Andy Matuschak
@andymatuschak.org
More wonder, more insight, more expression, more joy!
Currently exploring tools that augment human memory and attention.
https://andymatuschak.org
Twitter: andy_matuschak
Mastodon: @[email protected]
Currently exploring tools that augment human memory and attention.
https://andymatuschak.org
Twitter: andy_matuschak
Mastodon: @[email protected]
After the critical failure of Merrily…, Sondheim thought about quitting music to make video games. I’ve wondered what they would be like. Today I found this email exchange—apparently, didactic?! Hard to imagine. www.nypl.org/blog/2022/07...
August 28, 2025 at 12:20 AM
After the critical failure of Merrily…, Sondheim thought about quitting music to make video games. I’ve wondered what they would be like. Today I found this email exchange—apparently, didactic?! Hard to imagine. www.nypl.org/blog/2022/07...
Was David Lynch describing the jhanas in his account of transcendental meditation? (from Catching the Big Fish)
August 5, 2025 at 4:57 AM
Was David Lynch describing the jhanas in his account of transcendental meditation? (from Catching the Big Fish)
Alan Kay once said: "Turn up your nose at good ideas. You must only work on great ideas, not good ones." Inspiring, and exasperating. I've been grappling with it for years, on and off.
August 5, 2025 at 4:52 AM
Alan Kay once said: "Turn up your nose at good ideas. You must only work on great ideas, not good ones." Inspiring, and exasperating. I've been grappling with it for years, on and off.
This is an appreciation thread for EuterPen, a multimodal music notation system by Vincent Cavez et al. It aims to support the non-linear process of exploration during composition.
It's the most sensitive and imaginative academic HCI design work I've seen in quite some time!
It's the most sensitive and imaginative academic HCI design work I've seen in quite some time!
June 19, 2025 at 10:18 PM
This is an appreciation thread for EuterPen, a multimodal music notation system by Vincent Cavez et al. It aims to support the non-linear process of exploration during composition.
It's the most sensitive and imaginative academic HCI design work I've seen in quite some time!
It's the most sensitive and imaginative academic HCI design work I've seen in quite some time!
This was a nice anthology of brief interviews with artist collaborators and collectives. I've been curious to learn more about these scenes as I noodle on how I want to structure collaborations in my own work. Some excerpts below…
June 17, 2025 at 8:40 PM
This was a nice anthology of brief interviews with artist collaborators and collectives. I've been curious to learn more about these scenes as I noodle on how I want to structure collaborations in my own work. Some excerpts below…
We oil our butcher block countertop every few months. Over ~8 years, it's soaked up ~12 liters of mineral oil. That's a lot of volume! Where does it go?
June 2, 2025 at 10:49 PM
We oil our butcher block countertop every few months. Over ~8 years, it's soaked up ~12 liters of mineral oil. That's a lot of volume! Where does it go?
Striking how much this case can be made through verbatim quotes from OAI execs. notforprivategain.org
Steelmanning that the proposed restructuring advances the non-profit's mission, the best I've got is "race dynamics—gotta up the stakes and win… so we can ensure things go well!" 👎 Got better?
Steelmanning that the proposed restructuring advances the non-profit's mission, the best I've got is "race dynamics—gotta up the stakes and win… so we can ensure things go well!" 👎 Got better?
Not For Private Gain
We write in opposition to OpenAI’s proposed restructuring that would transfer control of the development and deployment of artificial general intelligence (AGI) from a nonprofit charity to a for-profi...
notforprivategain.org
April 24, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Striking how much this case can be made through verbatim quotes from OAI execs. notforprivategain.org
Steelmanning that the proposed restructuring advances the non-profit's mission, the best I've got is "race dynamics—gotta up the stakes and win… so we can ensure things go well!" 👎 Got better?
Steelmanning that the proposed restructuring advances the non-profit's mission, the best I've got is "race dynamics—gotta up the stakes and win… so we can ensure things go well!" 👎 Got better?
Probably like most people here, I get too much email, and especially too many invitations for meetings. One tactic I like for cold inbounds like "I'm working on X! Want to meet?" is: "Send me memos/designs/prototypes to get the conversation started?"
April 20, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Probably like most people here, I get too much email, and especially too many invitations for meetings. One tactic I like for cold inbounds like "I'm working on X! Want to meet?" is: "Send me memos/designs/prototypes to get the conversation started?"
For a few years, I've had weekly 2-3hr readings for a course. It's a startling barometer: if I'd spent a while on X/YouTube/etc in the prior 48 hours, I'll want to distract myself every few minutes. But if I've been scrolling-free, it'll be easy to settle in for an unbroken hour!
April 19, 2025 at 3:14 PM
For a few years, I've had weekly 2-3hr readings for a course. It's a startling barometer: if I'd spent a while on X/YouTube/etc in the prior 48 hours, I'll want to distract myself every few minutes. But if I've been scrolling-free, it'll be easy to settle in for an unbroken hour!
I wonder how it feels to be the marketer hired to work on this campaign.
March 9, 2025 at 9:01 PM
I wonder how it feels to be the marketer hired to work on this campaign.
It’s not an official holiday, but the first day of daylight savings time is my personal favorite holiday of the year. 😌☀️
March 9, 2025 at 5:22 PM
It’s not an official holiday, but the first day of daylight savings time is my personal favorite holiday of the year. 😌☀️
On our block in SF, ground-floor commercial has really struggled the last decade: lots of multi-year vacancies and revolving storefronts. But! There are three gyms within a block, opened across several years, all apparently thriving. Are the economics of a gym much friendlier than, say, retail?
February 23, 2025 at 3:52 PM
On our block in SF, ground-floor commercial has really struggled the last decade: lots of multi-year vacancies and revolving storefronts. But! There are three gyms within a block, opened across several years, all apparently thriving. Are the economics of a gym much friendlier than, say, retail?
Some notes on sundaylight.cc, a sort of… artificial skylight?
It feels good to spend the day in daylight. But that doesn’t happen when I’m working inside. Especially in the winter. So, for years, I’ve used super-bright LEDs while I work. They quite noticeably improve my energy and mood.
It feels good to spend the day in daylight. But that doesn’t happen when I’m working inside. Especially in the winter. So, for years, I’ve used super-bright LEDs while I work. They quite noticeably improve my energy and mood.
February 15, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Some notes on sundaylight.cc, a sort of… artificial skylight?
It feels good to spend the day in daylight. But that doesn’t happen when I’m working inside. Especially in the winter. So, for years, I’ve used super-bright LEDs while I work. They quite noticeably improve my energy and mood.
It feels good to spend the day in daylight. But that doesn’t happen when I’m working inside. Especially in the winter. So, for years, I’ve used super-bright LEDs while I work. They quite noticeably improve my energy and mood.
How would you actually pull off this HyperCard brochure’s interactive map case study? Make 2^n different cards, and have the filters navigate? Could you actually implement the filters via HyperTalk?
February 8, 2025 at 8:33 PM
How would you actually pull off this HyperCard brochure’s interactive map case study? Make 2^n different cards, and have the filters navigate? Could you actually implement the filters via HyperTalk?
Lots of email clients adding little "Sounds great!" autocomplete suggestions to the reply composer, but where's the client that goes "Hey, decline this! I've seen your journals complaining about wanting to take less meetings like this! What are you thinking??"
February 4, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Lots of email clients adding little "Sounds great!" autocomplete suggestions to the reply composer, but where's the client that goes "Hey, decline this! I've seen your journals complaining about wanting to take less meetings like this! What are you thinking??"
Reposted by Andy Matuschak
January 18, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Reposted by Andy Matuschak
Still thinking about this sign spotted at the @inkandswitch.com get-together:
January 18, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Still thinking about this sign spotted at the @inkandswitch.com get-together:
I know many software designers are fond of Notes on the Synthesis of Form.
Has anyone ever actually applied CA’s analytical hierarchical graph partition to a UI project?
It strikes me as more useful in concept than in practice, but Appendix A implies he really used it.
Has anyone ever actually applied CA’s analytical hierarchical graph partition to a UI project?
It strikes me as more useful in concept than in practice, but Appendix A implies he really used it.
January 11, 2025 at 1:49 AM
I know many software designers are fond of Notes on the Synthesis of Form.
Has anyone ever actually applied CA’s analytical hierarchical graph partition to a UI project?
It strikes me as more useful in concept than in practice, but Appendix A implies he really used it.
Has anyone ever actually applied CA’s analytical hierarchical graph partition to a UI project?
It strikes me as more useful in concept than in practice, but Appendix A implies he really used it.
I’d like to learn more about collectives (in arts, science, letters). Myths and stories, but also boring operational details. How to effectively create 1+1=3 while supporting creative sovereignty?
Best books/articles? I liked Collaborative Circles.
For current examples: tell me unusual stories!
Best books/articles? I liked Collaborative Circles.
For current examples: tell me unusual stories!
January 9, 2025 at 12:50 AM
I’d like to learn more about collectives (in arts, science, letters). Myths and stories, but also boring operational details. How to effectively create 1+1=3 while supporting creative sovereignty?
Best books/articles? I liked Collaborative Circles.
For current examples: tell me unusual stories!
Best books/articles? I liked Collaborative Circles.
For current examples: tell me unusual stories!
Sunscreen sold in Hawaii now has to be mineral-based, to protect reefs. Which effect is bigger?:
1. It’s easier to see when others are wearing sunscreen because of the white cast, so more people will wear it.
2. Mineral sunscreen is mildly more annoying, so fewer people will wear it.
1. It’s easier to see when others are wearing sunscreen because of the white cast, so more people will wear it.
2. Mineral sunscreen is mildly more annoying, so fewer people will wear it.
January 6, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Sunscreen sold in Hawaii now has to be mineral-based, to protect reefs. Which effect is bigger?:
1. It’s easier to see when others are wearing sunscreen because of the white cast, so more people will wear it.
2. Mineral sunscreen is mildly more annoying, so fewer people will wear it.
1. It’s easier to see when others are wearing sunscreen because of the white cast, so more people will wear it.
2. Mineral sunscreen is mildly more annoying, so fewer people will wear it.
What’s the smallest number that feels to you like it *should* be prime, but isn’t?
(Answer before looking at replies please!)
(Answer before looking at replies please!)
January 4, 2025 at 8:38 PM
What’s the smallest number that feels to you like it *should* be prime, but isn’t?
(Answer before looking at replies please!)
(Answer before looking at replies please!)
Recently served on a jury for the first time (assault with a deadly weapon, etc). Some surprises:
1. I knew that conviction requires unanimity. But acquittal requires unanimity! We couldn't agree; the result is a mistrial; the DA can re-try the case if they want.
1. I knew that conviction requires unanimity. But acquittal requires unanimity! We couldn't agree; the result is a mistrial; the DA can re-try the case if they want.
December 24, 2024 at 4:23 PM
Recently served on a jury for the first time (assault with a deadly weapon, etc). Some surprises:
1. I knew that conviction requires unanimity. But acquittal requires unanimity! We couldn't agree; the result is a mistrial; the DA can re-try the case if they want.
1. I knew that conviction requires unanimity. But acquittal requires unanimity! We couldn't agree; the result is a mistrial; the DA can re-try the case if they want.
I'm in the midst of a multiday jury selection process. It's inefficient and obnoxious and often dull, but also… quite beautiful. So many earnest questions, such time investment, all to provide an impartial jury, for just one trial. It's an amazing small-huge thing humanity has committed to attempt.
December 11, 2024 at 4:11 AM
I'm in the midst of a multiday jury selection process. It's inefficient and obnoxious and often dull, but also… quite beautiful. So many earnest questions, such time investment, all to provide an impartial jury, for just one trial. It's an amazing small-huge thing humanity has committed to attempt.
AI impacts have been frustrating: I feel both responsible and pessimistic. I'm grateful for @michaelnielsen.bsky.social's work on an optimistic reframe—alignment as ongoing problem for civilization; coceleration as agentic aspiration; pluralism as aim.
How to be a wise optimist about science and technology?
I believe the central problem of the 21st century is how civilization co-evolves with science and technology. As our understanding of the world deepens, it enables technologies that confer ever more…
michaelnotebook.com
December 4, 2024 at 12:52 AM
AI impacts have been frustrating: I feel both responsible and pessimistic. I'm grateful for @michaelnielsen.bsky.social's work on an optimistic reframe—alignment as ongoing problem for civilization; coceleration as agentic aspiration; pluralism as aim.