Vestiges & L’Écho des Rues

11:29am on a Saturday. Rain on the colour-bond roof. The mugginess has broken. My laptop is open but I’m thinking about stones — cobblestones, brick and mortar, rain-slicked and centuries deep. The kind that still resist the boots of progress.

I left Europe at the end of January and my bones still hum with the echo. Not memory. Resonance. The way footsteps in a Parisian alley carry differently than in Collingwood. Older. Layered with centuries of the same decisions: to walk, to linger, to fall in love, to get lost.

I didn’t go looking for home. But something in me knew the streets before I arrived.

My ancestry report is a tidy spreadsheet of displacement. One or two convicts. Some forbidden marriages. A lot of ghosts. Colonial amnesia passed down like DNA damage — it leaves you hollow without context.

Scotland felt familiar like country Victoria. Vast horizons. Wind that cuts through a jacket like judgement. Landscapes sculpted not by time but by intention — a fingerprint pressed into the earth. From Cambridge to Forfar, something clicked. I wasn’t homesick. I recognised.

I spent a week in a castle in the Highlands during the first whiteout the north had seen in years. A bottle of whisky worth more than sense. Bordeaux and gin and slims. The air smelled of peat, musty wax jackets and damp wool.

In village charity stores I found treasures we’d never come across in Australia. In Edinburgh’s secondhand havens, a deadstock pilot jacket. Hobgoblin Music Exchange the next morning for a tin whistle. Proof that the past doesn’t disappear. It waits, if you’re patient enough to find it.

And Paris..

Paris wasn’t just the Seine or the Arc or Montmartre. It was the shared appreciation with my love. Art every day. Fine food and honest conversation.

Ivy-fit outfits — tweed jacket, blue straight-legs, oxford shirt and loafers — drew glances. In a London arcade, a watch seller turned to me and showed what was hidden in the back, not on display. You mean I just need to wear this uniform to be taken seriously?

It started as fun. Then it became armour. A midlife crisis, maybe — discovering the person I dressed as in 2010 had been right all along.

By the end of 2025, the old uniform had worn thin. Burnout. Full-time work and university will do that. But something was shifting. A new job. Time, finally. The gym. Weight dropping. And with it, clarity.

The old clothes fit again. I was not adopting a new identity. I was returning to one I had outrun.

Working in Ai. The tooling changes fast. I watch the display working away on something while I message it an update from my phone. A bridge between me and my agent. It is a beautiful and terrifying thing.
An “ah ha” moment. Somewhat Theodore Twombly, but more DIY.

The truth no one wants to talk about, we’re not riding the “AI wave” we’re building the ends of our careers.

In the office I’m predicting what comes next. Faster, better, smarter. In the evening I’m looking for what endures. These are not contradictions. They are necessities.

There is a gap opening between those who build and those still wondering what the deal is. Jobs aren’t being replaced. Yet. They’re being refactored, and the refactor is already live. I had a thought. Maybe social media could help us adapt. Its pace mirrors the acceleration. But its addictive rot is more likely to cause mass decay while the machines slot into the gaps we are too distracted to notice.

As my tests run. Something pivots.

Here I sit. Reevaluating.

I see both sides. The beauty of agents doing the work nobody wants. The dread of watching your own industry evolve without you. The comfort of a tweed jacket in a room full of hoodies.

The vestiges remain — in streets, in code, in the slow turning of a new decade.

We don’t inherit the world. We rebuild it with what we’ve inherited — stone by stone, line by line.

— Thomas James

My Friends.

Finishing University now rather than in the 2010's. When I should have completed a bachelor like all of my high school friends has been an eye-opening experience. I feel we are seeing the decline of westernised civilisation as we knew it. All its for-profit ways causing all kinds of problems. The University I was attending was actively trying to quash the use of AI because they were unsure how to approach it. Some professors were on board with it. So there was still hope. The system is about to fundamentally change and for those that know how, it's going to rocket people well in front of others.

I see the future. It first started during an internship in Japan. Feeling very out of my depth, not being able to speak Japanese, and working for a network company. I was being given instructions to create databases and network setups from a Japanese manual. This is when I became reliant on AI. This is the exact moment. I used it as a universal translator and it did a reasonably good job. For context, this was in 2023. I wasn't tasked with any crucial company data so don't worry about that. I also didn't input anything I shouldn't have into it. I was on board, I was awakening to the idea that AI was the most useful tool out, almost. In 2023 it kinda sucked at actually giving you accurate data, and hallucinated a lot. So I wasn't too reliant. Because I knew I could do better.

But I did start thinking about a day soon when I would have my own personal buddy. Like Starlord's Ship from the comics or like the kid from Flight of the Navigator has with Max the computer. If it doesnt kill me first. Then came the world of 3D printing. I got one. A future where you can print and create anything with the right parts. Not AI but ok, bear with me. Then to current me, studying RAG, Automation and MCP model context protocol. Recently attending a GDG event, the light bulbs were firing off above my head. Creating an automation that captures a GAP analysis of staff interactions in regard to advice that was designed with Kaizen management style in mind. To better identify training for staff under me, and staff under that. The reasoning? Because I work for a start-up. I am constantly faced with having to make crucial decisions and shift my focus between critical tasks, e.g. I'm swamped, and actively have to choose how I invest my time. How am I going to cut out time to write training plans when I don't have time? Galaxy brain moment. This is where AI comes into play. Feed the GAP analysis into a model, pre-prompted to follow my Kaizen documentation, and spit out the training plan that is moulded to our needs. No more inefficiency.

But what about the future. Thom? You said you could see the future.

This is just the beginning of where we will go. Imagine when smart lights are no longer "smart lights" by definition. Because everything that already has a chip in it can talk to your AI assistant. MCP will help with exactly that. Buy light from shop, plug light in, tell your assistant you want some lighting that calms you down in the lounge and keeps you focused in the office, and boop, done. Now it won’t matter that your lights are not the same uniform brand, and you won’t need to struggle through a manual on how to get them setup. Where this is headed means everything will potentially be compatible. A sort of universal translator that just makes things work. I have an idea for an app, but I work full time. If I am really smart about what I want to create, I create the plan and structure, I create a business model, I create a security plan, emphasis on I create. For it to be successful you need to know your whos, whats, whys, whens and hows. Then with my assistant, I begin to expand and build around that structure so the plan formulates the way I've intended. The future? I have an idea, I speak it out loud, I look at my display as the notes are formulating, the display is hovering in the air in front of me (too futuristic? maybe). With all my prior knowledge and the aid of my assistant, I am able to formalise and begin building. The designs are building up, models and integrations are coming online. My 3D printer has begun to print the parts, and boop, my custom thing has been made. Fit for purpose. A new age of DIY. A new age of human interactions in a heavily connected world. The new design is up for anyone else to access, and highly customisable for their needs. A few words and boop, they can have their very own custom thing. That's the future that we are heading for. I still hope for this Marty McFly style future, but that's probably just because I am a Millennial. But I think what we will get, people haven't quite understood yet.

I sound like a shill. Im well aware that in its current corporate state AI is looking bloated and likely to add to the ever present global warming crisis. Im beginning to become hopeful there are smarter ways to build these systems that don’t require so many tokens, as much data and in turn as much power. Its becoming apparent there are better ways to train, in order to get smarter models that can run leaner then before. Oh and they already sound real.. check out what the sesame team have created. Heres a test i ran, Spike Jonze knew what was coming.

So will AI steal our jobs? Will it ruin creatives? Will it replace developers? Will it destroy the world? No, probably not. If you don't give up, stay focused and realise its potential, adapt like we always do, you will be absolutely in a better place than you were before, but now you will probably have a few new superpowers like extra time, infinite knowledge and the ability to harness the endless possibilities your creativity can serve up.

Artificially intelligent.

Sat 23rd Nov 2024

Staring yet again at a screen, avoiding most social interaction in the pursuit of knowledge, attempting a reshaping of the inner workings of my mind.
I ebb and flow between states of dreaming and focus. The real battle between good and evil.

I dream of having 48 hour days, 24 hours for myself and 24 hours for the world.

Recent readings include The Cosmic Puppets, by no means the best book in the world - it mostly has the ending to blame for that - but it managed to open up a gateway into another world. I quickly inhaled this short novel within two days. Phillip K. Dick never disappoints.

They my current selection seems relevant in these times. Although I guess someone is always trying to kill off aspects of this world they don’t agree with or understand.

I have barely taken a photo since.. I am unsure when. My musical well has all but dried up, Shrivelled in the screen glow of my University studies.
Closure is ever so close - 5 years - Yet I contemplate Honours? I shouldn’t.

I want to do it all and will try my hardest.
If only I had 48 hours in a day.

• https://cheatsheets.zip (if you want to learn some shortcuts because you are lazy like me)

bye 👋🏻 - Tj

A world under fire.

War is not the answer. History has shown time and time again that the costs of war are immeasurable. Whether in terms of loss of life, destruction of infrastructure, or economic repercussions, the toll of conflict on society is profound. War leaves a trail of devastation in its wake, breeding resentment, perpetuating cycles of violence, and sowing seeds of discord that can last for generations. Rather than resolving disputes, war often deepens existing divides and creates new grievances. Diplomacy, dialogue, and compromise offer a more sustainable path toward peace and prosperity, fostering understanding and reconciliation in place of enmity and destruction. Choosing the path of peace requires courage, patience, and a willingness to seek common ground, but the long-term benefits far outweigh the fleeting gains of war.

The above paragraph wasn’t written by me, it was AI generated obviously, which poses the question, are you ready and aware of its true influence?

We have lived with disinformation for a long time, however the playing field is changing rapidly.

I just watched 20 days in Mariupol, which added to my already overloaded brain, trying to piece together where things went so wrong with the world? And how could this be happening to people in the 2020’s? An eye opening firsthand account recorded by Mstyslav Chernov
& Evgeniy Maloletka of their experience documenting the stories of those trapped during the horrific invasion of the city of Mariupol and its human death toll.

It’s a poignant film that will not help you feel ok about where the world is heading. But I think we shouldn’t feel ok at a time like this, sitting in the comfort of our homes on the other-side of the world. One point the film made well was that we need to be wary, not just of the toll war takes on people, but of disinformation.

Through out the documentary the invaders chose to discredit, twist and manipulate the narrative. Calling the video footage fake news etc. It troubles me that even well documented firsthand accounts, actual proof, that show events happening to people in a real world scenario, can be flat out denied and written off as fake. This film really puts the nail in the coffin of anyone trying to dispute its authenticity. It is an outlier though.

This ever evolving landscape, as global powers struggle over the balance of power, has turned the worlds ship directly into the most dangerous storm we have ever faced. The new cold war.

I have been following the ways in which social manipulation has been playing out over the internet for the past few years, and cant help but wonder where this is taking us. Q into the storm is another great documentary. Showcasing just how odd and powerful these new forms of manipulation can be, and the potential they have to sway countries views and beliefs.

That being said, We are about to soon be engulfed (even more then we are now), into a world of over saturated AI generated content. That is near indistinguishable from reality to the untrained eye. The use cases for AI will be endless. Images, Video content, Documentation and Advertising are just some of the ways it is already being utilized. Most people aren’t even aware of what’s happening, and the vast majority of people wont be ready for what comes next. This tooling wont take over on its own, Sorry no Terminator type scenarios yet. But in the hands of bad actors the effects will be disastrous, and likely felt simultaneously across the world.

We are all hard wired in to this new Matrix whether we like it or not. My main concern here is that it will sow the seeds doubt in near everything. When the AI becomes unrecognizable, how do we differentiate what is real and what isn’t? That will be for the world to decide.

Being counterintuitive may be a way the way forward. A ship, unlike a car, steers its rudder in the opposite direction to go the way it wants to go, when left is right and right is left we may find a new way to be. A form of humanity we have started to grow accustom to in the world of fast paced meme culture, it may just allow us to differentiate ourselves from all the lifeless AI drivel bombarding our day to day.

Here is my shameless plug, some non AI bullshit, A man in a car with a camera taking photos of buildings.

Stop making sense.

Life has a funny way of giving you what you need at the right times.



1. Stop making sense - Jonathan Demme, a screening at Imax cinema 10.30am 24th of Sep, I was late but didn’t miss a thing. Soy in my coffee with a bottle of water. An ample title for a band so grand in concept.



I whittled away the hours in-between film stubs prowling the city looking for moments into lives I do not live. The city provided what I was looking for. Escaping my duties of study and the like. Note to self, Southbank is a cesspool of civilisation.

2. Nam june paik : moon is the oldest tv - Amanda Kim, an afternoon screening at ACMI, considerably empty cinema, Oat in my coffee and a glass bottle of water.



I walked out of both sessions inspired in different ways, the first instantly reinforced the fact that being an odd ball is ok, curating it is better. The second cemented in my mind that pursuing this is my only option, I have been chasing art for years never truly grasping my medium in my mind. The veil has been pulled aside, I walked toward the exit, an older lady to my left, also heading toward the door. 
We both came to an abrupt halt as the door did not open for us. I laughed and said something witty that has since slipped my mind, she laughed, we left via the side door.
There was a warmth as I walked out of the afternoon screening into federation square, my mind was racing.

I feel the energy inside me has a channel. Look insane who gives a fuck. 
Record everything, create a purpose for these things. Document the world in my own way, create something new if I can. 
If I cannot, I tried.



Aleisha 8am, drop off, gastroenterologist appointment. 

I was brewing an idea already, recording my breakfast, documenting it, wearing a suit, suits give you credibility, credibility in a world forever divorced from reality. I hate suits. 
Intense light, dial in 88%, 3 cameras different angles, a grey curtain, a pedestal, a radio and a bible, 2 litres of sprite replaced with water and two slices of left over pizza from last night. Cold.

What I created resembles double vision auditory nightmare scene from 66 scenes from america - Jorgen Leth, which was unbeknownst to me at the time, my algorithm fed me that later that afternoon.
 I was merely creating an art work as a nod to Nam June Paik and David Byrne. An assortment of loose concepts interwoven. The idea has meaning in the sense of the world of internet culture. Loneliness and anxiety fed by the hyper capitalistic world of today. A Mukbang if you will, for a world forever consuming, food and content all tangled into one. Ive always had an issue with my weight and appearance, In doing this I immortalize that pain and stress. Release it in a way. Forever connected but alone, Tuning into pockets of life but not really experiencing, always hungry for it, but what is it?

The bible? Meaning in life? Sure that’s it. Gone are the days of saying grace for most. But if you have forgotten how do not fret, because the internet has you covered. The internet changed the world and where you can look for meaning, just like Jesus did.

Did either of them fix anything? Not that I can tell yet.
Am i having some kind of delusion of grandeur, that my art will culminate into something one day? I want this work to be projected somewhere. Ill start with my lounge room and work on a gallery exhibit. Bring about a new form of spiritualism for myself. Maybe the end goal is to find a community of like minded internet weirdos. I will continue to create this organized chaos to ease my mind. Bringing about a zen like state as I battle against time. Time to create things I care about vs time spent doing life's chores. My true enemy, Menial tasks, Working etc. My true purpose is and always will be creating.

There was more but as always my mind is fleeting and if I do not write thoughts down at the time. Then the sink hole somewhere in the middle of my brain sucks the thoughts right out of my head. Possibly regurgitated at a later date, I may remember more some time next June. But that is for the world to decide.

Sincerely yours,

T. James

Seven.

7 weeks in Japan completing an internship.
Its a long time to go without vegemite.

Culture shock hits everyone differently i suppose. I felt like i managed under the circumstances. At times i was definitely challenged and felt deflated by it all, the pressure was intense, but in retrospect having had an opportunity to be faced with complexity and a severe language barrier i managed to complete the internship.
My true take away was a cultural one, Ill never forget this time. I made some friends along the way, Japanese and Australian. It opened my eyes to the things i take for granted.

There were one too many beers and cigarettes. A strange adventure with an army soldier. A sobering hike and a moment of bliss at dawn on a beach.

大丈夫 です