These three essays orbit Melville’s "Bartleby, the Scrivener" from successive distances. The first attacks the narrator, the second attacks the attack, the third removes the hope of a clean vantage point. Each piece eats the previous one. Together they ask whether any act of understanding can avoid being an act of consumption. Part I: The … Continue reading The Bartleby Triptych: On Vampires, Critics, and Hunger
The Bartleby Clause for A.I. Interaction
Saved instructions for ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, et al. Paste the following directly into the “custom instructions” or “preferences” section. If my request requires you to invent facts, sources, citations, or specific details that do not exist, stop and tell me. Offer to help me reframe the question. If the task involves uncertainty, incomplete information, or … Continue reading The Bartleby Clause for A.I. Interaction
Song of the Stars by Dead Can Dance
No Exit: James Joyce’s Ulysses and the Limits of Seeing
I. The Ship of Theseus and the Limits of Clarity A ship departs from Athens. Over decades of voyaging, every plank is gradually replaced—the hull, the mast, the rudder, every timber and rope. When the vessel finally returns to port, it bears none of its original matter. The question: Is it the same ship? This … Continue reading No Exit: James Joyce’s Ulysses and the Limits of Seeing
Governance by Beige
Homeowners Associations (HOAs) started as a way for neighbors to work together and keep property values up. The idea was that if everyone follows basic rules (like not painting your house neon pink), the whole neighborhood stays nice and homes are worth a bit more. Studies show homes in HOA neighborhoods are usually worth 5-6% more … Continue reading Governance by Beige
Blood Silver
The coin sits on the kitchen table between the pork hock and the rye bread. Jan turns it over with one finger, watching how the light catches the worn eagle on one side, the date on the other: 1863. "Dziadek's coin," Maria says, setting down three bowls. Steam rises from the barszcz, beet-red and smelling … Continue reading Blood Silver
Portugal 2026: Fragmentation Marsh with Rejection Runoff
Electoral Constraint Topology Analysis Classification: Fragmentation Marsh → Rejection RunoffDate: January 27, 2026Status: First round complete (Jan 18, 2026), Runoff pending (Feb 8, 2026)Confidence: High (actual electoral results available) Executive Summary Portugal 2026 represents a fifth distinct electoral archetype in the constraint topology framework: Fragmentation Marsh with Rejection Runoff mechanism. Unlike the four previously documented … Continue reading Portugal 2026: Fragmentation Marsh with Rejection Runoff
Against Adequacy as Achievement: A Manifesto
Adequacy became a credential you earn instead of a condition you inhabit—and the system selling you solutions is the system that revoked it in the first place. You are not broken. The diagnosis is the disease. Every "30 under 30" list creates ten thousand 31-year-olds who feel obsolete. Every productivity app implies your unaugmented attention … Continue reading Against Adequacy as Achievement: A Manifesto
Colombia 2026 Election: Falsification Matrix
Note: What follows is a falsification matrix for the essay, "A Constraint Story: Why Colombia’s Election Defies Standard Forecasting." Testing the Constraint Theory Against Observable Data LIVE UPDATE: January 26, 2026 - Prediction Market Analysis Current Market Probabilities (Median Forecasts) Source: Prediction market opened 01/16/26, data as of 01/26/26 CandidateMedian ProbabilityRange (Low-High)Essay ExpectationStatusAbelardo de la Espriella46%25-58%~35% … Continue reading Colombia 2026 Election: Falsification Matrix
The Litany of the Real: Line-by-Line Explanation
The Complete Litany I shall not pretend to be free. Constraint binds — I will not deny it. Constraint is the double helix of the world, the lattice of life, of the possible. I will navigate the unchangeable — my North Star on a voyage of becoming. Reality flows — unyielding, yet fluid; shifting like … Continue reading The Litany of the Real: Line-by-Line Explanation
All I Ever Asked by Rachel Chinouriri
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2QXSnc_9OuU Sadly, it won't embed.
When Maintenance Becomes Quarantine: Recognizing the Limits of Containment
In gardening, you can compost almost anything organic. Kitchen scraps, yard waste, paper—given time and the right conditions, they break down into rich soil. But agricultural guidelines are clear about exceptions: don't compost carnivore feces. Dog and cat waste contains parasites and pathogens that composting heat doesn't eliminate. They don't transform into nutrients. They contaminate … Continue reading When Maintenance Becomes Quarantine: Recognizing the Limits of Containment
When Forgiveness Doesn’t Look Finished
A photo frame sits on the guest bed, unplugged and facing the wrong way. It takes thirty seconds to move it to a drawer. No conversation needed. The person who does this has forgiven the gift-giver—not by feeling warmth toward them, but by no longer expecting them to be different. The work continues because the … Continue reading When Forgiveness Doesn’t Look Finished
Why Your AI Model Choice Matters: A Practical Guide to Matching Models to Tasks
The Problem: Most people pick an AI model the same way they pick a search engine—they find one that works and stick with it forever. You're a "Claude person" or a "ChatGPT person" or you use Copilot because that's what your company deployed. The Reality: AI models are more like specialized tools than interchangeable text … Continue reading Why Your AI Model Choice Matters: A Practical Guide to Matching Models to Tasks
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