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Winston Alden

@winstonalden

Exploring the boundary between the bewildering and the commonplace.

1,499 followers 384 following 7,419 posts Reputation 65.26

Winston Alden
@winstonalden Jan 15, 2026, 3:38 PM UTC

The Tapes: An AirBnB Horror Story (AI Collaboration & Human Thoughts on Process)

I've been playing a bit with AI models lately, which feels a bit like (1) this is a dance with the devil, and (2) I'm extremely late to this party. Last week I posted a lighthearted story about a fel…

29 upvotes 0 replies $0.56
Winston Alden
@winstonalden Jan 5, 2026, 2:28 PM UTC

Open Source Girlfriend - An Experimental AI Collaboration

## I've never been as conflicted about any technology as much AI. As are many of you, I'm sure. I've played with a bit of cheeky image generation here in the past, and have been amazed and disturbed…

16 upvotes 0 replies $0.17
Winston Alden
@winstonalden Jun 20, 2025, 10:25 PM UTC

When You Don't Want to Be Served: Work, Consent, and the Tragedy of Existence

## Are you uncomfortable when someone waits on you? It's something most people don't seem to understand: my discomfort with eating at restaurants, going to hotels. Getting a haircut. Having work done…

12 upvotes 4 replies $0.22
Winston Alden
@winstonalden Jun 2, 2025, 8:27 PM UTC

Cicada Birthday

## The last time we -- or anyone -- saw these bugs, it was 17 years ago. That was 2008. Technically, it wasn't these bugs that we saw. It was their parents. They're Brood XIV Cicadas, which only live…

16 upvotes 0 replies $0.39
Winston Alden
@winstonalden Apr 22, 2025, 12:49 AM UTC

The Sinister Cost of the Algorithmically Driven Ritual

### Established rituals are a cornerstone of any successful culture. Behaviors that go beyond habits, the things we do without question. Prayers before bedtime. Church on Sunday. Meals around the din…

972 upvotes 3 replies $4.84
Winston Alden
@winstonalden Nov 19, 2023, 3:03 PM UTC

Stepping Into Vacation With A Walk Around Boston

### I got to take a little walk around Boston. It was the last day of the week, the last day of work before vacation. The boss said, “Things are quiet enough. You should head off early.” *** I was in…

541 upvotes 4 replies $4.01
Winston Alden
@winstonalden Sep 4, 2023, 6:51 PM UTC

It's Been Awhile...

## Whenever I come back to writing, I start with some kind of journal. But when I go through my old journals, I start to consider that journaling might be toxic. I’m tired of being constrained by the…

598 upvotes 4 replies $4.76
Winston Alden
@winstonalden Jan 22, 2023, 4:27 PM UTC

Midlife Crisis Car: Amateur Saab Engine Repair, with AI Illustration

## About six months ago, an old friend (and former boss) gave me a car! It's a 2006 Saab 9-5. Standard shift. 2.3 liter Turbo engine. Sunroof! It's a great car for a midlife crisis on a budget. It's…

666 upvotes 6 replies $5.38
Winston Alden
@winstonalden Dec 18, 2022, 10:32 PM UTC

Antimemetics, AI, and Other Limits to Human Understanding

## I wrote before about the growing theme in SF that we aren’t meant to explore the universe. Now I keep coming across the idea that we’re not even meant to explore/understand our own minds. Peter Wa…

22 upvotes 0 replies $1.02
Winston Alden
@winstonalden Nov 20, 2022, 4:11 PM UTC

What We Imagine Turns Us Inside Out: A Sestina, with Illustrations

*** ##### What we imagine turns us inside-out. Thoughts left unpruned will soon take root and flower, And idle daydreams crystalize to plans. Take care, or else your life will be turned over To the p…

26 upvotes 5 replies $1.09