Category: Technology

How to see your Writing More Clearly (Without Losing the Will to Live)

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A real challenge with writing is the (very) long time between penning the first page and publication. It’s a huge amount of time to invest without getting feedback on how good the book is. There are tools to help, such as writer’s groups, and I’m going to share another: a self-starter you can use without the fear of another human making the You-Fucked-Up face. The real problem with humans is that, often, they want to make you feel good, or objectively think your feelings are things to be trashed. Getting good human feedback is super hard, because humans in general: a) think they’re good at feedback, but b) are fucking not. But reviews before reviews are still hugely valuable. We want to get the unbiased take without the existential dread of Goodreads. We want to improve, but without the gut-punch to Read More …

Why You Liked… Editing with AI (and how to avoid alcoholism)

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Editing is like flossing—necessary, infuriating, and occasionally involving bloodletting. Enter AI editing tools like Claude and ChatGPT: the MVPs of catching rogue commas or the worst gaslighters you’ll ever meet? Check out my break down of when these tools shine, when they hallucinate (can trebuchets launch that far?), and how to stop them from rewriting your emotional gut punches. If you’ve ever wondered whether AI is your new best friend or an overenthusiastic intern, this is for you. Spoiler: they hate your love for em dashes. Read More …

What the Flux?

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I took a quick dive into Flux.1, the AI art generator everyone’s hot on right now.

SDXL is your reliable but kinda bland friend, Juggernaut is trying way too hard to be the life of the party, and DreamShaper is that one friend who always has the best ideas but struggles with execution. Flux is like someone injected all those models with pure caffeine and creativity.

Turns out, tweaking the settings can make or break things. I’m still figuring it out, but Flux has got me feeling like we’re (again!) on the cusp of something truly spectacular in the world of AI ‘art’. Just maybe watch out for those rogue gorgons. Read More …

You Should Not Come To Me For Financial Advice: PCMR vs. Consoles

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When it comes to gaming, we’re all about that spend-and-play life. Have you ever stopped to think about just how much cash is flying out the window? I dug into the numbers, and here’s what I found: Consoles bleed you out with monthly costs, but PCs have a higher capital investment.

Want ease and safety? Consoles might be your thing. But PC gaming could be the better financial deal – by a hair – thanks to the ol’ Steam Summer Sale. Read More …

Breaking Free from the Cycle of Subscription Fatigue

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So I wrote this thing about how subscription fatigue is real and we’re all just a bunch of sheep waiting to be fleeced by megacorps… But amidst all the doomscrolling, I wanted to highlight some actual heroes – Ecosia, Grameen Bank, Charity: Water, and Ben & Jerry’s are like the Avengers of socially responsible business. They’re out here using their powers for good.

I’m basically saying it’s time to take back control (and possibly sanity) by canceling subscriptions and supporting companies that actually care about people over profits. It’s a bold plan, but I’m confident we can do better than being forever tethered to the cloud. Let’s give it a shot! Read More …

2.5 percent

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Just remember that figure. Apple recently announced Apple Intelligence, and it looks pretty sweet. It does the stuff you actually want – seamless workflow integration pretty much anywhere, with on device secure generation and optional access to the great LLM in the sky. It’s the dream we hoped Intel or some other Windows hardware maker would bring to life. Microsoft’s Copilot? Too limited unless you shell out, and/or confined to their apps. nVidia’s Chat with RTX? A hot mess. LM Studio? Great, but no workflow love (unless you enjoy workflow that involves a lot of copy/paste). Apple’s pitch is clear: “Buy our shiny new hardware, use whatever software floats your boat.” Meanwhile, other companies are like, “Here, have some AI, but only if you play in just our backyard.” However! Where things get spicy is on the iPhone front. Other Read More …

The Reality of Universal Basic Compute

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We’re doing a break down on Sam Altman’s “universal basic compute” idea. Instead of assuming Altman’s got a brain worm, we’ll dig into why UBC could democratise access to LLMs, and drawing a parallel to libraries. While some see Altman’s UBI/IBC as blatant communism or self-interest, I think it’ll level the playing field and help people to improve their lives through education, writing, and so on. It’s not just about tech: it’s all social impact, all the way down. Read More …