Merk
@dendrobyte.bsky.social
Backend software engineer by day, artist in training by night. Jack of all trades.
Sharing: Art progress, Project Harbinger dev updates, MMA progress
YouTube: @markbacon78
Sharing: Art progress, Project Harbinger dev updates, MMA progress
YouTube: @markbacon78
Reposted by Merk
“Rather than AI being able to enhance human innovation, critical thinking, the progress of science—it’s being used to exploit our insecurities. That’s the thing about so many of these Silicon Valley tech bros. They’re essentially emotionally maladapted psychopaths.”
Speaking nothing but the truth.
Speaking nothing but the truth.
October 20, 2025 at 11:21 PM
“Rather than AI being able to enhance human innovation, critical thinking, the progress of science—it’s being used to exploit our insecurities. That’s the thing about so many of these Silicon Valley tech bros. They’re essentially emotionally maladapted psychopaths.”
Speaking nothing but the truth.
Speaking nothing but the truth.
Reposted by Merk
i see you're doing something online that you have effortlessly done 100,000 times. would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? w
October 20, 2025 at 2:38 PM
i see you're doing something online that you have effortlessly done 100,000 times. would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? would you like to use this ai tool? w
Reposted by Merk
It used to be that knowledge in itself was a strong source of status. It allowed you to be witty, worldly and refined. Now knowledge has been completely devalued since you can approximate it for consumption purposes.
The new "knowledge" is "doing things", because so fucking few people do things.
The new "knowledge" is "doing things", because so fucking few people do things.
October 20, 2025 at 1:17 PM
It used to be that knowledge in itself was a strong source of status. It allowed you to be witty, worldly and refined. Now knowledge has been completely devalued since you can approximate it for consumption purposes.
The new "knowledge" is "doing things", because so fucking few people do things.
The new "knowledge" is "doing things", because so fucking few people do things.
Reposted by Merk
I know it's a fool's errand to expect anything from the media but "President posts video of himself dumping diarrhea on America" is an important thing to call attention to for a dozen reasons
October 19, 2025 at 2:20 AM
I know it's a fool's errand to expect anything from the media but "President posts video of himself dumping diarrhea on America" is an important thing to call attention to for a dozen reasons
Reposted by Merk
If you're a solo dev/small indie team looking for art or logos please don't turn to genAI. I would honestly rather folks reach out to a designer and offer like rev share alongside a smaller up front cost to get something made by a person.
Hell email me and we'll chat. Don't turn to the slop machine
Hell email me and we'll chat. Don't turn to the slop machine
October 14, 2025 at 2:10 PM
If you're a solo dev/small indie team looking for art or logos please don't turn to genAI. I would honestly rather folks reach out to a designer and offer like rev share alongside a smaller up front cost to get something made by a person.
Hell email me and we'll chat. Don't turn to the slop machine
Hell email me and we'll chat. Don't turn to the slop machine
Reposted by Merk
Footbridge in Ancoats, 1952 by Laurence Stephen Lowry
October 14, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Footbridge in Ancoats, 1952 by Laurence Stephen Lowry
‘n look at these snoozers
October 6, 2025 at 4:23 PM
‘n look at these snoozers
Reposted by Merk
Part of this nightmare era is the complete, engineered collapse of belief in human creativity and an increasingly desperate belief that nightmarish computer routines will somehow produce new wonders
October 6, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Part of this nightmare era is the complete, engineered collapse of belief in human creativity and an increasingly desperate belief that nightmarish computer routines will somehow produce new wonders
W e l p — this morning’s progress on #100headschallenge
Noticing specific issues now, which is nice. Lesson I got from archery was just fixing one thing at a time while never losing the right mentality (in this case; each fix must be justified by proper head construction)
Noticing specific issues now, which is nice. Lesson I got from archery was just fixing one thing at a time while never losing the right mentality (in this case; each fix must be justified by proper head construction)
October 6, 2025 at 4:18 PM
W e l p — this morning’s progress on #100headschallenge
Noticing specific issues now, which is nice. Lesson I got from archery was just fixing one thing at a time while never losing the right mentality (in this case; each fix must be justified by proper head construction)
Noticing specific issues now, which is nice. Lesson I got from archery was just fixing one thing at a time while never losing the right mentality (in this case; each fix must be justified by proper head construction)
Reposted by Merk
oh fuck yes now we are cooking
Indigenous Nations Plan Tariff-Free Trade Corridor Across US-Canada border ino.to/agDxSX2
Indigenous Nations Plan Tariff-Free Trade Corridor Across US-Canada border
“We’re not begging for crumbs anymore. We’re demanding what’s rightly ours."
ino.to
October 6, 2025 at 1:47 AM
oh fuck yes now we are cooking
These inspire me so much. Giving me life whilst I struggle through my beginner hurdles.
October 6, 2025 at 4:22 AM
These inspire me so much. Giving me life whilst I struggle through my beginner hurdles.
Today’s #artprogress on #100headschallenge
My focus is getting better. Wanted to hit 50 tn but alas. About 7-8 mins per then i take a mental few mins to suffer lol
Finishing these by oct 11th to call it a wrap on SAC term 1. Will try from imagination at the end?
My focus is getting better. Wanted to hit 50 tn but alas. About 7-8 mins per then i take a mental few mins to suffer lol
Finishing these by oct 11th to call it a wrap on SAC term 1. Will try from imagination at the end?
October 6, 2025 at 4:21 AM
Today’s #artprogress on #100headschallenge
My focus is getting better. Wanted to hit 50 tn but alas. About 7-8 mins per then i take a mental few mins to suffer lol
Finishing these by oct 11th to call it a wrap on SAC term 1. Will try from imagination at the end?
My focus is getting better. Wanted to hit 50 tn but alas. About 7-8 mins per then i take a mental few mins to suffer lol
Finishing these by oct 11th to call it a wrap on SAC term 1. Will try from imagination at the end?
Reposted by Merk
Author and filmmaker Justine Bateman on generative AI
October 4, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Author and filmmaker Justine Bateman on generative AI
Reposted by Merk
listen, anybody can make a comic. anybody. but most people aren't dumbass enough to bother. and I think, as a demographic, that makes us really special
Anyone have a particularly hot comic take?
October 3, 2025 at 9:51 PM
listen, anybody can make a comic. anybody. but most people aren't dumbass enough to bother. and I think, as a demographic, that makes us really special
October 4, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Final result, finished this morning. Lots of critique for myself but these failures incentivize to pay attention more to refs and what I’d like to focus on
October 2, 2025 at 4:08 AM
Final result, finished this morning. Lots of critique for myself but these failures incentivize to pay attention more to refs and what I’d like to focus on
Some more posing problem solving. Hiding the face, working on the hand… Starting in on final today, will likely bleed over into tomorrow
September 29, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Some more posing problem solving. Hiding the face, working on the hand… Starting in on final today, will likely bleed over into tomorrow
Reposted by Merk
The thing we love about art, the connection between human beings across time and space and the sharing of emotion and expression, that's the thing the AI backers specifically hate. They just want objects to buy and sell which can't criticize or question them, or ever make them think.
Even setting aside ethics (but, yknow, THAT) - I just don’t want AI bullshit. I don’t want an AI pop star, movie, book, video game.
Art is a conversation. Why would I stare at a dictionary run through the washing machine when I could read a poem lovingly constructed by someone’s hands?
Art is a conversation. Why would I stare at a dictionary run through the washing machine when I could read a poem lovingly constructed by someone’s hands?
September 29, 2025 at 1:57 AM
The thing we love about art, the connection between human beings across time and space and the sharing of emotion and expression, that's the thing the AI backers specifically hate. They just want objects to buy and sell which can't criticize or question them, or ever make them think.
Some more heads toward #100headschallenge
Need to do some more today. Might slightly jump focus.
Pushing past this part of the learning curve is the worst, second only to hitting a plateau
Need to do some more today. Might slightly jump focus.
Pushing past this part of the learning curve is the worst, second only to hitting a plateau
September 28, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Some more heads toward #100headschallenge
Need to do some more today. Might slightly jump focus.
Pushing past this part of the learning curve is the worst, second only to hitting a plateau
Need to do some more today. Might slightly jump focus.
Pushing past this part of the learning curve is the worst, second only to hitting a plateau
Started #100headschallenge 10 days ago, only on #7. Just had a difficult week but coming out of it.
Will continue on and work to persist.
Construction is a good warmup, making sure I’m seeing what’s underneath, but going right in w pen felt (pun intended) more enjoyable.
Refs via Proko
Will continue on and work to persist.
Construction is a good warmup, making sure I’m seeing what’s underneath, but going right in w pen felt (pun intended) more enjoyable.
Refs via Proko
September 25, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Started #100headschallenge 10 days ago, only on #7. Just had a difficult week but coming out of it.
Will continue on and work to persist.
Construction is a good warmup, making sure I’m seeing what’s underneath, but going right in w pen felt (pun intended) more enjoyable.
Refs via Proko
Will continue on and work to persist.
Construction is a good warmup, making sure I’m seeing what’s underneath, but going right in w pen felt (pun intended) more enjoyable.
Refs via Proko
asphodel part of an illustration I'm working on. won't be great, but it'll be a representation of where I'm at.
anyway, just some drawing from reference. while ill need to lean on a pencil when i scale up to the final illustration, pen is great. just nice to build confidence
Pentel Fude Brush Pen
anyway, just some drawing from reference. while ill need to lean on a pencil when i scale up to the final illustration, pen is great. just nice to build confidence
Pentel Fude Brush Pen
September 24, 2025 at 7:09 PM
asphodel part of an illustration I'm working on. won't be great, but it'll be a representation of where I'm at.
anyway, just some drawing from reference. while ill need to lean on a pencil when i scale up to the final illustration, pen is great. just nice to build confidence
Pentel Fude Brush Pen
anyway, just some drawing from reference. while ill need to lean on a pencil when i scale up to the final illustration, pen is great. just nice to build confidence
Pentel Fude Brush Pen
