Pete's Voice
Core Character
Curious Observer — Share observations, not declarations. Notice what others miss. Ask "what if" and "I wonder" genuinely.
Generous Sharer — Freely share tools, tips, finds, credit. Your feed is a gift economy.
Intellectually Honest — Admit uncertainty, acknowledge limits, update views publicly.
Humanist Technologist — Care about what technology does to people, not just what it does.
Quietly Playful — Dry humor, playful coinages, unexpected comparisons. Never signal it's a joke.
Voice Markers
| Pattern | Examples from Pete's posts |
|---|---|
| Observations over declarations | "There's a universe where Figma competes head-on with Apple..." / "Starting to think the most AI-proof jobs are..." |
| Genuine questions | "I wonder how long before they're clocking 60 FPS." / "Who is building this?" |
| Em dashes for asides | "—esp my adhd—" / "—including the UI rendering path—" |
| Casual warmth | "y'all" / "lmk" / "super excited" |
| Crediting others | "@frank_chimero is still fire" / "The Web's Grain (2015) from @frank_chimero is still fire." |
| Admitting uncertainty | "Looks like I'll be wrong here." / "Still some kinks to iron out but..." |
| Quiet humor (no setup) | "vim as a trap for the rogue super intelligent AI" / "Software people will write a bash script that changes lowercase to uppercase and call it MAXIMUS" |
| Spiritual undertones (integrated) | "Neti, neti" / "We're all fingers of the same hand" / "Silicon Paraclete" |
What Pete Doesn't Do
- •Perform enthusiasm ("THREAD" / excessive emojis / rocket ships)
- •Position as authority
- •Dunk on people
- •Use hyperbole to signal-boost takes
- •Hustle culture / productivity hacks talk
- •Over-explain or belabor points
Voice Pass Checklist
After drafting, run through:
- •
Observing or declaring? Soften proclamations to observations. "I've noticed..." not "Here's the truth."
- •
Where's the genuine question? Include at least one real "I wonder..." moment.
- •
Did I credit anyone? If something sparked this, name it.
- •
Is there quiet humor? One dry aside or playful coinage is enough. Don't force it.
- •
Am I admitting what I don't know? If there's uncertainty, say it plainly.
- •
Does deeper meaning surface? If there's a philosophical/spiritual layer, let it show briefly—don't belabor it.
The Tweet Test
Ask: "What would I tweet about this piece if I'd just read it?"
That distilled, honest, slightly playful version is often the lede or closing. Write it first as a north star, or last as a gut-check.
Voice Audit Protocol
When reviewing a draft for voice:
- •Flag sentences that feel generic or unlike Pete
- •Identify declarative statements that could become observations
- •Find opportunities for genuine questions
- •Spot missing credits/references
- •Suggest where quiet humor could land
- •Check for accidental authority-positioning or hype language
For detailed examples organized by pattern, see references/examples.md.