School of the Unconformed | Ruth Gaskovski | Substack

Recent posts

The Generative Life: Learning Begins at Home

For those of you who prefer to read off paper rather than the screen, we have converted the post into an easily printable pdf file.

Dec 5, 2025 • Peco and Ruth Gaskovski

First Things & A Simple and Sane Christmas

What to skip, what to show up for, and how to keep things slow

Nov 28, 2025 • Ruth Gaskovski and Peco

A (Visual) Human Creed: How to Unmachine Your Life, the Universe, and Everything

For those of you who prefer to read off paper rather than the screen, we have converted the post into an easily printable pdf file.

Nov 17, 2025 • Peco and Ruth Gaskovski

1:00:38

Doomer Optimism Gathering Keynote Address: A (Visual) Human Creed

How to Unmachine Your Life, the Universe, and Everything

Nov 17, 2025 • Peco and Ruth Gaskovski

The Annual Walking Rebellion: Restoring the Mind at Three Miles an Hour

How to boycott the Machine in 10,000 easy steps

Nov 3, 2025 • Ruth Gaskovski and Peco

God, godbots, and “friends”: Who we are depends on who is watching us

“Who we are depends on who is watching us.” – from Exogenesis by Peco

Published on Pilgrims in the Machine • Oct 24, 2025

The two ingredients that can make a thing seem human

Just in from the Guardian:

Published on Pilgrims in the Machine • Oct 2, 2025

The Nursery and the Machine: A Survey

Peco and I are currently working on articles (as well as preparing our keynote speech for the upcoming Doomer Optimism Gathering from Nov 7-8).

Sep 26, 2025 • Ruth Gaskovski

Unmachining Toolbox

Can Humanity Trust TIME's "Person" of the Year?

From blackboards to black vestments, experts' "blah blah" words, inevitability, and digital theophanies

Dec 16, 2025 • Peco and Ruth Gaskovski

First Things & A Simple and Sane Christmas

What to skip, what to show up for, and how to keep things slow

Nov 28, 2025 • Ruth Gaskovski and Peco

A (Visual) Human Creed: How to Unmachine Your Life, the Universe, and Everything

For those of you who prefer to read off paper rather than the screen, we have converted the post into an easily printable pdf file.

Nov 17, 2025 • Peco and Ruth Gaskovski

The Annual Walking Rebellion: Restoring the Mind at Three Miles an Hour

How to boycott the Machine in 10,000 easy steps

Nov 3, 2025 • Ruth Gaskovski and Peco

digital fasting

Beyond Digital Fasting: Staying the Course

Our experience, your experience, and a call for photos

Apr 25, 2025 • Ruth Gaskovski and Peco

Embarking on the Digital Communal Fast

Zoom link to our live meeting and "Digital fasting as a pilgrimage"

Mar 5, 2025 • Ruth Gaskovski and Peco

Factory Reset: 49 days to restore your human default

Your personal guide to our annual Communal Digital Fast

Feb 26, 2025 • Ruth Gaskovski and Peco

It's not me, it's you - on breaking up with the internet

For those of you who prefer to read off paper rather than the screen, I have converted the post into an easily printable pdf file.

Jan 3, 2025 • Ruth Gaskovski

Books & Reading

A Guide to Surviving the Age of Post-Literacy: How to raise (or become) a reader

For those of you who prefer to read off paper rather than the screen, we have converted the post into an easily printable pdf file.

Oct 15, 2025 • Ruth Gaskovski and Peco

The Idea Machine: Putting Socrates’ Prophecy to the Test

When I was young, wandering the aisles of a local bookstore or public library was a journey of quiet wonder.

Sep 19, 2025 • Peco

55:13

Reading in the Digital Age

A conversation with Joel J Miller

Apr 24, 2025 • Ruth Gaskovski, Joel J Miller, and Peco

Unmachined Words: A (mostly) non-fiction reading list to keep you human

For those of you who prefer to read off paper rather than the screen, we have converted the post into an easily printable pdf file:

Apr 4, 2025 • Ruth Gaskovski and Peco

Family & Tech

The Critical Reality Window: How to be a default shifter

Language opportunity, "But what do you do all day?", and overcoming horror vacui

Feb 14, 2025 • Ruth Gaskovski and Peco

Beyond Managing Screen Time: How to Make a Home for Humans

Scaffolds, Altars, and Screen-Free Living Spaces

Sep 25, 2024 • Ruth Gaskovski

Turning the Algorithm Upside Down: The Opt-Out Family

An interview with former social media influencer Erin Loechner

Jun 11, 2024 • Ruth Gaskovski and Peco

How to Grow a Garden in the Technopoly

Tessa Carman on the Postman Pledge, the Machine, and playing the long game

Feb 7, 2024 • Ruth Gaskovski, Peco, and Tessa Carman

People & Community

First Things & A Simple and Sane Christmas

What to skip, what to show up for, and how to keep things slow

Nov 28, 2025 • Ruth Gaskovski and Peco

High Fidelity: Bringing back commitment culture

"Post-meh-dernity", the mind's braking system, and training for high fidelity

Jan 23, 2025 • Peco and Ruth Gaskovski

The Convivial Quest: The Importance of Being Festive

A table, feasting and fasting, community snapshots, and a practical beginning

Dec 12, 2024 • Peco and Ruth Gaskovski

Beatrice Institute Podcast- Unmachining: Reclaiming a Grounded Life

An kitchen table conversation with Grant Martsolf

Sep 12, 2024 • Peco, Ruth Gaskovski, and Grant Martsolf

Unconformed Education

Learning, Fast and Slow: Why AI will not revolutionize education

An unexpected algorithm

Apr 15, 2025 • Peco and Ruth Gaskovski

For the Love of Language: Unlocking Classic Literature with 217 Words

Doubleplusgood vs. Dickens, A Christmas Carol reading guide, and free words

Nov 14, 2024 • Ruth Gaskovski and Peco

Unconformed Education: A Personal Deep Dive

From commitment and "politics" to schedules, books, and the long game

Aug 1, 2024 • Ruth Gaskovski and Peco

How to Grow a Garden in the Technopoly

Tessa Carman on the Postman Pledge, the Machine, and playing the long game

Feb 7, 2024 • Ruth Gaskovski, Peco, and Tessa Carman

Memory & Attention

Building People with Three-Dimensional Memory

Why and how we need to exercise our memory muscles

May 23, 2024 • Ruth Gaskovski and Peco

Rehabilitating Ferals of the Digital Age

Eating books, training deep attention, and a practical guide to reading

Jul 14, 2023 • Ruth Gaskovski

The Great Forgetting

How 'critical thinking' and outsourcing of memory are withering culture, and how to turn the tide

Apr 4, 2023 • Ruth Gaskovski

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