Newsletter 60. Why our culture fetishizes the new and what to do about. Plus, little free libraries take on book bans, the FTC bans fake reviews, why everyone should write a book proposal, three people to follow, and three books to read. Change is Seductive, But It Creates Cognitive Conflict I want you to think…
At my previous employer, Forrester, there was a dedicated commitment to both quality of analysis and quality of writing. This meant that your editor took what you wrote and critiqued the crap out of it, and you had to learn to make it better to meet that high bar. My boss at the time, Emily,…
Newsletter 57: Is rewarding heroics making your workplace better? Plus, Project 2025 book delayed, AI’s marketing value is less than zero, Scottish WorldCon triumph, three people to follow and three books to read. Every heroic workplace act is a sign of failure I worked in companies for 33 years. I was often the hero, and…
Newsletter 56: Why Google got caught and it won’t matter; public domain photo search engine; X whines about boycott. Plus three people to follow and three books to read. Did Google cheat? What do you think. Did Google violate antitrust law by unlawfully using its monopoly to exert leverage in other markets? Of course it…
Newsletter 55: Why paying people by the hour is the most pervasive and perverse trend in business. Plus the Hugos reject automated entries, JD Vance gets rich off his VP nod, Ingram bans a book about AI in publishing, three people to follow and three books to read. Nobody smart or skilled should work by…
If you’re a good writer, you should edit others. And if you’re an editor, you should write your own pieces. It’s not just a way to give back. It’s a way to expand your skills and your perspective. Why writers should edit If you love writing, do some editing. Work with others who are writing…
Virtually everything travel-related stopped working this morning, including all flights on United, American, and Delta Air Lines. A cybersecurity researcher called it “The largest IT outage in history.” The outage also crippled hospitals and emergency services. CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company’s whose products are used by many large companies, was apparently to blame. It sent out…
A well-designed searchable set of answers is a great resource for customer service. But if your “FAQ” is actually a huge, rotting pile of crap, you do a disservice to customers by sending them there. A little context. My home has a Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer. It came with the house. And as I learned from the…
OpenAI says it has proof that it didn’t steal Scarlett Johansson’s voice. Does that make it an honest company? OpenAI defends its actions Scarlett Johansson claimed OpenAI solicited her to train its latest AI, then released a voice called “Sky” that sounded just like her. Open AI says no, they didn’t use her voice, and…