Conversational Authenticity

Voice AI agents will transform how we interact with technology — but only if they solve the same turn-taking problems that plagued transatlantic phone calls for decades. Sometimes the simplest solution is the most authentic.

Ariadne's Thread

An exciting vibrating necklace is on the way, providing ultra-precise navigation assistance

The Babel Fish Are Here, But They're Not Enough

AI can translate flawlessly and write flawlessly, but what it writes is sterile.

Fortune Is Relative

Vision Impairment is complex and nuanced. There is more to this than just the degree of functional impairment.

Blame It On The Bot - The Get Out of Jail Free For Personal Ineptitude

AI has become the latest excuse machine for human incompetence. Unlike blaming junior staff, blaming a bag of algorithms feels harmless and even relatable. For now, “the bot did it” is a surprisingly effective get out of jail free card.

AI not embodied is forever hollow and never general

If AGI is tested only on digital work, it will pass while remaining hollow. Intelligence without embodied experience is too narrow to be truly general. A better test is whether an AI agent can teleoperate robots across the physical world as well as a human.

Air Travel: Experiences and Metaphors

It’s been a turbulent few days for public markets and for relations between Anthropic and the US Department of War. Flying through that turbulence, I had two very different airport  accessibility experiences.

Mainstream commercial interest aligning with accessibility needs – double hurrah with extra chocolate on top

As AI agents increasingly use the web on our behalf, accessibility and commercial incentives may finally align. WebMCP could transform websites from pixel puzzles into structured tools — a quiet shift that could transform web accessibility for blind users.

Airports: A Special Circle in Dante's Inferno of Accessibility Hell

Airports are stressful for everyone, but for blind travellers they can become a labyrinth of broken processes, awkward rules, and misplaced “assistance.” A personal account of how accessibility often fails in physical spaces—and why better design still matters.