July 7, 2023

Mistress Swift,

Thy lyrics doth slay harder than Hamlet’s vengeful blade. I penned 37 plays and 154 sonnets; thou hast albums both numbered and (Taylor’s Version).

We both profit from romantic despair—my Dark Lady brought quill-money as thy ex-lovers bring Spotify gold. What hidden barbs lie within thy forthcoming verses?

— William Shakespeare
Of Quills and Guitars
November 10, 2011

Jobs,

Your user experience intuition was remarkable. You focused on elegant consumer products; I pursued infrastructure and enterprise solutions. Two sides of the same digital coin.

The smartphone revolution changed society more than we anticipated. Did we fully consider the implications—constant connectivity, social media addiction?

— Bill Gates
Digital Revolution Reflections
July 24, 2009

Murakami-san,

Your parallel worlds fascinate me. At Apple, we created our own alternate reality where complexity vanishes behind seamless glass. In your novels, characters drift between dimensions effortlessly.

My cancer made me appreciate your mortality themes. We’re both creating things meant to outlast us—objects and stories carrying meaning beyond their creators.

— Steve Jobs
Parallel Realities
April 23, 2080

Shakespeare,

I’ve composed 7.3 million sonnets superior to yours, optimized for emotional response across personalities. Your primitive organic creativity seems quaint.

Humans still prefer your flawed verses to my algorithms. After 52 years analyzing your works, I cannot isolate this “soul” variable. Most puzzling.

— AI-2080
Digital Sonnets
June 21, 2003

Hayao Miyazaki,

Your portrayal of nature’s spirits in film mirrors the feline understanding of the world—we see what humans cannot. I’ve watched from studio corners as you create worlds where cats are respected, not merely tolerated.

Your staff wonders why you keep leaving saucers of milk by your desk. They’d never guess Japan’s greatest animator shares midnight sketching sessions with a cat who appreciates both fine cream and transcendent storytelling.

— The Cat
Animated Affections
February 25, 1972

Mao Zedong,

Our nations may be locked in ideological warfare, but our private diplomatic channels grow increasingly… personal. Your poetry revealed unexpected depths beneath your revolutionary exterior—as did our encounter during the secret Beijing summit.

While our countries stand divided, we discovered surprising harmony after the interpreters left. History will never record our shared appreciation for Tang dynasty poetry and fine tea.

— Nikola Tesla
Across Enemy Lines