17 Comments
Apr 6, 2023·edited Apr 6, 2023Liked by Étienne Fortier-Dubois

Fantastic. Genuine joy. I reckon they just didn’t have OpenFire back then 🤷

and I am stealing “ So dumb, lol. Lmao, even.”

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author

I was wondering if that line was breaking the tone of the piece with some contemporary twitter-style language. But frankly I don't regret using it.

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Apr 8, 2023Liked by Étienne Fortier-Dubois

So here for it.

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Apr 6, 2023Liked by Étienne Fortier-Dubois

What a unique and enjoyable surprise the Choose Your Own Adventure format was for Substack! Loved it!

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author

Thank you!

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Me too!

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This was even more fun that I imagined! I ran through all the scenarios and I seem to have a penchant for choosing the branches that end the story fastest. I immediately ended the story the first two times I went through, and then continued to end the story as quickly as possible on each successive run through. I just started a Substack where I write about the posts I find each week that bring me the most delight or awe, and this one is definitely going in the write up on Monday!

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Thank you! I didn't exploit the choose-your-own-adventure concept that deeply, because I wanted to keep the post short, and you're kind of supposed to read all of it to grasp the main point (which is that the effects of tech are wide and unpredictable), but I'm glad the CYOA structure is fun :)

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Well you found a delightful way to make the main point, which I happen to agree with, and I'm very glad to have found my way to your Substack!

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Apr 6, 2023Liked by Étienne Fortier-Dubois

Hey Etienne! Been a fan of your newsletter for a bit now. Really enjoyed this speculative narrative style. "Scientific Writing is a Miserable Grind, So Let’s Source It to AI" and “on low effort” have been two of my favourites.

I work for Snipette - a literary science publication.

Would you be interested in some kind of cross-promotion? This could be a simple shoutout in the “Publication Spotlight” section of our newsletter in exchange for a similar note in yours. Since Snipette is a publication with multiple authors, we’d also welcome publishing your article directly (if that fits with your business model, since I see you’re running a paid subscription?).

Sorry about the outreach in the comment section though, I couldn't find any other avenue to reach you.

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author

Yeah that seems like something we should discuss — shoot me an email at contact@etiennefd.com?

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Apr 6, 2023Liked by Étienne Fortier-Dubois

Upgrading my subscription! Perhaps you could discuss someday "consulting the gods" for H. Erectus, Ancient Greeks, moderns in the age of AI Gen Four and beyond.

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author

Thanks, much appreciated!

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Apr 8, 2023Liked by Étienne Fortier-Dubois

Oh my god this was so freaking good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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author

Thanks, these 15 exclamation marks mean a lot 😄

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Apr 8, 2023Liked by Étienne Fortier-Dubois

I stand by every one of them

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Apr 6, 2023Liked by Étienne Fortier-Dubois

Simply brilliant idea and story, Etienne! Five stars, Kudos, applause!

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