Score for Papers#
Mill Mission#
The papermill exists to make the thinking inside Aesthetic Computer visible and shareable. AC generates a constant stream of ideas, experiments, and design decisions — most of which live only in code, commits, and conversation. The mill's job is to catch that stream and press it into forms that can leave the building: papers, cards, references, scores.
The mill is not an academic obligation. It is a publishing infrastructure — a way to keep the research platter honest by forcing ideas through the pressure of writing them down for someone else. If a thread can survive being written as a paper, it was real. If it can survive being compressed to a card, it was essential.
What This Is#
Papers are one output of a research platter — a living collection of materials, references, experiments, and threads that accumulate over time. The platter is always growing. Papers are what gets carved off and shaped into a form that can travel: to a conference, to a reader, to a card.
Each paper starts from a question or observation inside the Aesthetic Computer project and tries to make it legible to someone outside the project. The goal is not to be exhaustive but to be honest about what the work is and why it matters.
Process#
platter (raw material: notes, code, conversations, references)
→ thread (a question or observation worth following)
→ draft (a paper that tries to answer or frame it)
→ formats (arXiv two-column, cards single-sheet, JOSS software paper, dossier)
→ targets (conferences, journals, submissions, mail art)
The platter feeds everything. Threads get pulled from it. Some threads become papers, some become code, some stay threads. Papers can be rendered in multiple formats — the same .tex source produces both a full arXiv-style PDF and a single-sheet index card via cards-convert.mjs.
Swimlanes#
The mill runs several parallel tracks. Each lane is a different shape of artifact, with its own posture, its own audience, and its own pipeline.
1. arXiv-format papers (arxiv-*/)#
The main lane. Two-column LaTeX with AC custom fonts (ywft-processing-bold, ywft-processing-light + Latin Modern). Roughly 30 active titles ranging from 3 to 8 pages. Subjects: KidLisp internals, AC native OS, network audits, latency, identity, sustainability — all derived from things actually built inside AC. Source lives next to the artifact: arxiv-<slug>/<slug>.tex + references.bib + per-paper figures/.
2. Dossiers (arxiv-<org>/, dossier subset)#
A sub-lane of arXiv format with a different posture: fact-surfacing, not argumentative. The dossier records what is publicly recoverable about a digital-arts organization (or its funder) — financials, governance, programs, people, locations, named grants — and stops where the facts run out. Each dossier folder includes a structured data/ directory (CSVs + a README of what's solid / soft / missing) that sits alongside the .tex. The dossier swimlane started 2026-05-02 with Rhizome and SFPC; current set of 13:
| Dossier | Posture | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Rhizome.org | 501(c)(3) recipient, IRS XML pipeline | first-pass |
| School for Poetic Computation | LLC, public github finance repo | first-pass |
| Eyebeam | 501(c)(3) recipient, IRS XML pipeline | first-pass |
| Recurse Center | for-profit, founder interviews + recruiting model | first-pass |
| Internet Archive | 501(c)(3) recipient + litigation track | first-pass |
| Mellon Foundation | funder flip — 990-PF + grants database | first-pass |
| Pioneer Works | 501(c)(3) recipient, founder-as-funder | first-pass |
| NEW INC | embedded in New Museum 990 | first-pass |
| Studio Museum in Harlem | 501(c)(3) recipient, capital campaign | first-pass |
| HathiTrust | UMich library service, no separate 990 | first-pass |
| The Kitchen | 501(c)(3) recipient, 50+ year arc | first-pass |
| Machine Project | 501(c)(3) recipient (until 2018), Echo Park | first-pass |
| Heavy Manners Library | small space, status-undisclosed | first-pass |
Candidates queued in papers/hitlist.md.
3. JOSS papers (joss-*/)#
Condensed software papers for the Journal of Open Source Software. Markdown with LaTeX includes. JOSS review process focuses on software quality, documentation, and community impact — distinct from academic-novelty review. Current: joss-ac/, joss-kidlisp/.
4. Cards (*-cards.tex, generated)#
Single-sheet index-card layout reformatted from arXiv source via cards-convert.mjs. Designed for printing, passing hand-to-hand, pinning on walls. The same .tex source produces both the full arXiv PDF and the card.
5. Conference-specific scaffolds (<venue>-*/)#
Venue-specific submissions that don't fit arXiv format:
siggraph-asia-2026-tech/—acmtogLaTeX class for SIGGRAPH Asia Technical Papers (double-blind)cc-demo-2026/— ACM Demo format for Creativity & Cognitioniccc-kidlisp/,els-kidlisp/— ICCC and ELS submission packagesars-electronica-2026/— Prix Ars Electronica entry materials
6. Lectures (lectures/)#
Lecture transcripts paired with commentary and references. Material that started as spoken-word and was captured for later citation.
7. Platters (sub-platters)#
Smaller scoped collections. Each has its own manifest.json + sync.mjs:
jeffrey-platter/— biographical materials, image corpus, archival sources for Jeffrey-as-subjectwhistlegraph-platter/— Whistlegraph-specific artifacts and referencespeople-platter/— TODO; will hold AC-adjacent people biographies
8. CV (cv/)#
Jeffrey's CV is built through the same pipeline (LaTeX → PDF → site deploy) and treated as a long-form paper for tooling purposes. Hidden from the public index.
Tooling#
The mill's code lives at the top of papers/ and in bin/. All scripts are runnable as node papers/bin/<name>.mjs.
Top-level (build, deploy, index)#
| Script | Purpose |
|---|---|
cli.mjs |
Primary build CLI. build, deploy, publish, status, log. Multi-pass xelatex per paper × 4 languages. Auto-bumps metadata.json revisions on each build. |
papermill.mjs |
Older translation-build pipeline (still used for --format cards). |
sync-platter.mjs |
Refresh system/public/papers.aesthetic.computer/platter.html (the rendered index of reports / plans / studies / paper count). |
cards-convert.mjs |
Convert an arxiv .tex source into the single-sheet card layout. |
metadata.json |
Per-paper created date + revisions counter + updated ISO timestamp. Auto-bumped by cli.mjs publish. |
bin/ (dossier-cycle utilities, added 2026-05)#
| Script | Purpose |
|---|---|
bin/build-dossier.mjs |
Multi-pass xelatex + bibtex build for a single dossier or --all. Reports undefined citations. |
bin/gen-cover.mjs |
Generate the colored-pencil vignette cover illustration for a dossier from figures/cover-prompt.txt via OpenAI gpt-image-2 (1024×1024 square, faded edges). |
bin/gen-qrs.mjs |
Generate per-paper QR-code PNG pointing to the deployed permalink at papers.aesthetic.computer/<siteName>.pdf. Uses qrencode CLI. |
bin/migrate-cover.mjs |
One-shot migration: rewrite an old-style cover block (4em pals + 15em hero) into the new vignette layout (pals top-left + QR top-right + TikZ-overlaid title floating over faded illustration). Idempotent. |
bin/fix-people-tables.mjs |
One-shot: convert tabularx{lXl} people tables to tabularx{lXX} so the third column wraps and stops overflowing the column width. |
Style files#
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
ac-paper-layout.sty |
Shared visual identity for arxiv papers: AC color palette, font commands, draft watermark, pals logo watermark, section formatting, header/footer. |
ac-paper-cards.sty |
Cards-format layout. |
Formats#
- arXiv: Two-column academic layout with AC custom fonts, syntax-highlighted code, development history, adoption metrics. For preprint submission and sharing.
- Dossier: arXiv-format twocolumn but with a vignette cover, AI-generated colored-pencil illustration as hero, QR top-right pointing to permalink, structured
data/folder with raw CSVs alongside the.tex. Posture is fact-surfacing, not argumentative. - Cards: Single-sheet index-card layout reformatted from arXiv source. Designed for printing, passing hand to hand, pinning on walls.
- JOSS: Condensed software papers for Journal of Open Source Software. Markdown with LaTeX includes. JOSS reviews focus on software quality, documentation, and community impact.
Translations#
Every paper exists in four languages: English, Danish, Spanish, and Chinese (and increasingly Japanese). Translations are generated and maintained alongside the English source. This is not decoration — it reflects a commitment to the work being accessible beyond the anglophone academic world.
The cli.mjs build pipeline runs xelatex × 4 languages per paper. metadata.json tracks revision counts per English build only (to avoid double-counting translations).
Papers#
Sorted by most recently edited/added.
| Paper | Format | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comp Strats: Compositional Strategies in AC --- Aphorisms for a Shielded Media-Arts Practice | arXiv (LaTeX, ~7pp first-pass) | arxiv-comp-strats/comp-strats.pdf |
arxiv-comp-strats/comp-strats.tex |
| A Fraserin' Art + Tech (methodology essay + prior-art survey, labor-folk register) | arXiv (LaTeX, 7pp first-pass) | arxiv-fraserin/fraserin.pdf |
arxiv-fraserin/fraserin.tex |
| Pioneer Works: A Dossier (Genealogy, History, Programs, People, Money, Footprint, 2012–2026) | arXiv (LaTeX, dossier) | arxiv-pioneer-works/pioneer-works.pdf |
arxiv-pioneer-works/pioneer-works.tex |
| Mellon Foundation: A Dossier (Genealogy, Programs, Giving, People, Politics, 1969–2026) | arXiv (LaTeX, dossier) | arxiv-mellon/mellon.pdf |
arxiv-mellon/mellon.tex |
| Internet Archive: A Dossier (Genealogy, History, Programs, People, Money, Footprint, 1996–2026) | arXiv (LaTeX, dossier) | arxiv-internet-archive/internet-archive.pdf |
arxiv-internet-archive/internet-archive.tex |
| Recurse Center: A Dossier (Structure, History, Programs, People, Money, Footprint, 2011–2026) | arXiv (LaTeX, dossier) | arxiv-recurse/recurse.pdf |
arxiv-recurse/recurse.tex |
| Eyebeam: A Dossier (Genealogy, History, Programs, People, Money, Footprint, 1996–2026) | arXiv (LaTeX, dossier) | arxiv-eyebeam/eyebeam.pdf |
arxiv-eyebeam/eyebeam.tex |
| School for Poetic Computation: A Dossier (Structure, History, Programs, People, Money, Footprint, 2013–2026) | arXiv (LaTeX, dossier) | arxiv-sfpc/sfpc.pdf |
arxiv-sfpc/sfpc.tex |
| Rhizome.org: A Dossier (Genealogy, History, Programs, People, Money, Footprint, 1996–2026) | arXiv (LaTeX, dossier) | arxiv-rhizome/rhizome.pdf |
arxiv-rhizome/rhizome.tex |
| Keymaps as Social Software: Versioned Virtual Objects via Social Contract | arXiv (LaTeX) | arxiv-keymaps/keymaps.pdf |
arxiv-keymaps/keymaps.tex |
| Where the Microseconds Go (SIGGRAPH Asia 2026 Tech Papers port) | acmtog (LaTeX, scaffold) | (build pending) | siggraph-asia-2026-tech/latency-source.tex |
| Diagrams from Data: A Penrose Pipeline for AC Illustrations | arXiv (LaTeX) | arxiv-penrose/penrose.pdf |
arxiv-penrose/penrose.tex |
| Where the Microseconds Go: Input and Audio Latency in AC Native OS | arXiv (LaTeX, 6pp) | arxiv-latency/latency.pdf |
arxiv-latency/latency.tex |
| Aesthetic Computer Demo (C&C 2026) | ACM Demo (LaTeX) | cc-demo-2026/demo.pdf |
cc-demo-2026/demo.tex |
| The URL Tradition | arXiv (LaTeX) | arxiv-url-tradition/url-tradition.pdf |
arxiv-url-tradition/url-tradition.tex |
| The Potter and the Prompt | arXiv (LaTeX) | arxiv-holden/holden.pdf |
arxiv-holden/holden.tex |
| Two Departments, One Building | arXiv (LaTeX) | arxiv-ucla-arts/ucla-arts.pdf |
arxiv-ucla-arts/ucla-arts.tex |
| Handle Identity on the AT Protocol | arXiv (LaTeX) | arxiv-identity/identity.pdf |
arxiv-identity/identity.tex |
| Five Years from Now: What Aesthetic Computer Probably Becomes | arXiv (LaTeX) | arxiv-futures/futures.pdf |
arxiv-futures/futures.tex |
| Get Closed Source Out of Schools | arXiv (LaTeX) | arxiv-open-schools/open-schools.pdf |
arxiv-open-schools/open-schools.tex |
| CalArts, Callouts, and Papers | arXiv (LaTeX) | arxiv-calarts/calarts.pdf |
arxiv-calarts/calarts.tex |
| Reading the Score: A Critical Analysis of SCORE.md | arXiv (LaTeX) | arxiv-score-analysis/score-analysis.pdf |
arxiv-score-analysis/score-analysis.tex |
| KidLisp Cards: Programs That Fit on a Card | arXiv (LaTeX) | arxiv-kidlisp-cards/kidlisp-cards.pdf |
arxiv-kidlisp-cards/kidlisp-cards.tex |
| Sucking on the Complex | arXiv (LaTeX) | arxiv-complex/complex.pdf |
arxiv-complex/complex.tex |
| Playable Folk Songs | arXiv (LaTeX) | arxiv-folk-songs/folk-songs.pdf |
arxiv-folk-songs/folk-songs.tex |
| Every Sound is a Painting: Sampling as Visual-Auditory Practice | arXiv (LaTeX) | arxiv-sampling/sampling.pdf |
arxiv-sampling/sampling.tex |
| PLORKing the Planet: From Laptop Orchestra to Planetary Organ | arXiv (LaTeX, 8pp) | arxiv-plork/plork.pdf |
arxiv-plork/plork.tex |
| From setup() to boot(): Processing at the Core of the Piece API | arXiv (LaTeX, 7pp) | arxiv-api/api.pdf |
arxiv-api/api.tex |
| Network Audit: Who Uses Aesthetic Computer and What Do They Make? | arXiv (LaTeX, 4pp) | arxiv-network-audit/network-audit.pdf |
arxiv-network-audit/network-audit.tex |
| KidLisp Language Reference: 118 Built-ins in 12 Categories | arXiv (LaTeX, 4pp) | arxiv-kidlisp-reference/kidlisp-reference.pdf |
arxiv-kidlisp-reference/kidlisp-reference.tex |
| Whistlegraph: Drawing, Singing, and the Graphic Score as Viral Form | arXiv (LaTeX, 4pp) | arxiv-whistlegraph/whistlegraph.pdf |
arxiv-whistlegraph/whistlegraph.tex |
| Dead Ends: Failed Experiments and Abandoned Approaches | arXiv (LaTeX, 4pp) | arxiv-dead-ends/dead-ends.pdf |
arxiv-dead-ends/dead-ends.tex |
| Who Pays for Creative Tools? | arXiv (LaTeX, 5pp) | arxiv-sustainability/sustainability.pdf |
arxiv-sustainability/sustainability.tex |
| Radical Computer Art: Goodiepalian Approaches | arXiv (LaTeX, 4pp) | arxiv-goodiepal/goodiepal.pdf |
arxiv-goodiepal/goodiepal.tex |
| Repository Archaeology: Tracing AC Through Its Git History | arXiv (LaTeX, 3pp) | arxiv-archaeology/archaeology.pdf |
arxiv-archaeology/archaeology.tex |
| Diversity and Inclusion in AC Paper Citations | arXiv (LaTeX, 4pp) | arxiv-diversity/diversity.pdf |
arxiv-diversity/diversity.tex |
| KidLisp: A Minimal Lisp for Generative Art | arXiv (LaTeX, 6pp) | arxiv-kidlisp/kidlisp.pdf |
arxiv-kidlisp/kidlisp.tex |
| notepat.com: From Keyboard Toy to System Front Door | arXiv (LaTeX, 5pp) | arxiv-notepat/notepat.pdf |
arxiv-notepat/notepat.tex |
| AC Native OS '26 | arXiv (LaTeX, 5pp) | arxiv-os/os.pdf |
arxiv-os/os.tex |
| Aesthetic Computer '26 | arXiv (LaTeX, 5pp) | arxiv-ac/ac.pdf |
arxiv-ac/ac.tex |
| Pieces Not Programs: The Piece as a Unit of Creative Cognition | arXiv (LaTeX, 4pp) | arxiv-pieces/pieces.pdf |
arxiv-pieces/pieces.tex |
| Aesthetic Computer '26 | JOSS (Markdown) | joss-ac/paper.pdf |
joss-ac/paper.md |
| KidLisp '26 | JOSS (Markdown) | joss-kidlisp/paper.pdf |
joss-kidlisp/paper.md |
Cover-prompt doctrine#
Every dossier cover illustration must be sourced, not blind-prompted. The colored-pencil vignette is generated from figures/cover-prompt.txt via bin/gen-cover.mjs, but the contents of that prompt are research-driven: each visual element must trace to a real photograph, building, founder portrait, signature product, brand identity, or environmental detail of the organization being dossiered. The point is that the resolved image carries information density, not generic associations.
For each dossier, figures/ carries two files:
cover-prompt.txt— the prompt fed to gpt-image-2, with rich specificity (the actual building's facade, the founder's recurring outfit, the org's signature object).cover-sources.md— the citation log. For every visual element in the prompt, a line of attribution: which photo, which interview, which physical object, which brand asset. Source URLs included. This is the dossier's audit trail for the cover.
This rule is non-optional: a cover is the dossier's most-shared artifact (it's the IG-screenshot vector), so its visual claims need to be defensible the same way the dossier's text claims are footnoted.
Dossier cover gallery#
Each dossier opens with a colored-pencil vignette illustration generated via bin/gen-cover.mjs. The covers share a visual identity: cream paper, single floating iconic form, faded edges. Click through to the dossier .tex to read the source, or scan the in-PDF QR code to fetch the deployed permalink.
 |
 |
 |
| Rhizome.org | School for Poetic Computation | Eyebeam |
 |
 |
 |
| Recurse Center | Internet Archive | Mellon Foundation |
 |
 |
 |
| Pioneer Works | NEW INC | Studio Museum in Harlem |
 |
 |
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| HathiTrust | The Kitchen | Machine Project |
 |
||
| Heavy Manners Library |
Building#
Automatic (Oven Papermill)#
PDFs are auto-built on the oven server whenever papers/ changes are pushed to main.
The pipeline polls git every 60s, detects changes, and runs node papers/cli.mjs publish
(xelatex 3-pass for all papers × 4 languages + deploy + index update).
- Monitor:
GET oven.aesthetic.computer/papers-build - Manual trigger:
POST oven.aesthetic.computer/papers-build(requires admin key) - SSE logs:
GET oven.aesthetic.computer/papers-build/:jobId/stream - Source:
oven/papers-builder.mjs,oven/papers-git-poller.mjs
Manual (Local)#
# Full pipeline: build all → deploy → update index → verify
node papers/cli.mjs publish
# Build only English PDFs
node papers/cli.mjs build en
# Build cards format
node papers/papermill.mjs build --format cards
# Check status of all papers
node papers/cli.mjs status
# Individual paper (manual 3-pass build)
cd papers/arxiv-ac && xelatex ac.tex && bibtex ac && xelatex ac.tex && xelatex ac.tex
Dossier-specific (Local)#
# Build all 13 dossiers (multi-pass xelatex + bibtex with citation report)
node papers/bin/build-dossier.mjs --all
# Build a single dossier
node papers/bin/build-dossier.mjs arxiv-rhizome
# Generate the colored-pencil vignette cover from cover-prompt.txt
node papers/bin/gen-cover.mjs arxiv-rhizome --force
# Generate ALL dossier covers (slow — calls OpenAI gpt-image-2 for each)
node papers/bin/gen-cover.mjs --all --force
# Generate per-paper QR code pointing to the deployed permalink
node papers/bin/gen-qrs.mjs --all
node papers/bin/gen-qrs.mjs --all --langs # also generate da/es/zh/ja variants
After publish: refresh the platter#
node papers/sync-platter.mjs
Subdomain#
Published at papers.aesthetic.computer and papers.prompt.ac.
Targets#
Upcoming conferences and journals to submit to.
Still Open — Deadlines Ahead#
| Venue | Type | Deadline | Conference Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACM C&C 2026 | Demos | Apr 16, 2026 | Jul 13–16, London | DEADLINE PASSED — verify submission per SUBMISSIONS.md |
| ICCC 2026 | Short Papers | Apr 24, 2026 (23:59 AoE) | Jun 29–Jul 3, Coimbra | DEADLINE PASSED — verify submission per SUBMISSIONS.md |
| ICCC 2026 | Early Career Symposium | May 15, 2026 | Jun 29–Jul 3, Coimbra | Candidate |
| SIGGRAPH Asia 2026 | Technical Papers (full) | May 5 form / May 12 paper / May 13 upload | Dec 1–4, Kuala Lumpur | SCAFFOLD ready (siggraph-asia-2026-tech/) — adapting arxiv-latency to acmtog double-blind |
| SIGGRAPH Asia 2026 | Art Papers | Jun 8, 2026 | Dec 1–4, Kuala Lumpur | NEW |
| SIGGRAPH Asia 2026 | Art Gallery / Emerging Tech / XR | Jun 18, 2026 | Dec 1–4, Kuala Lumpur | NEW |
| SIGGRAPH Asia 2026 | Posters | Jul 31, 2026 | Dec 1–4, Kuala Lumpur | NEW |
| SIGGRAPH Asia 2026 | Real-Time Live! | Aug 7, 2026 | Dec 1–4, Kuala Lumpur | NEW |
| ArtsIT 2026 | Full Papers | Jun 1, 2026 | Dec 2–4, Bratislava | NEW |
| JOSS | Software Paper | Rolling | Rolling | Anytime |
Deadlines Passed (Track for Next Year)#
NIME (Feb 12), xCoAx (Feb 15), ACM CHI, SIGGRAPH main, Prix Ars Electronica (Mar 9), S+T+ARTS, ISEA (Nov 2025), Creative Capital (Apr 2), Scores for Social Software (Mar 31) — all missed for 2026. Track 2027 calls.
Funding Sources#
| Source | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Gary Marsden Travel Awards | Travel grant | Flights, lodging, meals, registration |
| Creative Capital Award | Project grant | Up to $50,000 |
| Foundation for Contemporary Arts | Emergency Grant | Varies |
| Prix Ars Electronica | Prize | €10,000 (Golden Nica) |
Author#
@jeffrey — ORCID: 0009-0007-4460-4913