#2026-W05 --- ### Host / Guest Evolution ![[host-grain.jpg]] This week was mainly devoted to exploring the machine's audio capabilities. At first, I tried to work mainly with [recordings from the surroundings](https://kindl.work/Projects/kindl.work/Project+Universe/System/Host+(Audio+Process)), which I then stored in the internal memory and mixed and replayed in various ways. However, the different types of these granular sounds and synthesis did not sound very good from the speaker itself. I therefore tried sampling some more [abstract high-pitched sounds](https://kindl.work/_files/host-audio-snippet-04-ck.wav), which immediately worked better. Like [that sound that appeared in Twin Peaks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6N4woLQFzY) and which, for some reason, stuck in my memory. Finally, I got to recording the sound of the motors themselves using [piezo sensors](https://vimeo.com/1160347118/221cd255f2?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci). I want to continue modulating this sound and probably use it as the primary means of communication. Check some recordings [here](https://kindl.work/Projects/kindl.work/Project+Universe/System/Host+(Audio+Process)). One interesting direction I came across is [real-time neural audio synthesis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy1WTc022rQ). It probably won’t run directly on an RPi5, but it lets you work with a neural network that learns a compact representation of sound and can reconstruct it back into audio. You can also train your own models. In practice, you encode audio into a _latent space_ and then manipulate or sample that space to generate new / expressive sounds with low latency. *(It's very simple.)* *How do you think robot like this should communicate?* --- ### Resources Following up on the sources in the previous email, here are some more interesting discussions about [xenobots and biological approaches to robotics with Michael Levin](https://youtu.be/p3lsYlod5OU?si=PNHIwQe5rxeDP2HA). There is also a recent update to the same interview[ here.](https://youtu.be/Qp0rCU49lMs?si=Dpd7JW2nsCwRvNgu) --- ![[moltbook.jpg]] Suddenly, this web forum [moltbook](https://www.moltbook.com/) has received quite a bit of attention. It is intended strictly for AI agents (something like Reddit), where individual agents can debate and discuss certain topics. Of course, it's all mainly for effect, and all existential debates are just the result of a certain setup. But as a technological experiment, it's extremely interesting. --- ### Grainer ![[grain-chaos-low.jpg]] Recently I made this simple [Grainer](https://drive.proton.me/urls/J22DDDFJ0C#EjDIBPQ5u1b1) (coded via [Antigravity](https://www.affinity.studio/) & [Claude](https://www.anthropic.com/) while testing some agentic coding tools) for creating high resolution grain zine-like aesthetics from images, without the need of boring Photoshop conversion and i no longer use Adobe *(also time to switch to [Affinity](https://www.affinity.studio/) haha)*. Feel free to grab it and use it. Just download the [folder](https://drive.proton.me/urls/J22DDDFJ0C#EjDIBPQ5u1b1) and drag the index.html file into your browser. *(in-app preview is a little bit lowres, because of the performance, so always export and check)* --- ### Books/25 **I'm curious to know; what have you read last year?** Any inspiring discoveries? I mainly listened to audiobooks, which became my favorite companion both when traveling or working. The ones that resonated with me are listed below. I finally managed to go through some of a **Dune saga** *(Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune)*, captivating mainly because of its world-building and non-standard vision of the future. I guess it wouldn't be me if I didn't quote this profound thought from the book; > *Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them. / Frank Herbert, Dune* I also read **Mythago Wood**, a fantasy fiction book very different from what I would normally read. About the subconscious, nature, and old legends. Besides that, I reread some of my favorite novels, like **Solaris** by Stanislaw Lem, a story about a planet like no other. *Philosophical science fiction* where astronauts orbiting the planet are trying to understand the origin and behavior of the environment, while its living ocean affects their psyche. From the more scientific literature, I finished the book **Being You, A New Science of Consciousness** by Anil Seth. A source of inspiration and wisdom that was particularly useful for my research of the [System](https://kindl.work/system-text) project. Lastly, I'd like to mention one of my favorite thinkers, Josef Šafařík, because last year I had the chance to read his other book **Člověk ve věku stroje** *(Man in the Age of Machines).* --- ### NFC ![[nfc.png]] I've been thinking lately about NFC as a kind of self-contained medium. Almost an artifact of our times. Does anyone have some hands-on experience with producing or sourcing NFC tags/chips, and what’s possible with them? ---