Alex Burns
@alexgraceburns
Alex Burns
I’ve spent decades writing and editing; I know the feeling — of reward and hard-won clarity — that writing produces for me. But if you never build those muscles, will you grasp what’s missing when an L.L.M. delivers a chirpy but shallow reply? What happens to students who’ve never experienced the reward of pressing toward an elusive thought that... See more
nytimes.com • Opinion | the Seductions of A.I. For the Writer’s Mind - The New York Times
make websites cool again!!! pt 2. // visual diary/creative inspiration #017:
I think our brains have gotten so used to the homogeneity of the design of platforms - built on efficiency, uniformity, ease… that to see stuff like this, un-templated containers of content, is such a delight and surprise. website as art. art... See more
Arrianesubstack.comIt would make sense to say that, despite appearances, third-order vanity ratchets up the neuroticism, rather than quiets it down. But what I find most interesting about third-order vanity is that often its most prolific purveyors seem so lost in their role that they’re almost unaware they’re performing at all.
Haley Nahman • #235: Third-order vanity
This is second-order vanity. The term was coined by David Foster Wallace, in his 1987 novel The Broom of the System. “A vain person is concerned that people not perceive him as stupid, or dull, or ugly, et cetera et cetera,” his character explains—that’s first-order vain (the classic). “Now a second-order vain person is a vain person who’s also... See more
#235: Third-order vanity
The Feynman Technique
youtube.comTalk to friends and family on the phone
Okay, you can take your phone and AirPods with you if you’re calling loved ones. I was inspired years ago by “the secret power of the eight-minute phone call.” The general idea is that casual connection protects against the erroneous perception of “time surplus,” an idea too many busy people have that in the... See more
Okay, you can take your phone and AirPods with you if you’re calling loved ones. I was inspired years ago by “the secret power of the eight-minute phone call.” The general idea is that casual connection protects against the erroneous perception of “time surplus,” an idea too many busy people have that in the... See more
The Analog Life: 50 Ways to Unplug and Feel Human Again
Here’s a short excerpt of my essay about A.I. and creativity in the New York Times Magazine.
Follow the link in the story to read the whole piece.
Endless thanks to @gailbichler , @billwasik and most importanly the amazing @annie76828 who designed the issue and still had the patience to discuss and improve every tiny detail of my... See more
instagram.comHandwrite a to-do list each morning
What did Benjamin Franklin, Ludwig van Beethoven and Michael Jordan have in common? They all woke up each day and jotted down a to-do list. Of course, none of those guys (even heyday Jordan) had access to today’s apps or programs, which are able to automate tasks and set reminders and track your progress with an... See more
What did Benjamin Franklin, Ludwig van Beethoven and Michael Jordan have in common? They all woke up each day and jotted down a to-do list. Of course, none of those guys (even heyday Jordan) had access to today’s apps or programs, which are able to automate tasks and set reminders and track your progress with an... See more
The Analog Life: 50 Ways to Unplug and Feel Human Again
It’s fitting, then, that A24 and director Jane Schoenbrun have staked a large part of the movie’s experience on another relic of the pre-streaming era: the compilation soundtrack. The I Saw the TV Glow OST is the type of project you don’t see much of in 2024. It’s a who’s who of indie music mixed with a handful of rising artists, all providing... See more