Robin Sloan
Novelist and writer, author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore and Sourdough; previously worked at Twitter and Current TV.
Robin Sloan did not write this page. ppll compiled it from their own words, each linked to the source. Is this you? · Report a mistake
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What they believe
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The internet's openness and scrapability were a contingent historical accident, not inevitable — it could easily have developed as a closed system instead.
The internet absolutely didn't have to be this way - it could easily have been a giant AOL, a mas­sive Minitel.
robinsloan.comSaid 23 Sept 2026This on korrents
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The AI industry's near-term trajectory is driven more by finance and politics than by the underlying technology.
The AI industry's imme­diate future has more to do with exotic finance and gnarly pol­i­tics than the under­lying technology.
robinsloan.comSaid 18 Sept 2026This on korrents
The bold line is korrents’ wording; the quote is theirs. These 2: what they wrote before what they said aloud, one per source, newest first.
Feed
As its own page →Hiding
13 October
12 October
9 October
5 October
4 October
29 September
25 September
23 September
From one piece Dragoncatcher: Another accidental advantage 2 beliefs · robinsloan.com
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korrents.com
The success of open source software was not inevitable and would have seemed improbable as recently as the 1990s.Their words
Also: the suc­cess of open source, which larded that open web with huge piles of code to study. Again, this wasn't destiny, and as recently as the 1990s would have seemed improbable.
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Their words
The internet absolutely didn't have to be this way - it could easily have been a giant AOL, a mas­sive Minitel.
20 September
18 September
From one piece Dragoncatcher: 'Ask for what you want' is a key skill for the 21st century 3 beliefs · robinsloan.com
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korrents.com
The most significant thing about AI systems is their patience and diligence, not their intelligence.Their words
Dis­cussing these AI systems, every­body wants to talk about "intelligence", but I don't think that's the pro­foundest thing about them. Rather, I believe it's the other -ences: patience, dili­gence.
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Their words
I'm not invested in that future; most days, I think a minor bust would be a good thing.
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korrents.com
The AI industry's near-term trajectory is driven more by finance and politics than by the underlying technology.Their words
The AI industry's imme­diate future has more to do with exotic finance and gnarly pol­i­tics than the under­lying technology.
9 September
8 September
6 September
4 September
3 September
1 November 2025
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Lovedrcmnd.app
Thermapen OneTheir words
Thermoworks Thermapen One I cook a lot of meat, and I am devoted to the meat thermometer; cooking without one feels like flying blind.
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Lovedrcmnd.app
Hearts of SpaceTheir words
I’ve written before about the impact this show had on my youth; what’s amazing is that Hearts of Space isn’t just a memory!
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Lovedrcmnd.app
SiloTheir words
Silo has the aura of a future classic.
+ 4 more
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Recommendsrcmnd.app
Dandelion ChocolateTheir words
Dandelion Chocolate Dandelion Chocolate Don’t mess around.
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Usesrcmnd.app
Piment d’VilleTheir words
Their Piment d’Ville is a pantry staple.
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Recommendsrcmnd.app
Boonville Barn Collective beansTheir words
The Boonville crew rotates beans through their fields, and we are the beneficiaries.
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Recommendstheir ownrcmnd.app
The Fat Gold Gift SetTheir words
Consumable gifts Fat Gold The Fat Gold Gift Set My work life has two great lobes.
24 April 2025
26 July 2024
27 February 2023
6 December 2022
21 July 2021
29 February 2020
From one piece An app can be a home-cooked meal 2 beliefs · robinsloan.com
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Their words
This messaging app I built for, and with, my family, it won’t change unless we want it to change.
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Their words
When you liberate programming from the requirement to be professional and scalable, it becomes a different activity altogether, just as cooking at home is really nothing like cooking in a commercial kitchen.
30 May 2019
29 October 2018
12 August 2017
Nothing matches.
Beliefs
Korrents What they believe 7 beliefs — each backed by an exact quote.
Each is a — compiled by korrents.com, not by them: the one-line wordings are korrents', the quotes are theirs.
Recent
The internet's openness and scrapability were a contingent historical accident, not inevitable — it could easily have developed as a closed system instead.
The internet absolutely didn't have to be this way - it could easily have been a giant AOL, a mas­sive Minitel.
Dragoncatcher: Another accidental advantage Said 23 Sept 2026
The success of open source software was not inevitable and would have seemed improbable as recently as the 1990s.
Also: the suc­cess of open source, which larded that open web with huge piles of code to study. Again, this wasn't destiny, and as recently as the 1990s would have seemed improbable.
Dragoncatcher: Another accidental advantage Said 23 Sept 2026
The AI industry's near-term trajectory is driven more by finance and politics than by the underlying technology.
The AI industry's imme­diate future has more to do with exotic finance and gnarly pol­i­tics than the under­lying technology.
Dragoncatcher: 'Ask for what you want' is a key skill for the 21st century Said 18 Sept 2026
Show 4 more
A minor bust in the AI industry would be a good thing, not a bad one.
I'm not invested in that future; most days, I think a minor bust would be a good thing.
Dragoncatcher: 'Ask for what you want' is a key skill for the 21st century Said 18 Sept 2026
The most significant thing about AI systems is their patience and diligence, not their intelligence.
Dis­cussing these AI systems, every­body wants to talk about "intelligence", but I don't think that's the pro­foundest thing about them. Rather, I believe it's the other -ences: patience, dili­gence.
Dragoncatcher: 'Ask for what you want' is a key skill for the 21st century Said 18 Sept 2026
Freed from having to be professional and scalable, programming becomes a different activity, as cooking at home differs from a commercial kitchen.
When you liberate programming from the requirement to be professional and scalable, it becomes a different activity altogether, just as cooking at home is really nothing like cooking in a commercial kitchen.
An app can be a home-cooked meal by 29 Feb 2020
Software you build for your own family will not change unless you want it to.
This messaging app I built for, and with, my family, it won’t change unless we want it to change.
An app can be a home-cooked meal by 29 Feb 2020
What is a korrent?
A korrent is a belief a person has stated in their own words: one sentence stating the claim, backed by a quote and a source, kept at korrents.com.
Under a name here, the quoted block is what they actually said. The korrent beneath it is the claim those words support, in korrents' wording — tap it to see the record, its source, and who else holds it.
Nobody here wrote their own korrents. They are compiled from public statements, and a person can change their mind, which is recorded too.
Recommends rcmnd
rcmnd What they recommend 12 things — each backed by an exact quote.
Compiled by rcmnd.app, not by them: the quotes are theirs, and each links to the post it was copied from.
Recent
Recommends The Fat Gold Gift Set
Consumable gifts Fat Gold The Fat Gold Gift Set My work life has two great lobes.
robinsloan.com 1 Nov 2025
their own
Recommends Boonville Barn Collective beans
The Boonville crew rotates beans through their fields, and we are the beneficiaries.
robinsloan.com 1 Nov 2025
Uses Piment d’Ville
Their Piment d’Ville is a pantry staple.
robinsloan.com 1 Nov 2025
Show 9 more
Recommends Dandelion Chocolate
Dandelion Chocolate Dandelion Chocolate Don’t mess around.
robinsloan.com 1 Nov 2025
Loved Silo
Loved Hearts of Space
I’ve written before about the impact this show had on my youth; what’s amazing is that Hearts of Space isn’t just a memory!
robinsloan.com 1 Nov 2025
Loved Thermapen One
Thermoworks Thermapen One I cook a lot of meat, and I am devoted to the meat thermometer; cooking without one feels like flying blind.
robinsloan.com 1 Nov 2025
Uses Google Reader
Google Reader is my idea-sieve, though I’ve learned you have to play fast and loose with the “Mark all as read” button.
usesthis.com 27 Apr 2012
Liked Prizmo
There’s a solid OCR app for the iPhone called Prizmo that makes it easy to grab blocks of text from books and magazines.
usesthis.com 27 Apr 2012
Loved Kindle Keyboard 3G
I’ve been places in Turkey and Greece where my shiny iPhone showed no bars but the quiet resourceful Kindle could reach Gmail without a hitch. Strange and miraculous.
usesthis.com 27 Apr 2012
Loved Filson Pullman
When I was looking for a travel bag, I got a tip to buy a Filson Pullman and man it is super great. Tough, capacious and unassuming.
usesthis.com 27 Apr 2012
Recommends Notational Velocity
I am a strong proponent of wanton notetaking - words, names, scraps, passages, whole articles, just dump it all in there - and I’d recommend this setup to anyone.
usesthis.com 27 Apr 2012
Where they publish
Site robinsloan.com His site, newsletter and home for his novels.
Recent
- Dragoncatcher: Ask for: a rich visual research report 13 Oct 2026 From the annals of asking for what you want. Read here.
- Peeking over the wall 12 Oct 2026 AI conversations; Captain Ahab's evil brother Derek. Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: Mayfly models 9 Oct 2026 We barely knew ye... Read here.
Show 17 more
- Dragoncatcher: Cyberpunk is now 5 Oct 2026 Finally! Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: Ask for: a variable font explorer 4 Oct 2026 From the annals of asking for what you want. Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: Beyond helpful 29 Sept 2026 Fun event. Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: Purge everything 25 Sept 2026 Fine!! Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: Another accidental advantage 23 Sept 2026 Stumbling into success. Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: Vision, at last 20 Sept 2026 I mean, maybe?? Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: 'Ask for what you want' is a key skill for the 21st century 18 Sept 2026 Takes practice, and a bit of audacity. Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: My question is simply... 9 Sept 2026 Really very simply... Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: One-way doors 8 Sept 2026 Oh no. Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: Pacing consensus 6 Sept 2026 Good development, huge challenge. Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: Jack Clark and me, live in SF 4 Sept 2026 Fiction and the future. Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: Reliably early 3 Sept 2026 Oof! Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: Slop-vestigation and the digital pantograph 26 Aug 2026 Gobs and gobs of text. Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: Jarvising 18 Aug 2026 You do have to actually make something. Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: The new funnel, part 2 15 Aug 2026 The LLM sent me. Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: Dream Machines revs up 14 Aug 2026 AT LAST, HE PODCASTS! Read here.
- Dragoncatcher: Look who's in the Cove 13 Aug 2026 Oh hello there! Read here.
Link verified 5 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
GitHub robinsloan His GitHub account.
Recent
- simple-shopify-emails — My ongoing attempt at super simple Shopify email notification templates 24 Apr 2025
- spring-83 — A speculative new protocol 🌸 26 Jul 2024
- perfect-edition — A lightweight, responsive web e-book template 27 Feb 2023
Show 5 more
- sentence-space — Generating gradients, exploring neighborhoods. 6 Dec 2022
- mailchimp-cli — A minimalist tool for managing Mailchimp campaigns without using the website. 21 Jul 2021
- rnn-writer — Package for the Atom text editor that provides responsive, inline "autocomplete" powered by a recurrent neural network. 30 May 2019
- cmu-studio-workshop — Just some simple/hacky scraping scripts. 🎶This is how we do it🎶 29 Oct 2018
- penumbra-primes 12 Aug 2017
Link verified 5 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
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Some people here publish in a language other than English. Where they do, this site shows a machine translation beneath the post, in this typeface — the site's own, not theirs.
The post itself is never changed, moved or hidden: what is set in the serif above is exactly what the person published, and it is what to quote them on. A translation can be wrong in ways that matter, especially about tone.
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