John Stokvis
@johnstokvis.com
does Product at Outschool. formerly at Indiegogo, Twitter, Groupon
a captain at sea
a captain at sea
Pinned
John Stokvis
@johnstokvis.com
· Apr 28
The world is full of inanimate objects silently rooting for you, if you just take a moment to notice
Cake Pop Demon Hunters
November 11, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Cake Pop Demon Hunters
Reposted by John Stokvis
Any game designers out there? Specifically focused on deck building games?
September 7, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Any game designers out there? Specifically focused on deck building games?
“It depends,” is almost always the answer.
August 21, 2025 at 9:22 PM
“It depends,” is almost always the answer.
The hilariousness and brilliantness of this website reinspires my confidence in what is possible with this whole internet thing
✅✅✅
✅✅✅
Can Bluesky say every word in the dictionary?
I dunno but I plan to find out!
I made a website that tracks every single word said on bluesky (as of yesterday).
I dunno but I plan to find out!
I made a website that tracks every single word said on bluesky (as of yesterday).
August 7, 2025 at 1:11 PM
The hilariousness and brilliantness of this website reinspires my confidence in what is possible with this whole internet thing
✅✅✅
✅✅✅
RIP Tom.
You were one of the first to show me that humor and truth were great friends.
Thanks for everything.
You were one of the first to show me that humor and truth were great friends.
Thanks for everything.
July 28, 2025 at 1:43 PM
RIP Tom.
You were one of the first to show me that humor and truth were great friends.
Thanks for everything.
You were one of the first to show me that humor and truth were great friends.
Thanks for everything.
He died in 2002, well before social media transformed everything, but I know Chuck Jones would have had an account just to repost stuff like this
I still think this is a strong contender for the funniest video ever uploaded. Absolutely unbeatable comedic rhythm
June 21, 2025 at 11:14 PM
He died in 2002, well before social media transformed everything, but I know Chuck Jones would have had an account just to repost stuff like this
The “personal FAQ because I’m being milkshake-ducked by AI slop for engagement” is going to be the new “link in bio,” isn’t it?
there's a new wave of viral engagement slop posts about The Wendy's Twitter Lady so i am finally putting an FAQ on my website. if you have any lingering questions about that whole thing, now's your chance
you have reached the Wendy's Twitter lady
amybrown.xyz
June 20, 2025 at 2:13 PM
The “personal FAQ because I’m being milkshake-ducked by AI slop for engagement” is going to be the new “link in bio,” isn’t it?
This is an interesting angle I hadn’t considered before.
One of the reasons we converse with other people is to ground ourselves in reality. It’s hard to see the truth when we only have a single point of reference, we choose another perspective to orient ourselves.
One of the reasons we converse with other people is to ground ourselves in reality. It’s hard to see the truth when we only have a single point of reference, we choose another perspective to orient ourselves.
If you set clear parameters initially, and then continue to “converse” with it but do not repeat the contextual instructions, it drifts back to mirroring (as you note, by design). And that’s bad for people who are not fully grounded in reality and who are instead coming to the chat to ask about it.
June 13, 2025 at 2:21 PM
This is an interesting angle I hadn’t considered before.
One of the reasons we converse with other people is to ground ourselves in reality. It’s hard to see the truth when we only have a single point of reference, we choose another perspective to orient ourselves.
One of the reasons we converse with other people is to ground ourselves in reality. It’s hard to see the truth when we only have a single point of reference, we choose another perspective to orient ourselves.
It seems like a cruel irony that when a problem in a relationship is that one person isn’t listening, the most direct way to fix it revolves around telling that person “you’re not listening.”
Which would work if …you know… that person were listening.
Which would work if …you know… that person were listening.
June 10, 2025 at 12:35 AM
It seems like a cruel irony that when a problem in a relationship is that one person isn’t listening, the most direct way to fix it revolves around telling that person “you’re not listening.”
Which would work if …you know… that person were listening.
Which would work if …you know… that person were listening.
LLMs are averagers by nature.
A below average writer? It’ll help.
An above average writer? It will bring you down.
It pushes all writing towards the average.
On every dimension: originality, perspective, syntax…
Tell it to be weirder? It’ll give you the most average weirdness you can think of.
A below average writer? It’ll help.
An above average writer? It will bring you down.
It pushes all writing towards the average.
On every dimension: originality, perspective, syntax…
Tell it to be weirder? It’ll give you the most average weirdness you can think of.
The good part of AI is that the only thing a writer can do to combat it is to become more human. Make your writing weirder, hornier, more violent, absurd, poetic, difficult, political, jagged, dreamlike, ironic, surreal, alive. You don't have any choice but to plumb the depths.
May 25, 2025 at 1:24 AM
LLMs are averagers by nature.
A below average writer? It’ll help.
An above average writer? It will bring you down.
It pushes all writing towards the average.
On every dimension: originality, perspective, syntax…
Tell it to be weirder? It’ll give you the most average weirdness you can think of.
A below average writer? It’ll help.
An above average writer? It will bring you down.
It pushes all writing towards the average.
On every dimension: originality, perspective, syntax…
Tell it to be weirder? It’ll give you the most average weirdness you can think of.
Thoughtfulness, empathy, self-awareness, and the desire to express himself clearly
No one is perfect, but I have to imagine that wherever this student is right now, he’s doing ok
No one is perfect, but I have to imagine that wherever this student is right now, he’s doing ok
Thank you to Facebook for reminding me that this is the eleventh anniversary of the day a student skipped out on the class after the midterm but left me a donut (he left a whole donut-- I ate half before I thought to take the photo):
May 23, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Thoughtfulness, empathy, self-awareness, and the desire to express himself clearly
No one is perfect, but I have to imagine that wherever this student is right now, he’s doing ok
No one is perfect, but I have to imagine that wherever this student is right now, he’s doing ok
If you were a skilled at plumbing, electrical, or HVAC and a good teacher (and enjoyed those things), you could make a really nice business charging a premium for fixing stuff and teaching people how to do it (or even just cogently explaining what you’re doing)
Plumbing, electrical, and HVAC are an instant “hire a pro” for me. I’d sit and watch them work if it weren’t creepy because seeing people make hard things look easy is amazing to me.
May 23, 2025 at 1:47 PM
If you were a skilled at plumbing, electrical, or HVAC and a good teacher (and enjoyed those things), you could make a really nice business charging a premium for fixing stuff and teaching people how to do it (or even just cogently explaining what you’re doing)
Streaming show review good
Andor good
May 21, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Streaming show review good
Alt text won't be able to do it justice, but the italicization in this section makes @chuckwendig.bsky.social's point best.
Generative AI is not writing. If you want to see what writing looks like, check this out.
This is writing with a capital WRITE.
Generative AI is not writing. If you want to see what writing looks like, check this out.
This is writing with a capital WRITE.
May 21, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Alt text won't be able to do it justice, but the italicization in this section makes @chuckwendig.bsky.social's point best.
Generative AI is not writing. If you want to see what writing looks like, check this out.
This is writing with a capital WRITE.
Generative AI is not writing. If you want to see what writing looks like, check this out.
This is writing with a capital WRITE.
One of the funny(?) things about all this is it FEELS new and different, but it is one of the oldest human truths: it’s about the journey, not the destination.
Explored in every culture for all of human history.
Of course “this time it’s different, no actually it’s not” is also one of those truths
Explored in every culture for all of human history.
Of course “this time it’s different, no actually it’s not” is also one of those truths
Of course anybody who has done anything ever at any level of competency learns quickly that work is the entire point. The experience is key. Failure is learning. Effort is execution. AI shortcuts all of that. It's for people who care nothing for journey and everything for destination. It's empty.
May 21, 2025 at 2:53 PM
One of the funny(?) things about all this is it FEELS new and different, but it is one of the oldest human truths: it’s about the journey, not the destination.
Explored in every culture for all of human history.
Of course “this time it’s different, no actually it’s not” is also one of those truths
Explored in every culture for all of human history.
Of course “this time it’s different, no actually it’s not” is also one of those truths
Reposted by John Stokvis
I will never understand people who make things -- films, stories, art, music -- abdicating the making of those things in favor of a machine doing it.
The joy is in creating something, not in avoiding the work of creation.
The joy is in creating something, not in avoiding the work of creation.
Darren Aronofsky has launched a new venture alongside Google DeepMind to help develop generative AI short films.
Darren Aronofsky Partners with Google DeepMind on Generative AI Short Film Initiative
Darren Aronofsky has launched a new venture alongside Google DeepMind to help develop generative AI short films.
bit.ly
May 20, 2025 at 11:16 PM
I will never understand people who make things -- films, stories, art, music -- abdicating the making of those things in favor of a machine doing it.
The joy is in creating something, not in avoiding the work of creation.
The joy is in creating something, not in avoiding the work of creation.
This jibes with my sense that most complaints about “AI” (whatever that is) are actually complaints about the effects of capitalism.
The problem is they can’t consider any alternatives to capitalism (feels too big, don’t want to, don’t know any, etc)
Btw this what the Luddites were on about too.
The problem is they can’t consider any alternatives to capitalism (feels too big, don’t want to, don’t know any, etc)
Btw this what the Luddites were on about too.
"'AI' is displacing jobs and people won't have money to buy the things 'AI' is innovating, what should we do?" I mean, if you get rid of capitalism as the underlying economic model, the problem is rather more easily solvable but then the billionaires would be sad, so
youtu.be/hBfhd88DCZA
youtu.be/hBfhd88DCZA
Why AI’s Progress Might Destroy Its Own Future
YouTube video by Undecided with Matt Ferrell
youtu.be
May 20, 2025 at 3:07 PM
This jibes with my sense that most complaints about “AI” (whatever that is) are actually complaints about the effects of capitalism.
The problem is they can’t consider any alternatives to capitalism (feels too big, don’t want to, don’t know any, etc)
Btw this what the Luddites were on about too.
The problem is they can’t consider any alternatives to capitalism (feels too big, don’t want to, don’t know any, etc)
Btw this what the Luddites were on about too.
Be wary of taking parenting advice from anyone, esp someone on the internet, but @visakanv.com is speaking to the “Not sure I’m ready” question.
Whatever you think your limitations are, you’re probably wrong. Parenting shows you reserves of strength, grace, and patience you didn’t know you had.
Whatever you think your limitations are, you’re probably wrong. Parenting shows you reserves of strength, grace, and patience you didn’t know you had.
May 18, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Be wary of taking parenting advice from anyone, esp someone on the internet, but @visakanv.com is speaking to the “Not sure I’m ready” question.
Whatever you think your limitations are, you’re probably wrong. Parenting shows you reserves of strength, grace, and patience you didn’t know you had.
Whatever you think your limitations are, you’re probably wrong. Parenting shows you reserves of strength, grace, and patience you didn’t know you had.
Someone who’s lived in Chicago for a few years glancing up at any random street address
May 18, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Someone who’s lived in Chicago for a few years glancing up at any random street address
Improvement fixes and bugs
May 17, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Improvement fixes and bugs
This is a cognitive bias turducken.
False consensus wrapped inside attentional bias wrapped inside the backfire effect wrapped inside the Semmelweis effect wrapped inside naïve realism wrapped inside the third-person effect.
That it pretty accurately describes how many people feel says a lot.
False consensus wrapped inside attentional bias wrapped inside the backfire effect wrapped inside the Semmelweis effect wrapped inside naïve realism wrapped inside the third-person effect.
That it pretty accurately describes how many people feel says a lot.
May 17, 2025 at 9:08 PM
This is a cognitive bias turducken.
False consensus wrapped inside attentional bias wrapped inside the backfire effect wrapped inside the Semmelweis effect wrapped inside naïve realism wrapped inside the third-person effect.
That it pretty accurately describes how many people feel says a lot.
False consensus wrapped inside attentional bias wrapped inside the backfire effect wrapped inside the Semmelweis effect wrapped inside naïve realism wrapped inside the third-person effect.
That it pretty accurately describes how many people feel says a lot.
Word out with your nerd out
May 16, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Word out with your nerd out
I think I found something by that was made in a lab specifically to appeal to @sheilakathleen.bsky.social
m.youtube.com/watch?v=xYta...
m.youtube.com/watch?v=xYta...
Eminem - LOSE YOURSELF (Sung by 331 Movies!)
YouTube video by The Unusual Suspect
m.youtube.com
May 14, 2025 at 5:22 AM
I think I found something by that was made in a lab specifically to appeal to @sheilakathleen.bsky.social
m.youtube.com/watch?v=xYta...
m.youtube.com/watch?v=xYta...