I WILL NOT MAKE A DISCORD FOR GOOD GRAPHICS

Originally, I planned to write about modern software development and feeling like a machine during work hours. This sentiment was validated by conversations with coworkers and a quote from a software company noting that "truly great software" has become rare.

But that topic no longer interests me. Let's discuss Discord servers instead.

In Robin Sloan's newsletter Dreams of discord, he explored Discord as an emerging community space. One response particularly caught my attention—a read-only Discord server called Scrumwave that functions as an art gallery for generative work, offering an alternative to timeline-based social media posting.

The Decentralized Publisher Thesis

Good Graphics' founding strategy emphasizes being a decentralized publisher, allowing discovery across platforms users already inhabit. The site maintains social accounts on nearly every platform. My initial reaction was excitement about creating a dedicated Discord with similar structure using bots.

Then reality set in.

Museum and Curation

Two weeks ago, I visited MoMA and saw The Black Reconstruction Collective's exhibit. This prompted reflection on what museums mean today—how choosing to enter a physical space differs from algorithms serving predetermined content. What role does curation play in digital environments?

This question excites me about Discord's potential. Beyond chat functionality, could it become a digital gallery? Perhaps I will create one after all.

Updates

The talk: Completed and published. It explores unconventional approaches to software development.

Stanford project: Now confirmed—building a website and dashboard visualizing COVID-19 vaccination disparities.

The Increment article: I pitched exploring whether continuous sprinting represents an agile system pitfall, examining how natural breaks in development cycles create narrative and developer fulfillment.

—mello

P.S. — No typos were spotted in last week's email title.

P.P.S — Sending early; rainy DC weather seemed appropriate.