Newsletter 22 August 2023: Think twice before automating; corpus-robbers; ification-ification

Newsletter 22 August 2023: Think twice before automating; corpus-robbers; ification-ification

Week 6: Railing against automation, purloined corpus, everybody’s -ificiationizing, plus 3 people to follow, 3 great reads, and plugliness. Automation: how to eliminate employees and annoy customers There’s a massive technology industry — both big old tech companies and startups alike — dedicated to the idea that all humans must be eliminated. This is automation,…

Newsletter 16 August 2023: Leave a crater; newsless Canadians; purloined permissions

Newsletter 16 August 2023: Leave a crater; newsless Canadians; purloined permissions

Week 5: Why books are worth doing, Canadian social media sites eschew news, the revenge of copyright, plus 3 people to follow, 3 great reads, and how to ghostwrite a business book. Work on a project with heft: a book, for example Some people dream of singing on stage or teaching in a classroom —…

Newsletter 9 August 2023: Passion distraction; Banned books spread; AI spawns travel drivel.
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Newsletter 9 August 2023: Passion distraction; Banned books spread; AI spawns travel drivel.

How to grow a great career by not following your passion, private equity and AI roil publishing, plus 3 people to follow, 3 great reads, and plug nuts Don’t follow your passion “Follow your passion” is terrible advice. Your career develops over years and decades. As you live through it, you have to make a living. People…

Newsletter 2 August 2023: viral stories; Tesla dash lies; Texas porn blockers; B&N unchained

Newsletter 2 August 2023: viral stories; Tesla dash lies; Texas porn blockers; B&N unchained

Newsletter week three, thanks for hanging with me. This week: an essay on COVID’s viral storytellers, how Tesla faked out its drivers (including me), more snarky news takes, people to follow, books to read, and explugation. Stories are easier to invent and spread than messy scientific truth David Quammen has been writing books on science,…

Newsletter 26 July 2023: Bullshit author dies; McGraw ditches bizbooks; felon turns ghost; ex-Twits
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Newsletter 26 July 2023: Bullshit author dies; McGraw ditches bizbooks; felon turns ghost; ex-Twits

Last week I started a LinkedIn newsletter for authors. From now on I’ll be posting it every Wednesday here as well. The format is: short essay, snarky news takes, people to follow, books to read, and an obligatory but lovable plug. This week I cover bullshit, McGraw-Hill’s exit from the business book market, a thief…