á↗︎ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░ ░░ ░░ "we'll be right ░░ ░░ back after these ░░ ▒▒ short messages." ▒▒ ▒▒ [ ] ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 2.22.2026 i recently mediated my first formal dialogue between someone and their computer (not 'AI™️', just ~*cpu*~) to great effect, and had the surreal sensation that certain slices of my life have become scenes from a Spike Jonze film. do you ever have that feeling? "today, now, directed by _" oh wow, i just had a flashback to a mysterious online acquaintance from many (20+!?) years ago who went by "TodayNow". i never learned anything directly personal about them, but they curated the most amazing videos from the wilds of the web, and we sometimes crossed paths in the comments commons to chat for a bit before heading back out to continue foraging. i was also mildly obsessed with their ~name(s) & general aesthetic. i remember that they also had a shape association - <> maybe? or a diamond and a circle... hmm... hang on... *returns from the Wayback time machine* ah yes, it was "◊●", and i made this homage (each box was a link) - one of my earliest ascii arts, i think: □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◊□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◊□◊□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◊□□□◊□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◊□□□□□◊□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◊□□□□□□□◊□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◊□□□□□□□□□◊□□□□□□□□●●●●●□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◊□□□□□□□□□□□◊□□□□●●●●●●●●●●●□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◊□□□□□□□□□◊□□□□●●●●●●●●●●●●●□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◊□□□□□□□◊□□□□□●●●●●●●●●●●●●□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◊□□□□□◊□□□□□□□●●●●●●●●●●●□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◊□□□◊□□□□□□□□□□□●●●●●□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◊□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ surprisingly & unsurprisingly, i posted that on Feb 20, 2010, of all days (on spacecollective). posted again today, now. yesterday of yesterday, then. TodayNow also went by "InReverse", "smallscreen", "circulate", and "M". maybe they are now here, somewhere in the special.fish sea... grief/melancholy about people who you only met as online aliases & then lose touch with, or they vanish is very particular... i wonder who maybe feels this about my old aliases... *etymology research* just had a moment of self-doubt, wondering whether or not i've been misusing the term 'alias' after all of these years, and was pleased to read that the Latin etymology carries the root meanings: "otherwise called", "at another time", "in another way, under other circumstances" feels right ◊● 1.26.2026 i had a wonderful time at The Strange Hour! i didn't even have to use a microphone, which was a big plus, and even though i wasn't able to use the projector as i'd planned, my computer put on a great performance for a full house. lots of lovely people came over to chat with me after my talk, and i left feeling relieved and energized (& zonked hard that night). admittedly, i was feeling quite anxious and restless leading up to this as a result of some... let's just say, strange digital miscommunications and manifestations. but as it so often goes, all was well when we got together in person. vā prevails. thank you ira, Keith, & co! ~ not being on Social Media™️ sometimes feels like coming from an exotic, faraway country or planet that some people hear whispers about and sometimes debate whether or not it is a real place. especially being invited to talk or perform at an event where everyone wants to know how to 'find you'. in so many eyes i see the yearning to journey to these rumored, fantastical digital lands - over the garden wall, where fish are special and the environment is wwwild. but, rumor has it, these strange places are not so far as it seems, and the whispers are growing louder as secret passageways see growing foot traffic. maps are being drawn, new tunnels are being built, tools are being passed around, people are gathering, and flowers are growing through the cracks in the pavement. listen closely to the hum. the tune is shifting... perhaps.. 1.9.2026 . __.....__ .'| .-'' '. .| < | / .-''"'-. `. .' |_ | | / /________\ \ .' || | .'''-. | | '--. .-'| |/.'''. \\ .-------------' | | | / | | \ '-.____...---. | | | | | | `. .' | '.'| | | | `''-...... -' | / | '. | '. _..._ __.....__ `'-' '---' '---' .' '. .--./) .-'' '. .| .-,.--. . .-. . /.''\\ / .-''"'-. `. .' |_ | .-. | __ | ' ' || | | |/ /________\ \ _ .' || | | | .:--.'. | | | | \`-' / | | .' |'--. .-'| | | |/ | \ | | | | | /("'` \ .-------------' . | / | | | | '- `" __ | | | | | | \ '---. \ '-.____...---. .'.'| |// | | | | .'.''| | | | | | /'""'.\ `. .' .'.'.-' / | '.'| | / / | |_| | | | || || `''-...... -' .' \_.' | / |_| \ \._,\ '/| | | | \'. __// `'-' `--' `" '--' '--' `'---' .-'''-. ' _ \ . / /` '. \ .'| . | \ ' < | | ' | ' .-,.--. | | \ \ / / | .-. | | | .'''-.`. ` ..' /_ _ | | | | | |/.'''. \ '-...-'`| ' / | | | | | | / | | .' | .' | | | '- | | | | / | / | | | | | | | | `'. | | | | '. | '. ' .'| '/|_| '---' '---' `-' `--' later this month, i'll be onstage at a brunchtime variety show called The Strange Hour talking about life, death, and the afterlife in the digital age. if you're in the Victoria area, come say hi. if you're far away from here, please say hi to someone else in your local area and perhaps ask them a spooky or strange question about death & digitality on my behalf. last year, i kept being invited to speak publicly and it seems like that trend will definitely continue this year. public speaking doesn't come naturally to me at all and i feel like i have to coax my inner hermit out of the cave every time. (microphones are especially awkward for me, and i haven't felt truly comfortable holding one since i spoke at my aunt's celebration of life 15 years ago. but that was pure emotional adrenaline.) that being said, this is a good challenge for me. an important one. the kind of exercise that i can feel building muscle in the right places, despite the hermit's hesitancy. it reminds me of my time at Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co & Redmond Library, when i experienced a massive amount of growth and bountiful community after a dark chapter of isolation, despair, and atrophy. i feel the Mórrígan's call to courage and sovereignty. i suppose this year she'll be riding the Fire Horse. quite the combination... but the snake hasn't fully shed its skin yet. i'm also reminded of that daily ~~