Recently I have found it difficult to maintain my writing pace of +20 years. There are 3,700 blog posts published here but few in the last year. The fact that large language models (LLM) have scraped my website and continue to do so has had me feeling less motivated to share my thoughts. But maybe the best act of rebellion against AI slop is to keep writing and not let the silicon valley bastards grind me down.
If you set aside the more apocalyptic scenarios and assume that AI will continue to advance – perhaps at a slower pace than in the recent past – it’s quite possible that thoughtful, original, human-generated writing will become even more valuable.
Put another way: The work of writers, journalists and intellectuals will not become superfluous simply because much of the web is no longer written by humans.—Francesco Agnellini
Chris Corrigan has been a continuing source of inspiration here since 2006. Chris tells us — “So write. Write every day and share it, mistakes and all, so we can find each other in this increasingly tangled thicket of artifice and grift.” So I am going to slowly get back on this horse and the discipline of writing. Back in May 2004 I wrote 58 posts. I doubt I will get back to that pace but I can try and find a new rhythm.
Is anything keeping you from learning out loud through the written medium?
Welcome back!
Thanks for the inspiration, Chris!
Maybe you could purposefully add obfuscation into a paragraph or two at the bottom of your real paragraphs. :)
Excellent idea!
Harold, since 2017 where I found your content, every now and then I go over your website and past posts.
I find inspiration and relief, I believe we need to slow down as society and enjoy being challenged.
I don’t know, I tried to keep slow content in my life lately.
With Admiration, José Díaz.
Looking forward to continuing to be inspired by you, your work and reading what you are thinking about..
To quote Winston Churchill : Never surrender. Never,never surrender!
I sometimes have to kick myself in the butt to write but then I remind myself why I write : I do not write to be read but to let my brain exorcise something.
So, I keep writing. Sometimes feverishly, sometimes sluggishly but all the time with a clear desire to put something on paper…digital or cellulose-based.
And sometimes , my readers leave a comment…and I love it!
Whatever you decide to do, stop or continue writing, know that you past posts have made a difference in the world Harold!
Thanks so much!
Welcome back Harold. Missed you!