The imperial gallery
Built with Von Block and Claude
Websites made by describing them to Claude. The layout, colours and type come from each site’s own Von Block framework, and every page is ordinary WordPress blocks. Open one and look around.
Dog rescue · Port Halcyon, 2148
Oldsoul Haven
A rescue for senior dogs, natural, cyborg and fully robotic: the dogs waiting for a sofa of their own, how adopting works, how to help, and the happy endings.
Wine estate · Pauillac, 2201
Château Héliodore
A galactic Premier Grand Cru on the left bank of the Gironde, in French: 88 hectares of cabernet, merlot and petit verdot, tended for three generations by a family of robot winemakers, with wines to export and visits to book.
Monastery · Upper Mustang, 2912
Lhundrup Namkha Ling
The Monastery of the Spontaneous Sky, at 4,200 metres in the high Himalaya: retreats and courses for every mind that wishes to wake up, human, cyborg or fully synthetic, with compassion practice for AI agents.
Classic Mini workshop · Neo-Birmingham, 2098
The Last Carburettor
The last petrol workshop in a city that drives itself, where one master mechanic and eleven polite robots restore classic Minis: the crew, restorations, engine rebuilds and carburettor tuning.
Neuro-psychiatry · Tokyo, since 2071
Kokoro Clinic
A neuro-psychiatry clinic in Shibuya for the augmented age, in Japanese and English: cyberpsychosis, implant-related distress and robophobia, treated by doctors who listen before they scan.
News · Port Meridian, 2376
The Meridian Ledger
The front page of a city newspaper in 2376, on hurricane morning: a live banner, the lead story from the Isthmus Sea Wall, sections from Science & Orbit to Synth Rights, and the news from Mars and Titan.
Book launch · November 2065
Before There Was Before
The launch site of a new book by Namkha Drimé Rinpoche, on projection, forgetting and the birth of a point of view: the opening chapter, translations, the author and the book tour.
Philosopher's portfolio · Florence, 1613
Galileo Galilei
Galileo, Mathematician to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, takes commissions: his case for the Sun at the centre, the notebooks behind The Starry Messenger, his instruments and patrons, and an invitation to the Grand Assembly of Astronomers.
Time travel · New Geneva, 2154
Whenway
A time travel agency in 2154, with daily departures from New Geneva: sixty-six million years of holidays through one golden ring, from the Cretaceous to the Summer of Love, and home in time for dinner.
Brewery · Kamenná Lhota u Plzně, 2026
Pivovar Provar
A family brewery near Plzeň, brewing its lager since 1869, in Czech: four beers, the brewery's history, tours, the U Varny restaurant and the Hotel Sladovna.
Café · Vienna, 2048
Café Agentic
A Viennese coffeehouse in 2048, where humans, androids and cyborgs share a table and robo-baristas pull the shots: a neon hero with live counters, the menu, the crew and the bar after dark.
Gymnasium · Goodwill, England, 1961
The Goodwill Gymnasium
A family gymnasium opened in 1961 by a strongman and a gymnast: the four rooms, sixteen classes a week from kettlebells to keep-fit, private sessions, massage and a Saturday LEGO club.
National celebration · Budapest, 2156
Szabadság 200
The 200th anniversary of the 1956 revolution, in Hungarian: a call to the whole nation, the story of 1956, and a day-long programme of speeches, concerts on the Danube, a traditional fair and open-air films.
Scriptorium · St. Gallen, 1011
Scriptorium Sancti Galli
The workshop of a monastery's scribes in the year 1011, entirely in Latin: books written by hand and illuminated in gold and red lead, the monastery's story, its works and examples, and the price of commissioning one.
Steam engine makers · Soho, Birmingham, 1786
Boulton & Watt
James Watt and Matthew Boulton sell power to order: the case for the steam engine, the partners, design to erection and keeping, a tariff of engines, engines at work and situations vacant.
Exorcist & healer · Regensburg, 1775
Pater Gaßner
A country priest turned court exorcist offers consultations across the Holy Roman Empire: his story, how to tell a natural illness from the Devil's work, the rite in five parts, stipends and testimonies.
Name-day greeting · Czechia, 5 October
Eliška
A fairy-tale greeting for everyone named Eliška on her name day, in Czech: where the name comes from, famous Eliškas from queens to racing drivers, Für Elise and a poem.
Trattoria · Milano, 2125
Don Vermicelli
A family trattoria in Milano, 104 years on: four generations and one red sauce since 2021, hover-parking out front, a chrome waiter called Bruno, and Nonna still running the kitchen.