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”We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.” Marshall McLuhan
Previously at the Volcano Base I was talking about how I don’t really do proposals. Since then, I won’t lie, I’ve been neck deep in data cleansing and migration as part of a systems automation project. It’s the part I enjoy least, but it’s absolutely crucial and sets everything up for success.
It’s also a bit RSI-inducing.
Mission Briefing
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You’ve built a beautiful trap
Every task finds a workaround. Every workaround becomes tradition. Before long, your business runs on folklore, shortcuts, and sheer determination.
Which is fine until growth turns clever into complicated and you realise you’re the only one who knows how it all fits together.
You’re not running the system. The system is running you. And it would like you to reboot accounting. Again.
Expertly dysfunctional
At some point, you became very good at managing dysfunction. You learned the rituals. You remember which tools require a polite refresh and which ones must be appeased.
This gives you a sense of control. But control and captivity are often mistaken for each other. Just because you’ve memorised the maze doesn’t mean you’re free.
Familiarity is not mastery. It’s just a longer leash.
Yesterday’s logic, today
Maybe you’ve started to notice the oddities. You’re doing important work, yet most of your day is spent nudging data across tools like a cat nudging a pea across the kitchen floor with its nose. Maybe that’s just my cat.
Why are things still like this? Why does progress feel like repetition?
You’re playing the right game. But the rules were recently updated.
What I do
I start by asking what you’re aiming for.
Then I talk to your team about how they’re trying to get there.
Then I map the current system and show you what it’s really doing.
Only then do we design something better. Something clear. Something calm. Something easier. Something that doesn’t require arcane knowledge of Bob’s Tuesday Spreadsheet Protocol.
Classified Intel
Some interesting stuff I discovered on my adventures.
DeepMind’s Genie 3: The Future in Fluid Simulations
Jack Parker-Holder and Shlomi Fruchter
A world model that conjures immersive, navigable environments in real time, complete with waterfalls, storms and jellyfish ballet, all at 720p and 24 fps. It’s less “tool” and more “dream engine” for agents and researchers.
Why it matters: It reminds us that even systems of grand ambition begin with mapping complexity. World models open up lots of possibilities for systems to manage physical environments.
Myths, Mess and What Actually Matters
Zoe Scaman
An honest reckoning with the stories we tell ourselves to justify broken processes, and how embracing the mess might be the only path to clarity.
Why it matters: It echoes a key truth. Dysfunction is not a personality trait. It’s a cry for help.
Fifty-two AI-guided mentor cards trained on the greatest minds, designed to move you from insight to action. A tactile bridge between knowing and doing. Thanks to Martin Stellar for the tip.
Why it matters: It’s a small artefact that points to big clarity. Which is your whole thing.
By the time you read this it will be available for some people, somewhere. That’s what my goblins tell me. My goblins never lie. That’s what they tell me.
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