There are more trend forecasters, futurists and TikTok oracles than ever. So why does our idea of the future still feel so devoid of nuance, inspiration and possibility?
It is easy to overlook the anomalies but you’ve articulated why it’s important to curate. I do this with music - algos just trap you and that’s no fun! Good to read a mention of William Gibson as well - I’m in the midst of reading Burning Chrome!
Agreed, also finding it equally important to actively curate music discovery away from the algo. And yeah, had to slip in a Gibson reference lol, Cayce Pollard is one of those characters that made me want to pursue trend forecasting as a profession in the first place!
Very cool. This is kind of how I also collect and bookmark other people's writings and content - in Notion pages for different essay ideas. But I like that instead of topics you actually have questions - need to read that piece on synthesis now!
Thanks Ved! Yeah I used to use Notion as my main place for saving bookmarks, and it’s great for traditional tagging systems. But I find myself actively returning to bookmarks and connecting different ideas far more commonly when they’re saved with a specific question or intention in mind, which is how Sublime is designed to be used.
Have you read Infinite Detail? It’s set in a near-future world where the Internet gets shut down completely. This post made me think about that. Would recommend!
Also, just a minor correction that Pattern Recognition isn't normally considered a cyberpunk novel, despite Gibson being known as the Godfather of the genre. Some might say it's not even sci-fi, which makes for a compelling conversation no doubt :)
That's true! it's very much set in the contemporary world without all the cyberpunk tropes of i.e neuromancer, but I always felt there was something still quite cyberpunky about pattern recognition in the way it imagines this underbelly of hackers, internet artists and seedy online forums. 'High tech, low life' as they say :)
That's a fair observation! Soft cyberpunk, if you will? In any case, if you enjoy stories with seedy forums and high tech degeneracy, you might enjoy this short story I just put out - set in a near-future London: https://otherworlding.substack.com/p/casanova
Well this is a paid partnership that has worked because I will definitely be trying out Sublime to try and sort out my very 'unconnected', unweeded collection of information gardens that I have accumulated over the years...wish me luck!
Your framing of research as deliberate pattern disruption cuts through the usual academic theater. Most researchers are just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic of their own assumptions, but you're pointing at something more dangerous and alive. What specific patterns have you found most resistant to disruption in your own work, the ones that keep regenerating under new names?
Such a great read, and to learn about your approach to research! It reminded me of another quote which goes something like if your research isn't questioning anything, it's just theatre.
Thanks Agalia! and yeah I love that quote, I have it saved in my Sublime library :)
“Research is simply asking questions about how the world works. And asking questions about how the world works threatens established authority. If your research isn't asking questions that question authority, it isn't research, it's theater.”
OMG! This felt like it was scraped from the recesses of my mind with all the language and insights that I’m still searching for. I feel like we’re living in a crisis of imagination rn and it’s reflected big time in the way we predict the trends of the future that ends up feeling like more of the same. I’m a designer in LA and have also been hosting pop-ups for people to connect community memories to visions of the future and I think these might tap into the nervous system and intuition that you talked about. Excited to read more!
Will definitely give Sublime a go!
It is easy to overlook the anomalies but you’ve articulated why it’s important to curate. I do this with music - algos just trap you and that’s no fun! Good to read a mention of William Gibson as well - I’m in the midst of reading Burning Chrome!
Agreed, also finding it equally important to actively curate music discovery away from the algo. And yeah, had to slip in a Gibson reference lol, Cayce Pollard is one of those characters that made me want to pursue trend forecasting as a profession in the first place!
Very cool. This is kind of how I also collect and bookmark other people's writings and content - in Notion pages for different essay ideas. But I like that instead of topics you actually have questions - need to read that piece on synthesis now!
Thanks Ved! Yeah I used to use Notion as my main place for saving bookmarks, and it’s great for traditional tagging systems. But I find myself actively returning to bookmarks and connecting different ideas far more commonly when they’re saved with a specific question or intention in mind, which is how Sublime is designed to be used.
Have you read Infinite Detail? It’s set in a near-future world where the Internet gets shut down completely. This post made me think about that. Would recommend!
Hi Philip, Infinite Detail sounds super interesting, I’ve been on the look out for good near-future sci-fi, will definitely check it out!
You're welcome Alexi!
Also, just a minor correction that Pattern Recognition isn't normally considered a cyberpunk novel, despite Gibson being known as the Godfather of the genre. Some might say it's not even sci-fi, which makes for a compelling conversation no doubt :)
That's true! it's very much set in the contemporary world without all the cyberpunk tropes of i.e neuromancer, but I always felt there was something still quite cyberpunky about pattern recognition in the way it imagines this underbelly of hackers, internet artists and seedy online forums. 'High tech, low life' as they say :)
That's a fair observation! Soft cyberpunk, if you will? In any case, if you enjoy stories with seedy forums and high tech degeneracy, you might enjoy this short story I just put out - set in a near-future London: https://otherworlding.substack.com/p/casanova
Well this is a paid partnership that has worked because I will definitely be trying out Sublime to try and sort out my very 'unconnected', unweeded collection of information gardens that I have accumulated over the years...wish me luck!
Hi Mimi, yeah, definitely check it out, I think you'll find it much easier to keep the info garden tended to with Sublime :)
Your framing of research as deliberate pattern disruption cuts through the usual academic theater. Most researchers are just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic of their own assumptions, but you're pointing at something more dangerous and alive. What specific patterns have you found most resistant to disruption in your own work, the ones that keep regenerating under new names?
Def giving sublime a chance. Feel kinda embarrassed that i wasn’t collecting in that way. Thank you for sharing, really
Such a great read, and to learn about your approach to research! It reminded me of another quote which goes something like if your research isn't questioning anything, it's just theatre.
Thanks Agalia! and yeah I love that quote, I have it saved in my Sublime library :)
“Research is simply asking questions about how the world works. And asking questions about how the world works threatens established authority. If your research isn't asking questions that question authority, it isn't research, it's theater.”
OMG! This felt like it was scraped from the recesses of my mind with all the language and insights that I’m still searching for. I feel like we’re living in a crisis of imagination rn and it’s reflected big time in the way we predict the trends of the future that ends up feeling like more of the same. I’m a designer in LA and have also been hosting pop-ups for people to connect community memories to visions of the future and I think these might tap into the nervous system and intuition that you talked about. Excited to read more!
Thanks Esteban! What you’re doing with Utopias sounds super interesting, let me know if you ever host any virtual sessions, would love to join
Thank you for linking to this!