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¶ I've been thinking a lot about, and experimenting a lot with, the uses of AI — its promises, possibilities, pitfalls, and especially its uncanny (in many senses) insights into the shape of the human cultural corpus. ¶ Large Language models work in the principle of a predicting the next element in sequence of tokens — of words and fragments: given what came before, what comes next? ¶ The posts here combine older work and new, in the form of a collage, an experimenter's log, and a commonplace book.

Featured

• 🌐True/False Travel

  An experimental travel guide leverages LLMs to create a playful, structured, and surprising exploration of fictionalized destinations, blending accuracy with creative fabrication.

• 🕉️Infinite Reflection

  What you learn when you let LLMs follow their bliss

• 🖨️Reclaiming the Cliché

  What is it that makes the output of large language models and other varieties of generative AI so interesting, and then so boring? For me the most useful operative metaphor for AI’s promise and problems is the cliche.

• ✍️Blog Resurrection

  Using LLMs to pull thousands of old blog posts back from a grave of mangled database text and rotten links

Recent

• 🦌All the World's a Stag

  Game theory research reveals how political inequality destroys cooperation and why groups prove less trusting than individuals.

• 🙏Does Forgiveness Lead to Forgetting?

  New research reveals that forgiveness transforms the emotional weight of painful memories without erasing their details.

• 🪦World's Oldest Mummies Discovered in Southeast Asia

  Ancient remains from Southeast Asia reveal mummification practices dating back 12,000 years, predating Egyptian and South American examples.

• 🌊Ancient Egyptian Watersports Revealed in Tomb Paintings

  Plaster fragments from an 18th Dynasty tomb chapel near Thebes unveil scenes of recreational activities from over 3,300 years ago.

Archive

• 🍚Meghli (Lebanese Rice pudding)

  Meghli, a delightful Lebanese rice pudding traditionally prepared for special occasions, especially to celebrate a newborn.

• 🚂The Chinese Immigrants Who Built America

  The heroes of the completion of the transcontinental railroad.

• 🌈A cross-cultural color wheel

  This infographic explores the diverse meanings of colors across various cultures, revealing intriguing associations and unique cultural perspectives.

• 🎓Portfolio | Advent Letter

  As a proud member of the alumni organization, I am excited to share some reflections on our community from the past year.