A cybernetic meadow, where mammals and computers live together in mutually programming harmony.
Thirteen essays on what it would look like to garden software instead of engineer it.
A cybernetic meadow — and the possibility of finding solutions to problems that before seemed insoluble
We build fake people and call them “artificial intelligence,” when we could be building tools that augment human intelligence.
The law of the instrument — and the value of the interface
If all you have is a profit motive, everything looks like it’s not nailed down.
Gardening algorithms — and the danger of crashing the whole system
We were always already gardening algorithms. We’re just doing it badly.
Accelerating succession — and the evolution of code
The trees garden the forest for the trees.
Where the humans end — and the computers begin
We are sorted into fields, like crops, so that we may be marketed to those who would buy our attention.
Zones of the mind — and the machine sector
The invasion of the machine sector is not yet complete. We still have a chance to define our zones.
Digital gardens — and the stream of content
A garden doesn’t stream past. It invites you in. A garden doesn’t shout into the void. It stays put and complexifies.
New social gestures — and tools for the conspiracy theorist
Rather than packaging each of your creations into a marketable form, create a giant tangle of self-referential data. The tools to search and parse this external mind will only get better.
See and point — and the Anti-Mac Interface
Instead of a WIMP, you will be a partner in a Collaborative Human-Agent Dialogue — a CHAD.
Seasons change — and cyclical learning
In season 1 we climbed to a peak to view the wide future of interface design. Now we will descend into the canyon of the real.
Learning loops — and rehydrated memories
Thread Helper pumps your attention back up to the past. It hydrates your memory.
Autocomplete everywhere — and the border of reality
The border between the Real and the Unreal is not fixed, but just marks the last place where rival gangs of shamans fought each other to a standstill.
The Big Sleep — and the power of true names
We are as wizards now. We have to get good at it.
