Alex Dobrenko

Inter-viewer: so, you write about poetic web; how did you come to this topic?

Polinsski: One version of the story unfolds as follows: I happened to study at Klasse Digitale Grafik, where we spend lots of time talking about the web. Gradually, I began to question the way I was spending time online, especially the considerable time and energy I... See more

metimes the community you need might be just one other person! I’ve always loved the story of Flaubert writing Madame Bovary. Here was the ultimate solitary genius, working alone in his study at night, creeping forward on his novel at an excruciatingly slow pace—that’s one of part of how he got it done. But the other part is that every Sunday his... See more

The zen of playbit

Playbit is delightful and invites exploration.

Exploration is always safe, but not at the expense of flexibility.

It is in many ways a tool for getting the job done; a means to an end, but not at the expense of delight or playful exploration.

Explicit is better than implicit.

Simple is better than complex.

Simple is better than easy.

E... See more

Everyone seemed to want a story from me, too — a neat, simple sentence or two that distilled our inconceivable relationship into a digestible anecdote, perhaps from which we might all learn a valuable lesson. Correlation, causation. Beginning, middle, satisfying end.

What are you like when you’re with yourself? I feel like when we write or teach or do public talks, a part of us lights up that’s perhaps more open and alive and positive than we otherwise are. You in particular seem to really ignite in the public sphere. When you're alone, is that energy still ignited in you? If not, how does it manifest?

This... See more

“No one can play a game alone. One cannot be human by oneself. There is no selfhood where there is no community. We do not relate to others as the persons we are; we are who we are in relating to others. Simultaneously the others with whom we are in relation are themselves in relation. We cannot relate to anyone who is not also relating to us. Our... See more

So, as I was saying, I was swimming by the cliffs. Every day, walking up and down the coast I found new places to dive in. I got interested in high diving—something I had been too much of a coward to do as a kid. I felt a childish excitement for water. The kids on the beach would look at me, whisper, and laugh. That is one of the pleasures of... See more