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Shorten stretch page and reinstate coffee link
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villasv committed Jan 8, 2024
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78 changes: 33 additions & 45 deletions app/(aspects)/words/stretch/page.mdx
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import {
StretchText
} from "@/projects/stretchtext/stretchtext";

# 🧞 Arcane & Blursed StretchText

The web is built on HyperText Markup Language (HTML), [proposed in 1990][html]
Expand All @@ -22,10 +26,10 @@ amazingly complex data visualization.
[D3]: https://d3js.org

Yet most medium-to-long-form writing (like this one) is still mostly confined to
print media presentation and structure, except for the occasional embedded audio
or video. This seemingly staleness is not due to the lack of creativity. The
person who coined the term "hypertext" had already [proposed StretchText in
1967][stretchtext].
print media presentation and structure, except for the occasional embedded
interactive media, mostly supporting material. This seemingly staleness is not
due to the lack of creativity. The person who coined the term "hypertext" had
already [proposed StretchText in 1967][stretchtext].

[stretchtext]: https://xanadu.com/XUarchive/htn8.tif

Expand All @@ -45,20 +49,21 @@ ought to be some reason to it. After [writing some myself][life] and reading it
many times over, I think I can extrapolate from my own experience and the
reasons why I'm probably not going to use it much more either.

[life]: /articles/life
[life]: /words/life

## Increased effort

When using stretchtext one doesn't have to concern themselves with the task of
reducing the overall scope to target a specific audience, as each level of
interest and expertise will self guide - in theory - to the appropriate level of
When using stretchtext, in theory, one doesn't have to concern themselves with
the task of reducing the overall scope to target a specific audience, as each
level of interest and expertise should self guide to the appropriate level of
detail.

In practice, that means writing for multiple possible audiences at the same time
and planning ahead how to weave those two (three, four...) texts into a single
current of ideas. Instead of deciding whether to add a foot note (don't!), a
separate paragraph, or link to a separate document; there's now another set of
choices to be made at every turn.
and planning how to weave those two (three, four...) texts into a single current
of ideas. Instead of the usual segmentation mechanisms like foot notes, separate
paragraphs, links to a separate document or a mere subordinate clause, there's
now another set of choices to be made regarding how deep that information is
hidden and how cohesive is the surrounding content with or without that segment.

Doesn't sound too hard, but stretching words into expanded forms within parent
sentences requires writing similar to poetry. If stretching whole sentences to
Expand All @@ -71,45 +76,28 @@ and highly increases the rewriting and rewording loop.
Even if a reader is already optimally served by the current level of detail,
they will expand deeper _just to be sure_. The reader cannot tell what is their
ideal level of detail until they shoot past it, as there's usually no means of
previewing the collapsed content. Going further, it's likely that most readers
will expand the vast majority of collapsed content simply out of curiosity (or
[FOMO][]) anyway.

[FOMO]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_missing_out

Readers that would read the whole text can run out of patience for clicking and
re-reading; and readers that would have benefited from the terser form will
repeatedly experience the regret of unnecessary expansions before they learn to
live with the anxiety of not knowing what's behind the curtain.

That's probably why many platforms offer preview popovers on mouse hover instead
of stretchable embedded content: tooltip panes are cheap and ephemeral. The
reader doesn't feel pressured to read or follow up content just because it
previewing the collapsed content. Worse yet, it's likely that most readers will
expand the vast majority of collapsed content simply out of curiosity or
<StretchText wrap="FOMO">FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)</StretchText> anyway.

Readers that would otherwise have read the whole text can run out of patience
for clicking and re-reading; and readers that would have benefited from the
terser form will repeatedly experience the regret of unnecessary expansions
before they learn to live with the anxiety of not knowing what's behind the
curtain.

That's probably why many modern platforms offer preview popovers on mouse hover
instead of stretchable embedded content: tooltip panes are cheap and ephemeral.
The reader doesn't feel pressured to read or follow up content just because it
popped up. We're used to dismissing popups. Popovers provide clearly demarcated
context switching and the reader expects the current document to be
self-contained on its purpose without them.

## Unnatural flow

Reading documents with StretchText is hard both on its final render form and on
its source code form because natural language can be described with hierarchy
but we're bad at processing anything other than small and heavily skewed trees -
very close to simple linked lists - and StretchText (much like excessive use of
parenthesis, passive voice and order inversions of subordinate sentences or
sentences that are too long with too many flow interruptions) introduces highly
balanced and hierarchically complex structures, leaving the reader with a train
of though nearly impossible to track and make sense in one go.

That's bad writing because it yields uncomfortable reading. StretchText ins't
cause nor cure for bad writing, but because it's so hard to use well it will
most often get in the way.
context switching and the reader expects those to be related but self contained.

# Future as Fringe Tech

Given the big costs and difficulty of positive returns, the application of
StretchText is probably destined to remain rare. Its alternatives like
hyperlinks and conceptual successors like hovering commentary tooltips will
remain the preferred choices for tucking away additional content.
hyperlinks and conceptual successors like hovering tooltips will remain the
preferred choices for tucking away additional content.

It also remains true that StretchText is _enticing_. It's more interactive,
exercises curiosity, it's _different_. Because it's so difficult to get it
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4 changes: 3 additions & 1 deletion components/sidebar.tsx
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -10,7 +10,9 @@ export function Sidebar() {
{/* <a href="food">🥘 Cook</a>, */}
🥘 Cook,
</li>
<li>{/* <a href="coffee">☕ Barista</a>, */}☕ Barista,</li>
<li>
<a href="coffee">☕ Barista</a>,
</li>
<li>
{/* <a href="sport">👟 Athlete</a>, */}
👟 Athlete,
Expand Down

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