After 27 years of rearranging pixels, I’m trading my mouse for a microscope and attempting to teach high school biology before the climate finishes us off. I’ve launched a Substack to document this mid-life metamorphosis, my recent autism diagnosis, and a vast collection of half-baked creative projects I’ll almost certainly never finish. It’s a digital graveyard for my works-in-progress—ranging from indie comic scripts to biological deep-dives—at various stages of "good enough to post but too much work to complete." Full disclosure: in the spirit of surviving the machine, I'll document using AI in other ways, I’m also hoping to claw back some extra money to offset the terrifying jump to teacher pay. Come for the science and self-deprecation, stay for the cynical-but-hopeful inner monologue of a 45-year-old starting over while their adult child looks on in pity.

https://coryottenwess.substack.com/

A sky blue cargo bike with two seats on the back. Each rear seat has a ring shaped handle for the rider to hold on to. The ring has new sky blue bar tape on it which matches the colour of the bike frame.

A person in a bunny suit waits, sitting upon a wicker throne in a constructed environment which is maybe meant to resemble a living room. They may be waiting a long time, for they are alone and the space is large and open. I do not deign to scry meaning, but there are many interpretations available. All are valid. But still... the bunny waits.

A poster showing a yellow 2D figure being mangled by two green bottles.

Tortoise shell cat, lounging in the sun on a cement driveway.

closeup of a printed flyer, with a sad-looking wolf looking at a laptop.

huckleberry hound being punched by a fist coming out of a phone

Alt text:
Two people stand together at a large outdoor protest in a city park, smiling and holding illustrated signs that read “No Kings.” The signs feature stylized drawings of a crown being struck by lightning and a crown beneath a rising or setting sun. A crowd of demonstrators with additional signs fills the background, with tall skyscrapers visible under a clear blue sky.

Scene from Deadloch showing the subtitles “ Pretty much just three blokes and a Commodore 64.”

Recap
The official White House Android app:
1. Injects JavaScript into every website you open through its in-app browser to hide cookie consent dialogs, GDPR banners, login walls, signup walls, upsell prompts, and paywalls.
2. Has a full GPS tracking pipeline compiled in that polls every 4.5 minutes in the foregrOund and 9.5 minutes in the background, syncing lat/lng/accuracy/timestamp to OneSignal's servers.
3. Loads JavaScript from a random person's GitHub Pages site (lonelycpp.github. io ) for YouTube embeds. If that account is compromised, arbitrary code runs in the app's WebView.
4. Loads third-party JavaScript from Elfsight (elfsightcdn. com/platfo rm.js) for social media widgets, with no sandboxing.
5. Sends email addresses to Mailchimp, images are served from Uploadcare, and a Truth Social embed is hardcoded with static CDN URLs. None of this is government infrastructure.
6. Has no certificate pinning. Standard Android trust management.
7. Ships with dev artifacts in production. A localhost URL, a developer IP ( 10.4.4. 109 ), the Expo dev client, and an exported Compose PreviewActivity.
8. Profiles users extensively through OneSignal- tags, SMS numbers, cross-device aliases, outcome tracking, notification interaction logging, in-app message click tracking, and full user state observation.
Is any of this illegal? Probably not. Is it what you'd expect from an official government app? Probably not either.

Print advertisement for the Japanese home computer, Aiwa Infortainment PC-MT466V2. A computer/television hybrid device.

Text (auto-translated) reads:
"through
A TV computer that the whole family can use.
NEW
intel inside
DOS/V
Microphone included
It boasts powerful specifications a class above, and comes pre-loaded with a variety of software that the whole family can enjoy.
Equipped with the top-of-the-line i486DX2 CPU (66MHz).
② Class-leading capacity 540MB HDD drive
9 titles and 17 types of Windows application software are already installed.
High-definition 14-inch Trinitron CRT, high-quality stereo speakers (detachable).
⑤ Energy-saving design (uses dedicated power circuits for the TV and PC)
Laughing at Work (MS-WORKS)
Built-in word processing, spreadsheet, database, and communication software.
Game (SAME PACK)
We offer six popular games, including Mahjong.
Postcard (Mr. Postman Lite)
Create annual greeting cards and summer greeting cards easily.
Electronic Book (Viewing Lite)
You can enjoy software. Electronic books for devices, etc.
Drawing (Vince)
Household budgeting (Efficient Household Budgeting Mom)
An easy-to-use household budgeting software that utilizes spreadsheet software.
English-Japanese/Japanese-English Dictionary (ViewDic Lite)
Word processing software with 6 One-touch English-Japanese/Japanese-English dictionary
Fax modem setup (Super Voice 2.0)
A color painting tool that can also create oil painting-style images.
Connect the Aiwa modem for voice/fax/data communication.
infortainment
466V2 4662
298,000 yen (standard price)
price
Main Specifications ●Main RAM: 8MB (30MB) Video RAM
Eve, Multi-session, CD-ROM (motorized tray type) / CD: CD-ROM, Phone CD, CD, CD-G soundboard
CD-ROM mode VGA/640×480 dots (16.77 million colors), 800×600 (5136), 1024×768 dots (256), 280×1024 dots (08), card stereo (5th Water × 21151), one sound
(occupied by), 2/3 size
433 248,000 yen
new price
infortainment
PC-MT433 Price
High-speed CPU 1486SX (33MHz) equipped ● Large capacity 273MB HDD drive
300 yen TV Haricon Mode ۵: 2017 2017 2017 2017 V144 ● Linitron is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation.
Philosoph, Sample's TT-000 WindowsPho, Eastman Codock's product name, and each company's Tokyo Blast Crossing TSound
Customer inquiries: Tokyo 03-3371-7981, Osaka 06-744-7509
Consultation center
PC support center
03-3371-7876
(Technical support hours: Monday to Sunday (excluding public holidays and year-end/New Year holidays))
8:30~17:00(12:00~13:00)
aiwa touch."

woman dancing

A white metal lunchbox that says “HUMAN ORGAN FOR TRANSPLANT” on it in in large red letters. In front of the lunch box are dirty used gloves, a dirty paper towel, and a dirty plastic bag. Everything is stained red because of beets.

A person sits in a glass bubble on top of a gunmetal-green tower. The tower is complex and futuristic, with various wires and details. The sky behind the tower is pink towards the horizon, fading to a dark blue. The bubble reflects both the pink light towards the horizon and a bluish light from above. There are a few glowing white lights in the sky that don't look like stars. The person is sitting at a desk in the bubble, working at a small retro Macintosh computer. They are illuminated by the white glow of the screen. The painting is signed "Chris Silverman".

Black and white photograph of a winding tower.

A protester holds a sign with an image of Bobby Hill that reads "That's my constitution I don't know you"

surreal, abstract painting by eyvind earle, which features stylized, sleek horses galloping across the frame, with a golden-to-red gradient behind them, and stylized barren trees painted in deep reds and purples rising upward to the sky, with long, thin limbs reaching upward in careful rows

A portable toilet is pictured at the end of a rainbow.

toddler in a car seat with crossed legs and closed eyes

Linda Carter wonderwomaning her way into a shirtless salsa dancer

Vintage patriotic illustration of a young women in flowing white gown waving an American flag overhead, with red text overlaid saying, “MARCH 28 2026, NO KINGS! NO FASCISM! DEFEND DEMOCRACY”