Writing

I tested OpenMusic to generate a dramatic confession-style backing track for a theatre project, a reality TV take on Antony and Cleopatra. Beyond the usual prompt-based generation, it has stem splitting and MIDI tools that are actually useful for music production.

Revisiting links saved ten years ago, exploring what captured my attention and the world's interests back in 2016.

AI tools promise to automate the tedious parts of starting a music project. I tried two MCP-based options for Ableton Live, Feater and Producer Pal, to see how much they help me make music.

Much like "googling" has become a generic term for searching, Grammarly has become almost synonymous with a general grammar and style checker, outside of those provided by tools like Word or Google Docs. I have used the pro version for several years, and while its advice is not always correct and inconsistent, it's generally a good aid in giving ideas and pointers for writing. However, every year, that subscription comes up for renewal, and I start thinking about alternatives and features I'd like to have that Grammarly doesn't offer. In this post, I look at the disappointingly few alternatives that exist.

Who do you think reads most of your technical writing? Customers? Potential customers?

A collection of poetry written during the Storytelling Collective's annual April Daily Poem challenge, in which poets write a poem every day for the month based on simple prompts.

A collection of flash fiction under 1,500 words, written during the Storytelling Collective's month-long Flash Fiction February challenge.

A guide to designing, building, and hosting digital products that respect people and the planet, covering infrastructure, backend architecture, frontend performance, UX, content strategy, and marketing practices that reduce environmental impact while improving performance and accessibility.

A post-post-apocalyptic thriller love story set ten years after a war between the living and the previously dead, where fate throws two couples together and turns their lives upside down.

A forthcoming book on Ableton 12. Sadly, the project was cancelled.

A swaggering adventurer named Morag the Mighty is indignantly turned away at a city gate by thoroughly unimpressed guards.

An unreliable narrator tells a story about a chance encounter with a stranger.

A weary government clerk works through a long list of furious, blustering wizards to inform them that magic is being banned.

A lifelong runaway recounts leaving home again and again across the decades.

Ninety-three days after the sun vanishes from the sky.

Sovereignty, efficiency, acquisitions, and AI tools go rogue (again)

The legacy of Sun, the future of Open Source, decolonising maps, and more.

Dystopian stories, AI safety, and stories of simulations

AI in places it's not needed, Doom in places it shouldn't be, and an engineer behind dozens of classic albums shares their advice.

I haven't been reading much news, so instead I haphazardly promote some of my work.