The Brinternet Newsletter: Autumn '23
Mixed Results
Hello friends,
How was your summer? I love street-berry season. In London we have wild blackberries that grow everywhere, and it's so much fun to catch the most perfect and ripe berries while being out and about, especially just after a rain. But now we're officially in Autumn, whatever that means in 2023.
In my last update I wrote about how surprising it was to become "an AI guy," as I was just about to start working at a games AI company. This yielded mixed results. I learned a lot about the field, gave a keynote about my biggest questions/concerns/enthusiasms about AI, and found a lot of great community and friends.
I also learned that my new job was not a fit. I wrote a bit about this, but I realized that I work best when I’m 1) collaborating with artists/designers/makers on ambitious creative technology projects and 2) sharing the goal of making the creative tech/immersive/entertainment industries better. Whoops! It's a weird time to be job searching, especially in contexts of the massive layoffs this week. I'm trying not to let myself get spooked into doing something I could practically (albeit dispassionately) do. Instead, I'm trying to let these learnings drive my next professional steps and gravitate towards the things I am most interested in (writing more, diving back into the immersive sector, spending time with the people and projects that energize me, for instance). This is a privileged position, and capitalism is a trap, but I will leave this to the Planet Money TikTok man to explain.
Anyway, I'm doing some freelancing, spinning up an agency, meeting with recruiters, and seeing what sticks. And yes, of course I want to talk to you and to be connected to your friend/cousin/co-worker who you think might have some interesting leads or ideas to share.
And now, the linky bits:
1. "Good morning, staff. Thank you for attending this all-hands meeting, or, as I prefer to think of it, all-hearts meeting. As you know, I am returning to the office after taking some legally mandated time away to listen to your recent complaints about me and learn from them." Josh Gondelman's We Are Pivoting to Radical Empathy for the New Yorker is both searingly accurate and bleakly funny take on the corporate landscape of 2023.
2. I finally got to go to The Crab Museum!
3. CHAPPELL ROAN. Do you like queer/emotional/horny/danceable femme-pop? Chappell Roan is amazing. I recently learned that she's done aerobic vocal training so she can run and sing at the same time. If you don't appreciate that, maybe you'll like shouting along to the bridge in Femininomenon.
4. I've been doing Amber Petty's Pitching Hour, and I love how positive and approachable she is. As a recovering perfectionist, her "half-assed writing challenge" was really what I needed to get me out of my head and writing articles again.
5. I loved the "Grimace's Birthday" Tiktok trend a lot, and I desperately hope McDonald's new (space-themed?) CosMc restaurant is real!
6. I liked Chip and Dan Heath's The Power of Moments a lot. For those of you who spend a lot of time designing experiences for other people, this is a must-read. But even if you're not a professional game or experience designer, there are so many interesting tips for designing meaningful interactions into your business, your personal life, etc.
7. The real life dogs performing a symphony. The videogame about a dog opera. A real-life opera written for and starring dogs.
That’s all for now. I love you very much.
-Sarah Brin