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MUSINGS
I HAVE A LOT TO SAY SOMETIMES...


The Unquiet Tyranny of TikTok's "Group 7"
Upon reading this, the trend will already have passed. It's only been a few days (three, maybe four?), but TikTok’s “Group 7” phenomenon has already reached the apex of virality. In that brief flicker, “Group 7” managed to reveal a great deal about algorithmic psychology, communal longing, grassroots market research, and the bizarre velocity of online meaning-making. I Have No Idea What "Group 7" Is... That's okay. The trend cycle is rapid these days. The meme began on Fri
Michelle Burk
5 days ago6 min read


“Hey Chat…!” and the Illusion of Infinite Mediation
The “illusion of infinite mediation” is not just about visibility. It’s about saturation. The illusion is not that media is present, it’s that it is everywhere, all the time, and ontologically unresolvable.Mediation is not the lens through which we look at the environment. It is the environment.
Michelle Burk
Oct 17 min read


Scent Scholarship (June): Hedione, β‑Ionone, (–)‑Ambrox, Calone
MONTHLY FRAGRANCE FACTS & READINGS: Oud, Androstenone, Scented Cones, Ambergris
Michelle Burk
Jun 172 min read


What Is "Ethical AI Use"? (2025)
originally appeared: HERE The official Merriam-Webster definition of “ethical” is: Relating to ethics Involving or expressing moral...
Michelle Burk
May 74 min read


Threshold Design Analysis: Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari
Ferrari is unlike any other racing team. It is a national institution, a cultural myth, and a global symbol.
Success at Ferrari requires more than pace: it demands emotional loyalty, symbolic immersion, and alignment with an ethos that values suffering, redemption, and communal identity.
Michelle Burk
May 76 min read


Our Fear Of AI Reveals Our Distrust In Humanity
If we’re worried that AI will take over jobs that were previously occupied by humans, that’s a function of a society that places a higher emphasis on productivity and consistent output than human-centered thinking and sensory-based creativity. The latter are things that can only be poorly replicated by a non-human entity.
We must believe that our value exceeds just our intellect, capacity for knowledge retention, and our ability to strategize.
Michelle Burk
May 62 min read


Today's Ritual Object: KINKO'S BAG
If you were born before 1999 you've definitely encountered a Kinko's before.
Michelle Burk
May 53 min read


Beyond the Output: Critical Thinking From An Ethical AI Lens
If we focus only on ease, we risk erasing the very friction that shapes thinkers, scholars, and artists. Without that friction, we are not generating new knowledge. We are simply echoing the machine.
We do not need less thinking. We need thinking that refuses to stop where the AI leaves off.
Michelle Burk
May 55 min read


The Secret Angles That Unlock Transformative Connections
I’ve come to believe that these angled relationships, the 45-degree ones in particular, are among the most powerful. They’re not competitive. They’re not redundant. They’re parallel but tilted. Close enough to share DNA. Distant enough to bring fresh, oblique insight. And it’s completely possible to build these kinds of connections intentionally, outside of love or friendship. In your professional life, your academic networks, your creative collaborations.
Michelle Burk
May 43 min read


Scent Scholarship (May): Oud, Androstenone, Scented Cones, Ambergris
MONTHLY FRAGRANCE FACTS & READINGS: Oud, Androstenone, Scented Cones, Ambergris
Michelle Burk
May 32 min read

MICRO ESSAYS
& MUSINGS


The Unquiet Tyranny of TikTok's "Group 7"
Upon reading this, the trend will already have passed. It's only been a few days (three, maybe four?), but TikTok’s “Group 7” phenomenon has already reached the apex of virality. In that brief flicker, “Group 7” managed to reveal a great deal about algorithmic psychology, communal longing, grassroots market research, and the bizarre velocity of online meaning-making. I Have No Idea What "Group 7" Is... That's okay. The trend cycle is rapid these days. The meme began on Fri
Michelle Burk
5 days ago6 min read


“Hey Chat…!” and the Illusion of Infinite Mediation
The “illusion of infinite mediation” is not just about visibility. It’s about saturation. The illusion is not that media is present, it’s that it is everywhere, all the time, and ontologically unresolvable.Mediation is not the lens through which we look at the environment. It is the environment.
Michelle Burk
Oct 17 min read


Scent Scholarship (June): Hedione, β‑Ionone, (–)‑Ambrox, Calone
MONTHLY FRAGRANCE FACTS & READINGS: Oud, Androstenone, Scented Cones, Ambergris
Michelle Burk
Jun 172 min read


What Is "Ethical AI Use"? (2025)
originally appeared: HERE The official Merriam-Webster definition of “ethical” is: Relating to ethics Involving or expressing moral...
Michelle Burk
May 74 min read


Threshold Design Analysis: Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari
Ferrari is unlike any other racing team. It is a national institution, a cultural myth, and a global symbol.
Success at Ferrari requires more than pace: it demands emotional loyalty, symbolic immersion, and alignment with an ethos that values suffering, redemption, and communal identity.
Michelle Burk
May 76 min read


Our Fear Of AI Reveals Our Distrust In Humanity
If we’re worried that AI will take over jobs that were previously occupied by humans, that’s a function of a society that places a higher emphasis on productivity and consistent output than human-centered thinking and sensory-based creativity. The latter are things that can only be poorly replicated by a non-human entity.
We must believe that our value exceeds just our intellect, capacity for knowledge retention, and our ability to strategize.
Michelle Burk
May 62 min read


Today's Ritual Object: KINKO'S BAG
If you were born before 1999 you've definitely encountered a Kinko's before.
Michelle Burk
May 53 min read


Beyond the Output: Critical Thinking From An Ethical AI Lens
If we focus only on ease, we risk erasing the very friction that shapes thinkers, scholars, and artists. Without that friction, we are not generating new knowledge. We are simply echoing the machine.
We do not need less thinking. We need thinking that refuses to stop where the AI leaves off.
Michelle Burk
May 55 min read


The Secret Angles That Unlock Transformative Connections
I’ve come to believe that these angled relationships, the 45-degree ones in particular, are among the most powerful. They’re not competitive. They’re not redundant. They’re parallel but tilted. Close enough to share DNA. Distant enough to bring fresh, oblique insight. And it’s completely possible to build these kinds of connections intentionally, outside of love or friendship. In your professional life, your academic networks, your creative collaborations.
Michelle Burk
May 43 min read


Scent Scholarship (May): Oud, Androstenone, Scented Cones, Ambergris
MONTHLY FRAGRANCE FACTS & READINGS: Oud, Androstenone, Scented Cones, Ambergris
Michelle Burk
May 32 min read
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