I’ve lived in Portland, Maine since 2021. I moved here from Massachusetts, where I’d lived for 42 years. In Massachusetts, it seemed like nearly everybody I knew came from somewhere else originally. Lots of people come to Massachusetts for college and then never leave (which was my story, too). If you’re from California, it’s probably…
The world looks very different from how it did before the election. You may be wondering what you should do about that. I have one answer for you. You should write. You should create. Two reasons to write If you’re feeling depressed and anxious, then writing (or recording a podcast or a TikTok or whatever…
Newsletter 69. Some post-election reflections on blame, plus three people to follow and three books to read. The people we hate Socialists Educated people Bleeding-hearts Undocumented immigrants Homeless people Poor people People on public assistance Puerto Ricans Jews Muslims Hindus Palestinians Arabs Blacks Native Americans Indians Asians Gay people Trans people Old people Young people…
I just voted in Portland, Maine. The line was long, the process took more than an hour. Everyone in line was polite and friendly, as were the poll workers. The weather, as is typical in Maine in the fall, was cool and humid. Just looking at people waiting in line, it appears there will be…
Early in my career, in my first management position, I was faced with a number of deadline-busting crises. The first few times, I panicked and freaked out. Having gotten that out of the way, I reverted to analytical thinking: what went wrong, why, what solution could best fix the problem, and how could we implement…
When independent analyst Zeus Kerravala wrote up his own analysis of a Gartner “Magic Quadrant” review of vendors offering Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS), Gartner insisted that his use of their graphic was a copyright violation. He ended up taking down the post. But the case raises an interesting question: can subscription-based research companies…
It’s no secret that the tensions between Democrats and Republicans in Congress have only gotten more intense. So I’m going to explore a topic that could very well come up after the November 5 election: could a president Kamala Harris be unable to get her cabinet confirmed, what constitutional options might she have in that…
Newsletter 68. Banning student AI is stupid. Plus, how print-on-demand books get on shelves, the spreadsheet blooper reel, why Elon Musk loves Trump, three people to follow, three books to read, and my interview with Jane Friedman. A five-paragraph essay reveals how to revolutionize the teaching of writing It’s time to retire the venerable five-paragraph…
I’m in an unusual situation. I have a lot of accumulated knowledge, especially about books and publishing. I have plenty of work to do, but my time is mostly flexible; I’m not meeting people all day long. And I’m extremely curious about just about everything. This means that if you ask to meet with me,…