Digest — April 2026
Digest is a (supposedly) monthly post where I share what I’m reading. Read along if you like. Articles are linked. Also: this month, keep your eyes peeled for neon plastic eggs. I'm beginning to suspect they are not being left by a bunny as we've been told...
Books
Wind and Truth — Brandon Sanderson
The Name of the Rose — Umberto Eco
“If it took so little to make the rebellious angels direct their ardor away from worship and humility toward pride and revolt, what can we expect of a human being? [...] This was the thought that struck me in the course of my inquisitions. And this is why I gave up that activity. I lacked the courage to investigate the weaknesses of the wicked, because I discovered they are the same as the weaknesses of the saintly."
Lincoln in the Bardo — George Saunders
“We must see God not as a Him (some linear rewarding fellow) but an IT, a great beast beyond our understanding, who wants something from us, and we must give it, and all we may control is the spirit in which we give it and the ultimate end which the giving serves."
Articles
"AI's Aesthetics of Failure" — Brian Merchant on Substack
"For years now, Silicon Valley has largely failed to produce something that most people want, or are even comfortable having in their lives; it has failed to make the case for AI to a public that mostly fears for their jobs, their energy bills, their children’s safety and future."
"'AI Is African Intelligence': The Workers Who Train AI Are Fighting Back" — Jason Koebler for 404 Media
"These workers are required to stare at horrific content for many hours straight with few mental health resources, are largely managed by opaque algorithms, and, crucially, are the workers powering the runaway valuations of some of the richest and most powerful companies in the world."
