughtthinkers are on LinkedIn crowing how Claude Design lets us "do strategy—not pixel pushing", meanwhile design's access to the rooms where strategy is being done has NEVER been more constrained. GenAI concentrates power in the manager class only!

one of the reasons behind lesscomputer.ca is that constantly saying human human human while concurrently pouring more computer everywhere isn’t it

Five suggestions regarding the use of AI-notetaker tools 1. Don’t default to surveillance 2. Consider high-trust vs low-trust environments 3. Engage with accessibility 4. Synthesize rather than transcribe 5. Kick out note-taking bots time-and-space-studios.ghost.io/solidarity-a...

“tldr; ease is not the enemy of social progress. it’s actually kind of weird to put them in direct opposition like that; making things easier can often be good for people and the planet…” - @olu.online olu.online/the-price-of...

In their quest for velocity, managers identified a critical bottleneck: themselves. Now they are automating away the very work of leadership - determining what is most valuable to work on, and aligning everyone around those goals. The result: worse outcomes, delivered faster than ever before.

olu.online/weeknotes-69/

Hundred Rabbits is an artist collective that documents low-tech solutions with the hope of building a more resilient future. We live and work aboard a sailboat in remote parts of the world to learn more about how technology degrades beyond the shores of the western world: 100r.co/site/about.h...

out soon: “What Your Machines Should Do - The Science and Strategy of Human-Centered Automation” By Stefanie Hutka rosenfeldmedia.com/books/what-y... h/t @wxs.ca

Get on it, Torontonians!

there are three copies on order at the toronto public library, you can put one on hold as of now :)

bordershidethehorizon.yellowheadinstitute.org/announcement/

“The most useful books are those where half the work is done by the reader“ - Voltaire, 1765

“Thinking this morning about how much of teaching is just taking the time to listen.” Julia Evans via @copystar.bsky.social ‘s newsletter www.uofwinds.com/448/

“My working method has more often than not involved the subtraction of weight. I have tried to remove weight, sometimes from people, sometimes from heavenly bodies, sometimes from cities; above all I have tried to remove weight from the structure of stories and from language.” Italo Calvino

"A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say." ~ Happy birthday, Italo Calvino

Such a pleasure to have @marthadark.bsky.social on the show to learn more about her work with @foxglovelegal.bsky.social and what we’re seeing with data center projects in the UK and South Africa!

"the article argues that planning timelines, tribunal delays, and legal scripts operate as mechanisms of racialized harm. The analysis introduces administrative drift as a way to understand how bureaucratic inaction, silence, and repetition organize dispossession" www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

..."bureaucratic routines, digital systems, legal scripts, and institutional silences .... Two dynamics emerge: (1) administrative harm rendering eviction procedurally inevitable, and (2) tenant resistance grounded in relational care and informal knowledge." utppublishing.com/doi/10.3138/...

One of the reasons I get so worked up about all this, apart from the clear-and-present danger, is it's a symptom of something bigger that's rotten. Many smart & serious establishment people still think it's silly to talk about though.

2024: Let's automatically create JIRA tickets based on what was discussed on the call 2025: holy shit that was a terrible idea, undo that immediately 2026: Let's automatically create calendar invites based on what was discussed in the call

just voted, take a minute if you can to do so too <3 our ability to talk about hard things like covid is so important to our present and our futures, thanks @sharpflower.bsky.social and team for all you do to model this for us :)

time-and-space-studios.ghost.io/announcing-i...

I spent all of last year ending talks with "nothing is inevitable" and students especially seemed to appreciate that vibe

now reading / this is an excellent book :)

I always have a great time checking in with Justin about the latest news and ideas in tech. This week on the podcast, we discuss the history and arguments behind Algorithmic Realism!

first draft of the less computer handbook is done :) lesscomputer.ca

If you missed me and @kellypendergrast.bsky.social talking about the landline telephone on the radio last week, you can listen here. Our mum says she was surprised how similar our voices sounded. www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

“Resist classification!” Wendell Berry