March 2026 blend of links

I promise you I try to avoid linking to more than two articles on the same topic in each edition — and I really want to avoid my readers to feel too depressed reading this blog — but everything seems to be about A.I. or some sort of automation these days, either directly or indirectly. I also notice that most of the topics revolve around the how and rarely on the why, as if accelerating tasks to the max, regardless of their purpose, is unquestionably a good thing.

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Emily Tucker’s Open Letter to Georgetown Students, In Response to Recent Announcements by the University about “Generative A.I.” – “It’s a big win for them, in their quest to persuade you of your powerlessness, that they have gotten your university to [adopt] their marketing language for its official statements, to shape its academic programming around the presumption of their indefinite economic primacy, and to pay for you to have free access to technologies that will make it harder — the more you use them — to know yourself to be a free intellectual, creative and moral agent.” (via Dan Gillmor)

Overthinking: A.I. wasn't the first to break my heart – This article from Ana Rodrigues read a little too close to home for my own comfort; the feelings described and words chosen are very accurate and indeed increasingly familiar to a growing number of people.

We’re Training Students To Write Worse To Prove They’re Not Robots, And It’s Pushing Them To Use More A.I. – “[…] the AI detection tool flagged the essay as “18% A.I. written.” The culprit? Using the word “devoid.” When the word was swapped out for “without,” the score magically dropped to 0%.”

The Future Smells Like Paper – “The technology should remove bureaucratic friction while preserving ceremonial weight. Make the process transparent without making it trivial. You can't automate meaning. You can only create conditions where it might emerge.” (via iA Writer)

What I mean when I say that I hate Gen A.I. – “I hate that I do it, and I am angry that I am forced - but I am an adult and I do what I must. I couldn't care less if I write the code I "make", but I am disenchanted with humanity. As a young boy I was full of optimism, I thought we can strive to be better. I was wrong. Money is all that matters.” (via Brain Baking)

Backseat Software – So many quotable parts in this beauty of an article by Mike Swanson. Before writing this very sentence, I successively pasted 3 to 4 quotes, each better than the previous one. What a great read; actually very hard to get through, as you'll want to stop every other paragraph to take notes. (via The Talk Show)

TextEdit and the Relief of Simple Software – An interesting perspective from someone deeply involved in the activity of writing on a computer, but seemingly not as passionate about software as one would assume. I’ll keep an eye on Kyle Chayka’s future columns, as I wouldn’t be surprised if this one is just a first step into the inevitable quest of finding a better writing app on the Mac. I’ve been there, both as a TextEdit-only user and as a text-editing software snob. I even play with Vim in the Terminal from time to time, just so I can feel like Dana Scully typing a report. (via Michael Tsai)

SubEthaEdit – Perfect transition to a really excellent text editor, for people who love “real” Mac apps, with a neat collaboration feature.

The Shape of Paris – At first, I just wanted to watch the first couple of seconds of this to see if it was worth saving for later or not, and I ended up watching it in full. Beautiful scenery that somehow made me nostalgic for the eight years of my life I lived in Paris. Also, has any other sport or hobby ever beaten skateboard in terms of style and looks? I don’t think so, it’s the epitome of cool. (via Kottke)

Shady Characters – Not as cool as a skateboard video in Paris, but this whole website looks incredible thanks to an exquisite typography. Subscribed to the RSS feed, and there is also a book, that I’ve just ordered.

Previous blend of links editions