Chorus of condemnation

It’s been a cold, slow, and difficult spring in my neck of the woods. The weather’s been stubbornly clinging to late winter, and then a sudden, brutal spike of summer this week broke local temperature records (and our minisplit). It’s a strange time, as always, lately! So here we are, with a few quick notes and plenty of excellent reading here at the end of May:

• Good news, everyone: My husband is once again running what he calls the Megamanathon, in which he plays Mega Man to raise money for Trans Lifeline. Last year’s effort raised $4,000—we’re aiming to beat that! Join the stream this Saturday, May 23 at 12pm eastern. Remember: the more viewers, the more distracting the stream will be for him, and the worse he’ll play, and the more money he’ll have to cough up. And we all want that, right? If you can’t tune in, add your donation now, because every $100 that comes in increases the gameplay stakes! Let’s do this!

• Following up: A few months ago I wrote about my frustration with newsletter apps, or rather, the lack of good services for receiving, organizing, browsing, and reading the many newsletters I’m subscribed to. I ended up creating a system of Gmail filters and tags to manage the subscriptions—the result of which is that I do not read newsletters anymore! They languish unopened in their private folders, never crossing my sight lines. This bums me out, particularly since I’m missing out on newsletters written by my friends (sorry, friends)! If anyone knows of a better method for this, please share.

• Trivial commentary: I’ve updated the footer on this newsletter. It used to read “All typos were made by robots,” because I thought it was hilarious to blame machines for my mistakes. I’m very funny! But it’s 2026 and doesn’t register as a joke anymore. Sam Altman has personally ruined this for me.

Read on for some relevant posts about AI, and keep reading beyond that for, well, better topics.

Our robot overlords

• “The explosion of AI has played a significant role in my own burnout. Worse, it feels inescapable. Few tech organizations are taking a principled stance against AI use. But AI use is only one part of broader social trends within tech that leave me questioning whether I should remain here.” [Ky Decker]

• “Design and engineering solve different problems; AI initiatives are forgetting that” [Jeana Clark]

• “Do I move with the times, accept that AI is inevitable, and dive in? Or do I become a holdout – a spite house – clinging on to the idea of the free web and website publishing, while AI builds a new world around me?” [Lauren Pope]

• “Our brains are now performing untold numbers of calculations per day: Is this AI? Do I care if it’s AI? Why does this sound or look or read so weird? Does this person just write like this? Is this a person at all?” [404 Media, archive link]

• “No, I will not be joining in the chorus of condemnation. On the contrary. If you are a professional writer, I want you to use AI. Because this industry is competitive. I’ll take any advantage I can get.” [Hamilton Nolan]

A little humanity

• Advice for people who are not having a good day [tumblr]

• A digital memorial for 70,000 Palestinians [I Am Not A Number]

• “Carry the work of today into tomorrow and be well-fed on what you have.” [Matthew Sidney Parsons]

• Tips and tricks for ruining tracking data on purpose [tumblr]

• “The people who care are sometimes quieter than the hypebeasts, but there are lots of us and we should all hang out more.” [Johnathan and Melissa Nightingale]

• Obsessed with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s feeder cam at Sapsucker Woods, where I’ve been spotting orioles, pileated woodpeckers, and rose-breasted grosbeaks (among dozens of other species!) [YouTube]

May’s cause

In addition to the Megamanathon’s fundraising for Trans Lifeline, I’m also donating this month to the National Immigration Project, an organization of lawyers and advocates working toward “a world where everyone can live freely and flourish without fearing for their life, health, security, or their ability to remain where they are.” Let’s all support that vision. 

Buy my book

Here’s your periodic reminder that I wrote a book called Everyday Information Architecture, and it’s full of useful, pragmatic lessons in the organization, structure, and labeling of online content. Great for designers, UX writers, content strategists, product managers, and knowledge workers of all stripes. Get your copy today!