Newsletter 66: Why polls captivate us; AI fails at reasoning; the valued discipline of writing, plus three people to follow, three books to read, and a free report on how business books generate revenue and profit. About that presidential horse race Why are we so fascinated with polls? Well, put that aside for a minute….
In an article by Tal Kopan published today, The Boston Globe asks “Why are election polls all over the place, and which should you pay attention to?” Here’s the lede: WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump by 3 percentage points in Michigan. Or maybe it’s by 1 point. Or maybe Trump leads by 2. Or 4. It…
My fellow authors: It has been a dark time in the world of books. Influencers and big-name keynote speakers have flooded our world. And publishers’ reputations continue to decline. But I’m here to promise you that, with my help, better days ahead. If you select me as your book coach, consultant, and consiglieri, your prayers…
Newsletter 64. Why progress requires embracing people’s right to be wrong. Plus the decline in publishing workers, Gucci vs. Lord & Taylor, three people to follow and three books to read. The freedom to be wrong We’ve gotten to a point where we rip people apart for being wrong, when we should be celebrating them….
No matter what poll-based content you read, you are not just reviewing what the data show. You are reading data, corrected for bias, weighted for lack of representation, scored for bias, aggregated, and then manipulated by a model. Each of these “corrections” is a human decision. These models are valuable, but they do not represent…
Who is “winning” the U.S. presidential race? No one is winning the race, because it depends on what people do on Election Day. There is no “ahead” or “behind.” It’s not like a basketball game where the team with a 20-point lead is far more likely to win, and the team with a 20-point deficit…
All of us who watched the ABC News presidential debate this week shared an experience: a whole bunch of “What the fuck?” moments. These were statements made by the candidates that seemed, not just odd, but completely incendiary, implausible, and out of left field. So let’s evaluate what they said and just as important, was…
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…
We learned this morning that vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her vice-presidential candidate. Trump has selected Ohio senator JD Vance as his running mate. Of course, former FDR vice president John Nance “Cactus Jack” Garner once described the vice-presidency as “not worth a bucket of…