As of today, I've pulled my music catalog from Spotify. I refuse to be an accomplice to the murderous whims of a CEO who's gotten far too comfortable flaunting his stolen wealth and moral bankruptcy. If you publish music on streaming platforms, I think you should follow suit. Compromising on human rights isn't worth any amount of money, but especially not the table scraps Spotify pays artists like us.

(or, Running FL Studio on Linux)
I'm not sure exactly where I draw the line between software vendors I will and won't use, but I know it lies somewhere between "riddled with ads" and "actively facilitating a genocide". Unfortunately, that leaves me with a tough decision at the very bottom of my productivity stack, namely my operating system. The best things Windows has going for it are that (1) I'm already using it and (2) it supports FL Studio and every VST I've ever used. It's a foregone conclusion that I'll be giving up the first point, so it's time to see how far I can push the second point.

Last week, I released my new song & interactive music video "EVERYTHING!" into the world. This 4-minute audiovisual experience is the culmination of months of self-discovery, experimentation, and artistic doubt. It's a deeply personal work of art, and one that I couldn't have made without the help of many of my friends. I'm proud of how it turned out.

My new video "beating all 28 Boss Blinds in one run" is my contribution to April Cools' Club this year, an initiative to create something unusual-to-you, 100% sincere, and up to your usual standards of quality. Balatro videos are my comfort content when I need to sleep or unfocus, and it feels nice to pitch in my own contribution to that genre.

It's the Rubik's Cube. I'm a speedcuber now.

As of today, by my own choice, I'm no longer employed. I carry a lot of mixed feelings on my way out the door; there's a long story behind the making and timing of this decision. That story doesn't belong on this blog, though - not only because there are NDAs involved. Instead, I want to briefly talk about what happens next, as I enter my temporary (but extended) jobless era.

Most aspects of the ongoing culture war don't strike me as important or real, but I will pick this one side: Spotify is a morally repugnant institution, and Wrapped serves only to reinforce their stranglehold on the industry. The hyper-analytical breakdown of listening habits misses the point of music by a mile. I'm not here to consume; I'm here to feel something, to partake & celebrate in the ritual of creation. If you vibe with this adage - and if you can enjoy loud, energetic flavors of electronic music - then you might find this retrospective to be worth exploring.

Earlier this week, I had a terrible idea for a Connections puzzle. I found a lovely tool to create them and sent my monstrosity of a board to my friends for laughs. We've been bouncing silly puzzles back and forth ever since then. A 1-letter puzzle¹ led to a 2-letter puzzle,² which then begat a 3-letter puzzle. This made me wonder: what would a 4-letter puzzle that takes full advantage of its inherent symmetry with the game of Connections look like?

My song for ADOFAI's Neo Cosmos DLC is getting crossed over into Arcaea! They even used the 3D artwork I made for the SoundCloud upload, which is a nice touch. Hope Arcaea players enjoy it!

For two years, cohost was my digital home. I've been posting there for almost as long as they would let me, with topics ranging from my music & coding projects to stargazing, Mahjong, social media philosophy, sinkdog, and the joys of mutual vulnerability. I joined in on newfound traditions like CSS crimes, 140-character title posts, and wrong answers to Pictionary prompts. What cohost gave me in return: artists to follow & art to share. Old & new friends to learn more about. A snapshot into the wayward lives of queer furries I would have never met otherwise.