Care carefully; book bans stumble; AI evolves; Celtic clarity: Newsletter 15 May 2024
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Care carefully; book bans stumble; AI evolves; Celtic clarity: Newsletter 15 May 2024

Newsletter 44: Getting old means not giving a damn about stuff that doesn’t matter. Also, why you shouldn’t buy at Amazon’s book sale, Google and OpenAI announce great steps forward, why Joe Mazzulla is a profound philosopher, plus three people to follow and three books to read. On not giving a damn If you’ve had…

The free advice economy; 500-foot baguette; 40,000 robot narrators: Newsletter 8 May 2024
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The free advice economy; 500-foot baguette; 40,000 robot narrators: Newsletter 8 May 2024

Newsletter 43: Free advice is the lubricant of the business world; PRH proprietary AI tool; hybrid insights, plus three people to follow and three books to read. Beyond the old-boy network The working world runs on free advice. This may or may not have been visible to you when you started working, but unless you’re…

Do hard things; NPS inflation; fake news about book sales: Newsletter 1 May 2024
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Do hard things; NPS inflation; fake news about book sales: Newsletter 1 May 2024

Newsletter 42: Make an effort or fade away, labelling killer foods, don’t trust NPS braggarts, plus three people to follow and three books to read. The effort is the point Everything about our modern world — at least in the prosperous part of it where you probably live — is designed to make things easier….

Human writing is creative writing; the publishing charade; atheist Dennett meets his maker: Newsletter 24 April 2024
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Human writing is creative writing; the publishing charade; atheist Dennett meets his maker: Newsletter 24 April 2024

Newsletter 41: When you subtract AI from writing, what’s left is creativity; ending garbage books; remembering Daniel Dennett; surprising truths about book sales; plus three people to follow and three books to read. Soon, only creative writers will remain. Huzzah! There are things AI excels at. Summarizing long documents. Finding patterns. Turning formulaic content into…

Rules for writers; NPR critique; a HERO rises: Newsletter 17 April 2024
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Rules for writers; NPR critique; a HERO rises: Newsletter 17 April 2024

Newsletter 40: Principles for writing success, including why authoring is like sex; a new leader for embattled librarians; Meta fails to buy publisher; plus three people to follow and three books to read. Rules of thumb for nonfiction authors Everyone writes their own way. But after 50+ book projects and thousands of shorter nonfiction pieces,…

The bias for newness; ebooks and audiobooks grow; Gershcovich’s lost year: Newsletter 3 April 2024
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The bias for newness; ebooks and audiobooks grow; Gershcovich’s lost year: Newsletter 3 April 2024

Newsletter 38: How to navigate a world dazzled by novelty; growing market for faith-based books; Russia’s steals a year of Wall Street Journal reporter’s life; plus, three people to follow and three books to read. The disproportionate visibility of the new I’ve been reading business news and analyzing business strategy for 40 years. One thing…

Ownership is impossible; mine shaft audiobook; surviving the ice storm: Newsletter 27 March 2024
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Ownership is impossible; mine shaft audiobook; surviving the ice storm: Newsletter 27 March 2024

Newsletter 37: Why sharing and not hoarding is the only path to happiness, translators vs. AI, 500-billion word training set, plus three people to follow and three books to read. Why nobody owns anything We spend much of our lives striving to own things. We want to own a house, a car, a smartphone, a…

The ignorance enigma; billionaires fight about money; Scrabble and the human brain: Newsletter 20 March 2024.
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The ignorance enigma; billionaires fight about money; Scrabble and the human brain: Newsletter 20 March 2024.

Newsletter 37: Ignorance amid abundant knowledge, traumatic writer’s block, burgeoning book bans, plus three people to follow and three books to read. The problem with ignorance Ignorance bugs the hell out of me. The urge to eliminate ignorance is the driving force in my career and much of my life. This is a good thing….

The muscular middle; princess photo foulup; uncanny cerebral valley: Newsletter 13 March 2024
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The muscular middle; princess photo foulup; uncanny cerebral valley: Newsletter 13 March 2024

A new politics arises from the ashes of the American disaster, AI proponents and doomsayers wrestle, books as chatbots, plus three people to follow, three books to read, and a chance to see me debate at Berkeley. The inspirational rise of the muscular middle I’ve freakin’ had it with the American political system. It’s time…