💾 Archived View for low-key.me › gemlog › astrobotany.gmi captured on 2021-12-17 at 13:26:06. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
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My common stinky green seed-bearing ficus turned 100 days old today and I'm using that as inspiration to write something I've been meaning to write ever since I planted the seed that's now grown into this cute little plant. Just how special Astrobotany is to me.
Browsing the web feels akin to traveling through the busy streets of one of the great metropolises. At least on the internet connection I have, slow and full of bright flashy banners and billboards all around. Reach any destination and its bound to be full of people too and while it is a pretty intense social experience, it's soon something you just can't escape.
Geminispace by contrast is an entirely different experience. Its akin to traveling through space itself in your own spaceship, moving through a vast and silent emptiness with the occasional capsule being someplace you stop to hear the thoughts of the people there and maybe indulge in a conversation before moving on. It's almost a meditative experience with the right setup. Gemini feels a lot more intimate but not very social except when you stop by a aggregator that reminds you of just how many other travelers share this space with you.
There's one place in Gemini though where one can come together with other lone travllers. You might be alone whenever you drop by this place but you'll always see what others have left behind and what they will return to. This place is the magical Astrobotany.
Apart from being a strong technical showcase of building apps in Geminispace and using client certificates, Astrobotany's beauty derives from its simplicity. You grow a plant by simply dropping in to water it for it will die if it goes without water for too long. The masterstroke though is its communal nature, reminiscent of the multiplayer system in Souls games, as you can leave behind messages for fellow gardeners or water their plants if they forget to or are unable to. You might also return to your own garden in a frenzy, having forgotten to check in since a few days only to be greeted by a message that a stranger had watered your plant for you.
While it is perfectly possible to leave behind messages, I find these silent acts of kindness very beautiful and always try to pay the love forward. Astrobotany is complemented perfectly by Garden Gnome Society. A place that lists all the plants in need of water that you check simply because you don't want anyone to lose theirs and step in to help. Then you go water it and leave to continue your journey through Geminispace, knowing when it is your plant that needs water a stranger will pitch in.
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CC0 low-key, 2021-02-26