Substrate

Substrate

A digital garden of notes, ideas, and reflections from Doug Belshaw.

Back to the surface

September 2026

34 notes
notes 1 min read

Fully Offline is a privilege

There’s a sad irony when someone jettisons from social media, they’re gone from our Online worlds but I’m so happy for them. And I mourn what we don’t get to hear from them. We don’t get to hear about how wonderful they feel, how beautiful their skin is now, and how they restored their mental health. We don’t know if they make more money or less money. We don’t get further inspiration from them to leave the Online. But being able to observe the Offline from the Online might ruin the magic and mystery hidden there. It’s a door hidden in an old wardrobe that you have to pass through to fully understand.

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notes updated 5 min read

Big Tech & AI: "Guilty until proven wealthy"

AI summary

Doug discusses how Big Tech and AI companies operate with impunity, highlighting a system where individuals and corporations are effectively "guilty until proven wealthy". He cites an article by Matt Stoller, which argues that the issue with AI is not a lack of regulation, but rather a failure to enforce existing laws against powerful entities. This dynamic is perpetuated by a broader elite consensus that prioritises the interests of the wealthy and powerful over the rule of law.

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Other notes link here
notes updated 2 min read

What happens when AI fades into the background (like gigabit fibre)?

AI summary

Doug notes that when technology like gigabit fibre becomes widespread, it often fades into the background as people become accustomed to its benefits. He draws a parallel between this and the potential future of AI, suggesting that its impact will be similarly transformative, even if its effects are not immediately apparent. As AI becomes more integrated into daily life, it is likely to enable significant changes that will be taken for granted in the future.

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notes updated 11 min read

The Legibility of Live Rewind

AI summary

Doug discusses the new Apple Watch feature, Live Rewind, which allows users to recall the last 15 seconds of a conversation as a text snippet, and explores the potential implications for privacy and the recording of conversations. He notes that while Apple has implemented various measures to protect user privacy, the feature still raises concerns about the legibility and permanence of spoken words. Doug argues that the issue is part of a broader debate about the role of technology in society and the need for a public discussion about the impact of such features on our lives.

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notes updated 10 min read

INTERNET OPERATOR: metonymy, icons, and idolatory

AI summary

Doug discusses Jay Springett's zine, INTERNET OPERATOR, which explores the concept of identity and how it is co-created with an audience. Jay argues that identity can be understood through the equation Figure + Operator + Audience + Apparatus = The animation of an identity, and that this applies to both human and non-human entities, such as AI personas. Doug reflects on the implications of this idea, including the relationship between our online and offline selves, and the tension between authenticity and the curated personas we present online.

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notes updated 2 min read

Marcus Aurelius on... bread

We ought to observe also that even the things which follow after the things which are produced according to nature contain something pleasing and attractive.

For instance, when bread is baked some parts are split at the surface, and these parts which thus open, and have a certain fashion contrary to the purpose of the baker's are, are beautiful in a manner, and in a peculiar way excite a desire for eating.

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reflections updated 1 min read

On the joys of being mis-cited on a regular basis

AI summary

Doug discusses the frustration of being mis-cited in academic articles, where authors often rely on summaries rather than his actual work, leading to misinterpretations. He criticises the use of his ideas in a paper that presents a bar chart as an objective measure of digital literacies, which he finds offensive. Doug argues that this highlights the limitations of academic journals as a gold standard.

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notes updated 4 min read

AI-engineered superviruses probably aren't going to kill us all any time soon

AI summary

Doug discusses the unlikely event of AI-engineered superviruses causing widespread harm, citing expert Claus Wilke's views on the matter. According to Wilke, fundamental laws of physics and biology limit the potential of AI-designed viruses, making it unlikely they could be both highly lethal and contagious. Doug notes that the real concerns should be focused on preventing outbreaks of existing diseases, such as COVID and measles, through good public health practices and basic research.

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notes updated 1 min read

I think you've got something in your eye...

It's now 16 years since I've been in the classroom, but you never really get out of the mindset of being a teacher. As one mug I saw put it "Teachers don't get old, they just lose their class" 😅

I loved teaching History, and particularly 1066 and the Battle of Hastings. This new online resource from the British would have been so great to use with very enthusiastic Year 7's (11-12 years old).

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notes 1 min read

I've decided to attend #SysPrac26 at the end of the month

AI summary

Doug has decided to attend the #SysPrac26 conference at the end of the month, rearranging his commitments to do so. He is particularly interested in attending various talks on systems thinking, including those by Tony Korycki and Benjamin Taylor. The conference aligns with Doug's goal of focusing on systems thinking with practical impact in the second half of his career.

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ideas updated 2 min read

Another tentative title and focus for my next zine

AI summary

Doug is considering a new zine, tentatively titled Field Notes on Ambient Surveillance, which explores how surveillance has become normalised in everyday life. The zine would examine the ways in which seemingly benign technologies, such as read receipts and location histories, contribute to a culture of ambient surveillance. Doug believes this topic offers fertile ground for a zine, as it highlights the ordinary, yet pervasive, nature of observation in modern society.

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reflections updated 1 min read

Half my life

Today, my wife Hannah and I celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary – meaning we've been married for more than half our lives ❤️

Although she hasn't retained the accent, Hannah is originally from Liverpool, so it feels appropriate to quote the ending theme song from Surprise Surprise featuring famous Scouser, the one and only Cilla Black:

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notes updated 1 min read

3 events I'm going to be at in the next couple of weeks

AI summary

Doug will be attending three events in the next couple of weeks, including TechFreedom: Is the biggest risk to your organisation even on your risk register? and AI, Communities & Coops. These events will take place on 9th, 15th, and 17th September, with locations including online and London. Doug is also planning to run a TechFreedom cohort with Tom in October and November.

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Other notes link here
notes 1 min read

An inner architecture

This is why Aristotle thought that you can't judge whether a man was "happy" until after he's dead. And sometimes until long after he's died, because it would depend on the actions of, say, his offspring (which would reflect the way he helped raise them).

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ideas updated 2 min read

Legibility at the boundary

This morning, the slowly-moving car crash that is my method of thinking things through served up an idea related to a previous note about consequences and boundaries.

Essentially, when we're talking about boundaries we're talking about legibility which is an important component of literacy. Literate practices involve encoding and decoding texts, and sit within an existing power dynamic. There are many forms of literate practices, which as I will keep repeating until I'm blue in the face, are dependent upon literate communities.

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