Ben Cousens

There’s something deeply depressing about a song whose chorus is belting out “I want to be forever young” over a generic pounding dance beat.

Bluesky is shit.

The trick with AI seems to be establishing baseline user need and then picking the right model for the job & charging for it.

3 tracks coming soon… https://theholyhour.faith Wail, scream, cry and shout All in search of some way out I am just an imitation Someone else’s machination

The free-banking has begun. https://youtu.be/vDub5pjG8Xw

I feel ready to re-engage with social media. I have words I can articulate; le jeu, blasé, se met comfortable et se laisse passer. But where to even start? Nowhere is cool anymore.

🌞 Vibes 🌞

Disgraceful. https://news.sky.com/story/apple-removes-advanced-security-tool-over-uk-government-row-13314003

How does it feel To treat me like you do? When you’ve laid your hands upon me And told me who you are.

It’s 2025 and it’s still very difficult to find people on Nostr.

I wish my thoughts and insights were a bit more whimsical, but life gets so grown-up. I miss David Lynch’s weather reports already. I remember listening to them on KROQ in LA back in 2006/7. Such a little slice of bizarre delight for almost 20 years.

Thinking. Networks with low user bases but extraordinary reach are not Social Networks. They are Influence Networks. There are varying degrees of influence networks, and I believe this description better aligns with the monetisation model. Don’t confuse them with Social Networks, which have essentially fallen apart (at least the 1.0 form). …And don’t confuse Social Networks with Social Graphs. The next social network could be built on this social graph, but there’s a lot to build.

fuck. https://news.sky.com/story/david-lynch-twin-peaks-and-mulholland-drive-director-dies-13290346

Oh the irony! https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jan/13/george-orwell-to-be-honoured-on-new-2-coin-by-royal-mint

Olas definitely the most exciting Nostr client in terms of potential I’ve seen in some time. h/t nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft 👏

Supporting creators never felt so seamless, or so good nostr:npub1v5ufyh4lkeslgxxcclg8f0hzazhaw7rsrhvfquxzm2fk64c72hps45n0v5 Gotta hit that 1% next year!

If Chris Nolan’s next film is an *actual* telling of The Odyssey, not a modern thing or a “reimagining”, then I am very excited.

So nostr:npub1tm99pgz2lth724jeld6gzz6zv48zy6xp4n9xu5uqrwvx9km54qaqkkxn72 seems very cool. Is anyone actually using it? Are these “secure” (or “private”) Nostr DMs?

Make It, Don’t Fake It. https://www.audiosnobbery.com/make-it-dont-fake-it/

I remember going to an AI + Music event in 2018 hosted by Spotify in Paris. They talked about optimising engagement with the first 30 seconds of a song, because that’s when they monetise. They don’t care what happens afterwards. And now this: https://harpers.org/archive/2025/01/the-ghosts-in-the-machine-liz-pelly-spotify-musicians/ I’ve followed Liz Pelly for maybe 7-8 years. She’s legit. Spotify does not value music. It’s all just “content” that helps them sustain a very challenging business model (like YouTube). If you are an artist, be aware. The money is elsewhere. You don’t need 1 million streams, you only need 1,000 fans.