2026-09 | Let things shake
Everyone keeps talking about the robots. On the morning of September 9, I told a fluid dynamicist that the Navier-Stokes
Millenium Prize was solved and he said Is That A Joke and pulled out his phone to check the BBC and there it was, a
headline no one peripheral to math expected to see in their lifetime. It was solved, of course, by one of the Big Robots.
(As far as anyone can tell, the owners of the Big Robot figured out in what direction some human mathematicians had made
progress and then threw several million dollars’ worth of compute that way, then attempted to bar one of the original
mathematicians from credit because he worked at the other Big Robot company.)
Some of my work is programming and no one really ever taught me how, so using the Big Robots can make some aspects of my
job more fun. I can try more things, and I spend less time trying to figure out why the model is outputting WARNING
A PROCESS REFUSED TO DIE*. Simultaneously I’m nervous, like everyone, about the obvious problems: misalignment,
the hoarding of huge amounts of power by very few people, the weird technofascism
of silicon valley, useful things to know
buried in piles of credible-sounding mess, etc. About outsourcing thinking at scale. I guess as usual, it makes sense to
figure out why you want to do something before trying to do it as fast as possible. The risk I took was calculated but
it turns out I’m bad at math.
*a real error message. girl, same.**
**I used to find, and still do find, a lot of joy (& meaning) in these moments of humanity
in the command line. (often expressed as frustration: DELETE THIS LINE AND YOU WILL GET WHAT
YOU DESERVE.) We now build a synthetic intelligence on top of the Linux nerds. Fine. But know
what it is you’re doing, and why.
Everyone has opinions about the robots; I’m really enjoying Meghan O’Geiblyn’s. O’Geiblyn’s
writing reflects her life trajectory - raised fundamentalist, lost faith at seminary, became
interested in computing and consciousness. Human God Animal Machine is about all of that, from
the perspective of someone who has thought hard and changed their mind a few times. I found it
thoughtful and rigorous, but surprisingly approachable for someone (me) who has only very fuzzy
knowledge of most of the above.
I found Meghan O’Geiblyn through this
essay (Simone Weil mentioned, unsurprisingly.), recommended by Molly Young. Molly Young used to recommend books
at the NYT and now does any number of interesting things. she’s one of those rare people where I’ll read
any piece of her reporting just because it’s her writing it:
there’s a very pleasing internal grammar to what she notices and how she talks about it.
This was one of the most singular things I’ve ever read about pregnancy and brith.
For when reading many words is hard: Short form joys can be so nice.
This weather report, this surf report (same guy, gosh!),
these personals.
I’m in the process of collecting Things That Work: small positions or interventions
that make life more efficient, bearable, pleasant, or fun. (On the spectrum
of “here’s a wholesome place to buy used books on the
World Wide Web” to “grief is nonlinear”, I’m tending more towards the former, but all welcome.
Do you have one? Tell me! [t j a r n i k (a) g m a i l {dot} c o m ])
Speaking of Things That Work, and also More Short Form Joys: Tilda Swinton’s list of Notes For Radical Living.
(It’s a fine line with these things before they stray into livelaughlove territory — it can be easy to say
something like well we can’t all oscillate between living in the north of Scotland with a large amount of
spaniels and modelling for Chanel, I am drowning in relentless tasks over here and I burnt the eggs, again,
Tilda. True, but they are nevertheless bracingly universal. Find them at the bottom.)
I saw Charlie Prince’s The Body Symphonic
on a rainy London Wednesday evening — several different layers of brilliance.
Read the manifesto, see it if you can.
This monthly reckoning may become less than monthly — it only makes sense to write
it if it makes sense, if you know what I mean. Stay tuned for more occasional dispatches
from East Anglia and environs. Virginia Woolf wishes you a good October:
I will cut adrift—I will sit on pavements and drink coffee—I will dream; I will take my mind out
of its iron cage and let it swim—this fine October.
Tilda Swinton, Notes for Radical Living.
Make friends with chaos ◆ Hold a calm mind ● Let things shake ▲ Forgive human frailty ■ Champion second chances
◇ Defy unkindness ○ Reverence fellowship △ Listen to the quiet □ Respect the young ◈ Seek growth ◉ Trust in change
▽ Treasure learning ▣ Inspire faith in evolution ◊ Reach beyond the binary ◐ Be wary of the doubtless
◭ Honor the bright headed ▤ Grow plants ◍ Attend to the weather ◮ Be electric ▦ Cherish language ◑ Celebrate silence
▷ Dance daily ◫ Bless the handmade ◒ Sing into pain ▧ Challenge assumptions ◓ Follow the wind ◁ Look upwards ▨ Swoon under
clouds ◔ Feel your courage ◉ Face forward ▩ Read history ◕ Open your ears △ Drop your shoulders ◖ Bend your knees ▪
Raise the roof ◗ Keep breathing ▫ Be trustworthy ◘ Take care of yourself ◙ Believe in goodness ◚ Head for the light