Infinite Walks, Massive Phone Cases and Shared Dreamworlds
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things I found
1. Infinite Reddit Image Search
Infini.wtf is a visual search engine created by a small team of indie developers. It uses AI to let you browse through 1,178,691 images, GIFs and videos pulled from Reddit. I don’t think I’ll be getting out of this any time soon. All my plans for the next five years are officially at risk.
2. A search engine for lore
Lore is a search platform for people to research and discover internet obsessions. The founder is Zehra Naqvi and you can sign up for early access here. [via]
3. The 6 Pound Phone Case
The 6 Pound Phone Case is chunky, dense, and made of stainless steel. It’s designed to be inconvenient, and encourage less phone use. Would you buy it?
4. Mallworld
I just fell into the Mallworld rabbit hole. Apparently thousands of people on Reddit, TikTok and other platforms are sharing their dream experiences and they claim to have visited the same place. Some are even drawing detailed maps of it. This place is Mallword and it is a sort of gigantic liminal space with shops, airports, playgrounds, hotels and other buildings. But the heart of the world is – of course – the oniric version of your typical American mall, where people get lost and disoriented. Mallworld is a sort of narrative container that merges vaporwave, liminal spaces, the backrooms, dreamcore and This Man all together.
“Ever dreamed of this place?”
5. Syrmor
YouTube creator Syrmor uploads his VRChat encounters with random strangers, who open up about themselves and share intimate details of their lives while hidden behind their avatars. Some of the videos are incredible touching. Unfortunately, the latest upload is from two years ago, I can’t believe I haven’t come across this before. [via + via]
6. WorldGrow
Researchers have created WorldGrow, an AI system that generates endless 3D environments by stitching together procedurally created rooms and hallways. “Photorealistic and structurally consistent” spaces you can theoretically walk through without end. Welcome back, backrooms. [via]
7. The original poster
Speaking of the Backrooms: YouTuber Mctoran claimed to have interviewed Black August, the author of the original post on 4chan. I don’t know if it’s really him (nobody can prove it), but the interview is incredibly insightful and inspiring. So even if it’s just another piece of lore, it’s worth a listen.
8. Working inside Skyrim
Can I work my 9-5 Job from Inside Skyrim, a wonderfully ridiculous experiment by YouTuber habie147.
things I did
NEW BOOK - On November 18th my new book came out in Italian. It’s called “Antimacchine. Mancare di rispetto alla tecnologia” (Antimachines. Disrespecting technology) and it explores the value of unexpected, improper, and unconventional uses of technological tools. Anyone who knows me won’t be surprised as I’ve been talking about these practices for more than twenty years. Yet, this is the first time I’ve really pulled everything together in one place. The book, published by Einaudi in the Maverick series, is packed with art, hacking, activism, DIY, appropriationism, punk energy, and sheer madness. For now it’s only available in Italian, but I hope to share news about an English translation soon.
Speaking of translations, I’m happy to announce that Exit Reality - already out in Italian, English, French, and Greek - will be released in Spanish next spring!
I wrote a short essay for this wonderful solo show by artist Miguel Martin at VOLT Gallery in Eastbourne (on view until 14 December 2025). If you’re in the area, go visit!
Marion Dupont from Le Monde interviewed me about the influence of digital platforms and algorithms on cultural trends and taste. They even made a digital portrait of me…
Clémentine Mercier from Libération, instead, asked me to comment on the phenomenon of AI Slop. You can read the article here (in French).
Matteo Corradini and Giovanni Manzoli invited me onto their video podcast Ingiocabile (in italian). Two good reasons to watch it: 1) I appear from the waist up inside a cathode-ray TV, Max Headroom–style. 2) You can hear me answer my all-time favorite question (sarcasm alert), the one that’s been haunting me my whole life: What is art? Joining me is the amazing Giulia Trincardi.
upcoming…
I’ll be presenting Antimacchine in Rome in late December (more details soon), and I will also fly to France for an Exit Reality (Vibes Lore Core) book tour in January, organized by Audimat éditions (venues and dates in the next newsletter).
That’s all for now! Feel free to send me an email or leave a comment.