Steve Farrugia
@fasterandworse.com
Experienced user
Australian In Amsterdam
I talk about product design and I'm quite critical
open to work, open to talks
Words: https://fasterandworse.com
Videos: https://youtube.com/@fasterandworse
Audios: https://pnc.st/s/faster-and-worse
Australian In Amsterdam
I talk about product design and I'm quite critical
open to work, open to talks
Words: https://fasterandworse.com
Videos: https://youtube.com/@fasterandworse
Audios: https://pnc.st/s/faster-and-worse
Pinned
Steve Farrugia
@fasterandworse.com
· Sep 24
Dispatch #31: Anti-Design
YouTube video by Faster and Worse
www.youtube.com
Dispatch #31: Anti-Design
Design to compensate for a lack of design
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3eL...
Audio: pnc.st/s/faster-and...
1/x
Design to compensate for a lack of design
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3eL...
Audio: pnc.st/s/faster-and...
1/x
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
December 5, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
"Great technology does more than solve problems. It weaves itself into the world we inhabit."
Sure. But the same is true for the most vile or broken technology.
Sure. But the same is true for the most vile or broken technology.
December 5, 2025 at 10:41 PM
"Great technology does more than solve problems. It weaves itself into the world we inhabit."
Sure. But the same is true for the most vile or broken technology.
Sure. But the same is true for the most vile or broken technology.
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
Everything Mike Masnick writes is this weird obsession with the idea that the reason the web "used to be good" is everyone owned their own servers etc.
He never really questions why that changed, or how the tech he champions will make it worse.
He never really questions why that changed, or how the tech he champions will make it worse.
December 5, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Everything Mike Masnick writes is this weird obsession with the idea that the reason the web "used to be good" is everyone owned their own servers etc.
He never really questions why that changed, or how the tech he champions will make it worse.
He never really questions why that changed, or how the tech he champions will make it worse.
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
And this is why it has so little place in the hands of people who need to make the things that people will then want- nobody wants a hammer that auto-adjusts its length between swings because even if it's accurate 99% of the time, you'll lose your thumb on that 1%.
it shouldn't because that's the problem we have now. Use-caseisms. The mistaken belief that a fluid building material should result in fluid products.
December 5, 2025 at 10:01 PM
And this is why it has so little place in the hands of people who need to make the things that people will then want- nobody wants a hammer that auto-adjusts its length between swings because even if it's accurate 99% of the time, you'll lose your thumb on that 1%.
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
specifically, they want to achieve a rentier monopoly
techs that might have other uses, they concentrate on the rentier monopoly usages
completely shit techs that have no actual use are still perfectly shaped for rentier monopolism, so they looove em
techs that might have other uses, they concentrate on the rentier monopoly usages
completely shit techs that have no actual use are still perfectly shaped for rentier monopolism, so they looove em
December 5, 2025 at 9:44 PM
specifically, they want to achieve a rentier monopoly
techs that might have other uses, they concentrate on the rentier monopoly usages
completely shit techs that have no actual use are still perfectly shaped for rentier monopolism, so they looove em
techs that might have other uses, they concentrate on the rentier monopoly usages
completely shit techs that have no actual use are still perfectly shaped for rentier monopolism, so they looove em
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
I will never understand the appeal of software that "adaptively shapes itself." Software is a tool. Humans are tool users. It's the one thing that we're uniquely good at. If the tool changes every time you use it, you can't learn to use it better, which makes it a bad tool.
unfortunately, this paragraph of the manifesto is not correct in any way whatsoever.
no existing thing sold as "AI" does this at all. the marketers lie that it does, and then it doesn't.
anyone signing this manifesto, ask them for the software that does this.
no existing thing sold as "AI" does this at all. the marketers lie that it does, and then it doesn't.
anyone signing this manifesto, ask them for the software that does this.
December 5, 2025 at 9:53 PM
I will never understand the appeal of software that "adaptively shapes itself." Software is a tool. Humans are tool users. It's the one thing that we're uniquely good at. If the tool changes every time you use it, you can't learn to use it better, which makes it a bad tool.
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
I remember reading a chapter in a human-computer interaction handbook written in the late 90s that said something along the lines of "people keep claiming computers will improve happiness and productivity but that never seems to happen, what's up with that"
lol
lol
unfortunately, this paragraph of the manifesto is not correct in any way whatsoever.
no existing thing sold as "AI" does this at all. the marketers lie that it does, and then it doesn't.
anyone signing this manifesto, ask them for the software that does this.
no existing thing sold as "AI" does this at all. the marketers lie that it does, and then it doesn't.
anyone signing this manifesto, ask them for the software that does this.
December 5, 2025 at 9:53 PM
I remember reading a chapter in a human-computer interaction handbook written in the late 90s that said something along the lines of "people keep claiming computers will improve happiness and productivity but that never seems to happen, what's up with that"
lol
lol
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
In terms of what’s understood to be socially acceptable behavior, normalizing the filming/taking pictures of people in public who are minding their own business (and putting it online) is one of the worst developments of the past 15 years.
Woman Hailed as Hero for Smashing Man's Meta Smart Glasses on Subway
A New York subway rider has accused a woman of breaking his Meta smart glasses. She was later hailed as a hero.
futurism.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:52 PM
In terms of what’s understood to be socially acceptable behavior, normalizing the filming/taking pictures of people in public who are minding their own business (and putting it online) is one of the worst developments of the past 15 years.
SaaS is the mistaken belief that a fluid building material should result in fluid products.
December 5, 2025 at 9:53 PM
SaaS is the mistaken belief that a fluid building material should result in fluid products.
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
this is marketing copy for Notion and Slack
December 5, 2025 at 9:41 PM
this is marketing copy for Notion and Slack
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
unfortunately, this paragraph of the manifesto is not correct in any way whatsoever.
no existing thing sold as "AI" does this at all. the marketers lie that it does, and then it doesn't.
anyone signing this manifesto, ask them for the software that does this.
no existing thing sold as "AI" does this at all. the marketers lie that it does, and then it doesn't.
anyone signing this manifesto, ask them for the software that does this.
December 5, 2025 at 9:00 PM
unfortunately, this paragraph of the manifesto is not correct in any way whatsoever.
no existing thing sold as "AI" does this at all. the marketers lie that it does, and then it doesn't.
anyone signing this manifesto, ask them for the software that does this.
no existing thing sold as "AI" does this at all. the marketers lie that it does, and then it doesn't.
anyone signing this manifesto, ask them for the software that does this.
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
RIP Frank Gehrey. This modest building remains my favourite of his- Dancing House, or Ginger & Fred, Prague, 1996.
December 5, 2025 at 8:39 PM
RIP Frank Gehrey. This modest building remains my favourite of his- Dancing House, or Ginger & Fred, Prague, 1996.
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
Chatting with PDF or making a podcast with NotebookLM is the intellectual equivalent of AI-generated nonconsensual sexual images derived from pictures of real people both of which rely on a fundamental rejection of the right to one’s own representational image and reputation through public depiction
December 5, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Chatting with PDF or making a podcast with NotebookLM is the intellectual equivalent of AI-generated nonconsensual sexual images derived from pictures of real people both of which rely on a fundamental rejection of the right to one’s own representational image and reputation through public depiction
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
Comparing ham radio (aka amateur radio) with the Big Tech AI sludge factories.
New from me - Ham radio could save your life:
buttondown.com/creativegood...
New from me - Ham radio could save your life:
buttondown.com/creativegood...
Ham radio could save your life
In September 2024, Hurricane Helene blew in from the Gulf of Mexico to wreak destruction in an unlikely place: the mountains of western North Carolina....
buttondown.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Comparing ham radio (aka amateur radio) with the Big Tech AI sludge factories.
New from me - Ham radio could save your life:
buttondown.com/creativegood...
New from me - Ham radio could save your life:
buttondown.com/creativegood...
the colour of the year is brought to you by design systems, ikea, and uniqlo
December 5, 2025 at 6:17 PM
the colour of the year is brought to you by design systems, ikea, and uniqlo
he could call it nano banana pro and it wouldn't matter
Marc Benioff says it "would not shock" him if Salesforce changed its name to Agentforce; the company started using Agentforce for many of its offerings (Ashley Stewart/Business Insider)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
December 5, 2025 at 5:37 PM
he could call it nano banana pro and it wouldn't matter
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
celebrated designers of technofascism
December 4, 2025 at 6:53 PM
celebrated designers of technofascism
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
useful aestheticists
celebrated designers of technofascism
December 4, 2025 at 7:08 PM
useful aestheticists
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
Among other things, fascism as a culture is a culture of playing make-believe. Social power and credibility in this culture derives from going along with the bit, and from developing more and more outrageous iterations of the bit, more and more extreme make-believes, as a perverse “yes, and” improv.
December 5, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Among other things, fascism as a culture is a culture of playing make-believe. Social power and credibility in this culture derives from going along with the bit, and from developing more and more outrageous iterations of the bit, more and more extreme make-believes, as a perverse “yes, and” improv.
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
Reading up on the latest React exploit and holy shit this is really bad. Catastrophically bad. If you’re using React and RSC start by upgrading yesterday and then reconsider if this is a feature you want to immediately invest.
December 5, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Reading up on the latest React exploit and holy shit this is really bad. Catastrophically bad. If you’re using React and RSC start by upgrading yesterday and then reconsider if this is a feature you want to immediately invest.
this is the "just build" trajectory
Among other things, fascism as a culture is a culture of playing make-believe. Social power and credibility in this culture derives from going along with the bit, and from developing more and more outrageous iterations of the bit, more and more extreme make-believes, as a perverse “yes, and” improv.
December 5, 2025 at 4:03 PM
this is the "just build" trajectory
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
It doesn’t matter if people “truly” believe anything or not. Playing make-believe, publicly participating in a bit like an improv sketch, is just as good as any “sincerely held” belief for all purposes of the function of collective belief in society (though this also shapes people’s private beliefs)
December 5, 2025 at 3:41 PM
It doesn’t matter if people “truly” believe anything or not. Playing make-believe, publicly participating in a bit like an improv sketch, is just as good as any “sincerely held” belief for all purposes of the function of collective belief in society (though this also shapes people’s private beliefs)
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
Manipulation as aesthetic .
Vibe Coding as “meritocracy “
Vibe Coding as “meritocracy “
this is the capitalist interpretation of "UX design"
December 4, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Manipulation as aesthetic .
Vibe Coding as “meritocracy “
Vibe Coding as “meritocracy “
Reposted by Steve Farrugia
AI is a lack of consent project, and we’ve now entered the lovebombing and smear campaign section of the engagements
Update on the White Mirror project.
A softer image of AI? This Google-backed film aims to change the narrative
The Silicon Valley giant teamed up with Range Media Partners earlier this year to commission short films about artificial intelligence that have less doomsday depictions of technology.
www.latimes.com
December 4, 2025 at 9:44 PM
AI is a lack of consent project, and we’ve now entered the lovebombing and smear campaign section of the engagements
the harms caused by something called nano banana pro
December 4, 2025 at 9:22 PM
the harms caused by something called nano banana pro