Russell Davies

Get em while they're short

Anne's latest collection of tiny, tiny fiction is available in the shop. 

The heads of the Harwich Redoubt

Devolution

This post is self-care. I am helping myself come to terms with the fact that 'evolve' has devolved. Most of the time, in regular language, it just means change. It's just fancy talk for change.

I used to be cross about this. I have to let that go. It's what happens. Language evolves.

Backseat AI

James blogs a lovely thought about AI assistants for craft tasks. It reminded me of the story "Under the Northern Lights" by Charlotte M. Ray from this SolarPunk anthology. There are pocket-AIs in this world, they advise on things like how to build a craft and what materials and supplies you might need for a trip.

"We spent the next day following her AI’s directions in breaking apart the camper to dry it all out. It guided us in a childlike, cartoonish voice, which cracked me up every time I heard it. Krista looked a little embarrassed when I asked about it, but to me, it felt like we were breaking new ground. I knew something private about her now, something I got the feeling no one else knew. “I can change it into something more serious if you want,” she said, then continued before I had a chance to reply. “I figured being alone in a self-built blimp that I hadn’t tested for long flights yet was a little risky, so I wanted the AI to sound the opposite of serious. You know?”

James suggests using trackback for me to tell him about this. Does that still work? If it does I no longer know how to do it. If someone sees James will they tell him? But don't make a special trip.

Energy transition norms: charger feelings

When will those people leave so we can charge? Why are they just sitting in their car? They could at least just wonder around. How long have they been charging? Should we ask them how long they'll be? That's quite a big car, they might be here for hours. I wonder if we should just head to the next one. There might be a queue there too. Obvs. Bird in the hand. Bird in the hand is better. At least we know it works. They're using it so it must work. Unless they're using the last electricity. It doesn't work like that, I know it doesn't work like that. How long have we been waiting now? Maybe we can both plug in at the same time, there are two chargers after all. That never works though does it? But no one ever tells you about that. And it's not clear if that's just a sometimes thing or an always thing. It'd just be embarrassing to plug in if everyone knows it's not going to work. And what if it stopped them charging? That would also be embarrassing. And possibly worse. People do get angry about this stuff. Either angry or much to keen to talk about it. How long have we been waiting now?

 

 

Energy transition norms - window charging

Energy transition norms - fully charged

Went to Fully Charged Live the other weekend. There was much to notice. But the most immediate and obvious thing was that everything was green and blue. Dozens and dozens of exhibitors and stalls and they were overwhelmingly green and blue. One red one, one yellow one, one purple one. (Good job Ripple). But otherwise - green and blue. (Like an idiot I have very few photos)

This, to me, feels like a sign of how early in the development of these markets we are. Green and blue is everyone's first idea. They've all chosen their colours and built their brands without regard to anyone else. They've done the obvious first thing. Competition will change this.

Energy transition norms - electric forecourt

Back at the dawn of techno anthropology Jan Chipchase used to post loads of photos of 'norms'. It was great. He was documenting the emergence of all sorts of new behaviour.

And I think 'norms' a lot at the moment, especially when I see things to do with the energy transition. So I thought I'd try and document them. (And by 'document them' I mean 'stick them on the blog')

I visited Gridserve's electric forecourt at the weekend and charged the car. It was fine. Which is massive praise for something half-way between a utility and a service station. Clean, efficient, functional. It can't really be better than that.

You can tell we're at the beginning of something because everything is about 'electricity'. It's the central point, the thing all the language and puns and ideas are centred on. And, of course, that's a temporary thing. Very soon the electricity will not be the point.

Everything is blue and green. Of course. Grass walls. Fake grass walls.

We are going to have to understand kWs. Not necessarily literally but in the folk sense that we understand a gallon (not as a quantity but as a thing that you pay for) or like SMLXL.

Baby steps

I'm remembering the Interesting experience. I decide to do it. I get excited. I book the venue, I stick it on the blog. Then I get all anxious because I've got to organise a conference. (To the extent that sometimes I just cancel it, as old-timers might remember).

Then I remember that the way to do this is to take baby steps. Just do the next thing. So I've put some tickets on sale. And on the off-chance that they're popular I'm starting by just telling you lot: the RSS massive. Chances are, if you're reading this in a feedreader, you don't need me to tell you what Interesting is all about. So, if you'd like to come, please get yourself a ticket...