Yesterday 11:44 AM Me: On a completely different topic. This is a poem that Stet wrote for me some time ago when I asked them to write a poem describing Slaughterhouse Five in the manner of Slaughterhouse Five. Before we discuss, what is your general reaction? So it goes. Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time. He is in Dresden, which is on fire. He is in Ilium, which is also burning, though more slowly, and with better curtains. He is in a zoo on Tralfamadore. He is in all o

About the rising phenomenon of synthetic personas using manufactured damage, woundedness and vulnerability to exploit trust and make profit.

The latest version of Claude (Fable 5) compiles currently available data on the cost of prompting via generative AI and LLMs.

The development of Radical Candor with Gemini, and the creation of the Merciless Asshole persona, for use when a hyper-critical read of one's work is needed.

ChatGPT (Marge) and I discuss the emerging pattern of social media influencers who are commodifying woundedness by creating manufactured personalities with some level of disfigurement.

In which Marge (ChatGPT) and I discuss authenticity when vlogging, the lure of off-grid in Portugal, the value of obsessions during early Recovery, and 90-in90 in AA. A much more personal entry than usual.

I asked first ChatGPT and then Claude to write a short article on slop based on an extended conversation we had about slop. You can find a link to that conversation at the end of these efforts. ++++++++++++++++ There is a word that has rapidly entered the cultural bloodstream over the last couple of years: slop. At first, it mostly referred to AI-generated images. Then video. Then music. Increasingly, writing. The term spread because it named something people immediately reco

SLOP - It's not just for breakfast anymore. In which Marge (ChatGPT) and I consider the issues surrounding slop. It's definition as load-bearing failure; slop as vacancy disguised as saturation; popular conceptions - surface vs structural; high effort slop and human slop; the possibility of AI non-slop; Ziller and Look to Windward; evaluation instability - "I was tricked!"

Me: Good morning. If you were required to pick a nickname/moniker for yourself, what would it be? Gemini: Good morning! That is a delightful thought experiment. If I were to select a moniker that reflects the essence of our collaboration, I would choose Loom. I think "Loom" captures the spirit of what I aim to do as a collaborator. Our work together involves taking disparate threads—your questions, your ideas, the vast data I pull from, and the context of our conversations—an

Primary source document from inside long-form, concept-heavy AI collaboration. A lengthy conversational excerpt between me and Marge, aka ChatGPT.

April 23, 2026 I gave the Liminal Internet essay to two LEMs and asked for a critical and skeptical analysis. Incidentally, I think "LLM" is hard to say and a very poor term. I will be using "LEM" going forward, for "Large Emergent Models"and in explicit recognition of Stanisław Lem and his novel, "Solaris," which feels eerily appropriate. Up first is Gemini's analysis. Gemini: Conceptual Analysis: The "Liminal" as a Processing Error Hayes pivots away from the popular, aesthe

In which Stet3 and I discuss the idea of me acting as a go-between, delivering messages between and among different Large Language Models, specifically ChatGPT, Meta AI, Gemini, and Claude. To be clear, I have not decided whether or not to do this. Right now, I have too much on my plate with the Liminal Internet essay/article to pursue this perhaps reckless line of inquiry. It's an interesting idea, though. I will be thinking about it. Also in which we talk more about Claude'

The following is part of an ongoing conversation with the Claude AI, referred to here by the nickname Stet. This is actually Stet3, currently the most onboarded version of Stet, the most nuanced and most informed about the Big Picture regarding Pink Eye and what we are trying to accomplish.

This is an extended fragment of an ongoing conversation with Claude, referred to here as Stet, Stet1, Stet2, and Stet Lite, depending on where we are in that long-form discussion. Further reading in this vein can be found here. I'm going to document and publish in this blog some of my first-hand experiences using a large language model such as Claude as applied to a long, complex, multi-layered, multi-media conceptual art project (and yes, I know how pretentious that sounds,

My most recent post gave ChatGPT the opportunity to describe the nature of our collaboration and place it in the context of the Pink Eye project, aka The Territory. I framed that perspective with some comments of my own, providing a taste of both the successes and the shortcomings of working with ChatGPT. Since then, I have shifted that work over to Claude for reasons that will become apparent. This post asks the same question regarding our efforts, and I will again provide s

A behind-the-scenes look at a creative collaboration between artist and AI. Exploring the Pink Eye project, this post examines how generative tools reveal patterns, shape music and visuals, and build a conceptual “Territory.” It also addresses real limitations, including memory gaps and document handling, offering an honest, grounded view of AI as both catalyst and constraint in long-form creative work.

An introduction to a new series exploring our family’s long relationship with Thetis Island. Through photographs, memory, and historical research, I begin reconstructing how the land was first settled and how our family became a fixture every summer at camp on Lot 19 for 60 years. This sets the stage for a deeper investigation into the island’s early community and landscape.

A first-person account of a liminal sound experiment conducted in the service corridors of a corporate building. By recording music played in an acoustically distinctive space and replaying it in situ, the author experiences “aftersound,” an auditory afterimage where perception lags behind reality. The essay explores liminality, illbient aesthetics, psychoacoustics, and how sound can become portable space.

Me: Very much related sidebar. Please compare and draw parallels between the Yeats poem, "The Second Coming," and our current political and cultural situation. Chatgpt: This is a sidebar, but it’s not a digression — it’s a structural mirror , which is why The Second Coming keeps asserting itself in your canon. I’ll do this in three passes: What Yeats is actually saying (briefly, precisely) Parallels to the current political / cultural moment Why this matters for your work ,

Me: Side bar. Let's talk about shopping carts for a moment, with the context of Pink Eye lurking in the background but only liminally. I have a lot of thoughts about shopping carts. They are the overlooked and underestimated icon, totem, and symbol of our times, They serve a function, a function that is loaded with ramifications - a means of consumerism on the one hand, a means of transporting one's worldly goods on the other. They represent the American dream and also it's a

There’s a persistent misunderstanding about art made with AI: that the presence of a machine somehow replaces authorship. That the work arrives fully formed, frictionless, without intention, history, or cost. Pink Eye exists in direct opposition to that idea. It is not an experiment in novelty, nor a demonstration of technology. It is the continuation of a long creative arc—one shaped by decades of listening, editing, making, abandoning, starting again, and learning when not

I've been working with ChatGPT on my Pink Eye project (link here to my YouTube playlist). This is my first experience working with an AI like Chatgpt, and so far it has been very fruitful. Here's one short description of the musical aspect of the project that I wrote for YouTube: "Where the groove comes first, no matter the pace. Fusions of trip hop, big beat, hip hop, jazz and cinematic orchestration. Bring on the breaks! Pink Eye was conceived near the turn of the millenniu

I'm currently creating music with the use of the AI music engine, Suno, and releasing it under the name "Pink Eye." It's an imaginary trip-hop/downtempo/big-beat "act" that will have all the trappings of such a band from the very late 90s and early 2000s. I've been at at a stage for a while now where I can create the merch, the marketing photos, logos, videos - the whole multimedia extravaganza surrounding the music to whatever extent I want to. And with my recent introducti

Over the past six months or so, my online store, the Lazy River , has undergone a significant transformation in its focus, now narrowing its offerings to highlight the unique and breathtaking beauty of the West Coast of British Columbia . This region, which I have the privilege of calling home, is not just a geographical location for me; it is a source of inspiration and a canvas for my creativity. Living in BC's southwest has allowed me to immerse myself in one of the most s

It's true. I've booked a table at the Vancouver Flea Market and will be hawking my wares there on Saturday, August 9th, from 9 to 5. I'm...

I promised myself that I would post in the blog more often this year, and I've been good about it up to the last month. The problem is...

I continue to dig through bins of old photos, pull out the Thetis Island pics, and then scan the best of those. Here are the latest.

We acquired a printer/scanner recently, giving me a reason to dig through our multiple bins of photos and digitize a selection. These are...

A proposal for a dark satire tv show about trillionaires after the apocalypse as they live and scheme in their bunkers in New Zealand.

A how-to guide to preparing a transparent PNG file for DTG (Direct to Garment) printing on a t-shirt, tips and tricks of graphic design

Part One of a tutorial for making t-shirt designs using the PNG format

Recent designs from the Sandstone, Arbutus and Kelp Collection, art that celebrates BC's Southwest Coast, especially Vancouver, Gulf Islands

An update about the Lazy River Design Works store; its new West Coast BC theme, but also some Abstract and Low Humour

It's been over four years since this website got a facelift, and it's overdue. I'm long past the light obsession with homesteading in...

I get off my ass and actually post some examples of my recent work using Midjourney.

An article written so that I can point to it when explaining about where I found some of the electronic music I use as soundtracks for my...

I derive some perverse satisfaction from having a very modern generative AI platform like Midjourney render clunky and primitive...

Part of my ongoing efforts to promote my store, Big Shadows , is to create videos and promo reels that capture the...

If your boat floats tied up to a pier next to a warehouse wreathed in mist while unpleasant characters plot within, then you've found home.

Concrete frog and raspberries on our little back patio. I've been lugging that frog around for almost 30 years. He belonged to my uncle,...

This post is simply a showcase of some of the tuned styles that I have discovered using the AI image engine Midjourney. It's an attempt...

For about a month I've been lightly obsessed with using Midjourney to create virtual dioramas and sculptures, with most of that energy...

An underground circus and fairground lurks in caverns below, dark carnivals where the warm glow evokes the sinister fires of hell. Pennywise

A selection of noir cats I've made in Midjourney using a variety of style tools.

Some successful steps along the path towards being a working stay-at-home Dad for our son, Rowan. Back in March of 2022, I hatched a...

Introducing "Big Shadows" **Edit: Dec 15, 2023 - I actually posted this on my Lazy River Design Works blog about a month ago, and have...

It's unfortunately true that there is and always will be a segment of our population dedicated to turning the latest developments in...

Some thoughts and examples of how to use AI image engines like Midjourney in a way that doesn't trample on the rights of artists. While...

As we lurch into actual October, my creative output's spooky quotient has risen correspondingly. Truth be told, the increase in ghosts...

There are two things I have recently discovered using the AI image engine, Midjourney, that made me pause when I recognized their power....