Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 67

Joshua Gans On The Economics Of Artificial Intelligence – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #859 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to

How does artificial intelligence affect the structure and dynamics of the global economy? What are the potential benefits and risks associated with artificial intelligence on the future of humanity? Joshua Gans is the co-author of the recently published book, Power and Prediction – The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence. He is also widely known as the co-author of Prediction Machines and over ten other books at the intersection of technology, disruption and economics. Joshua is a Professor of Strategic Management and holder of the Jeffrey S. Skoll Chair of Technical Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. He is also the Chief Economist at the Creative Destruction Lab and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He is a leading expert in the field of economics, particularly in the areas of innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. Along with book writing, he is a regular contributor to The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Wall Street Journal. He has also done extensive work on entrepreneurship, the digital economy, and the management of intellectual property. Joshua is a recipient of the John Kenneth Galbraith Prize for his work on the economics of the digital economy and was recently named one of the world’s top 25 most influential economists by Bloomberg. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose):  #859 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

SPOS #859 – Joshua Gans On The Economics Of Artificial Intelligence

Welcome to episode #859 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #859. How does artificial intelligence affect the structure and dynamics of the global economy? What are the potential benefits and risks associated with artificial intelligence on the future of humanity? Joshua Gans is the co-author of the recently published book, Power and Prediction – The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence. He is also widely known as the co-author of Prediction Machines and over ten other books at the intersection of technology, disruption and economics. Joshua is a Professor of Strategic Management and holder of the Jeffrey S. Skoll Chair of Technical Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. He is also the Chief Economist at the Creative Destruction Lab and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He is a leading expert in the field of economics, particularly in the areas of innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. Along with book writing, he is a regular contributor to The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Wall Street Journal. He has also done extensive work on entrepreneurship, the digital economy, and the management of intellectual property. Joshua is a recipient of the John Kenneth Galbraith Prize for his work on the economics of the digital economy and was recently named one of the world’s top 25 most influential economists by Bloomberg. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 47:06.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.Check out ThinkersOne.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Joshua Gans.Power and Prediction – The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence.Prediction Machines.Rotman School of Management.Creative Destruction Lab.Follow Joshua on Twitter.Follow Joshua on LinkedIn.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #859.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #652

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

I wrote a story for a friend – The Egg And The Rock. “If you finish Minecraft—by defeating the Ender Dragon, which is as close as an open-world game gets to closure — you get to read a story by Julian Gough. He wrote it for the game’s creator, Markus (AKA Notch). But he still owns it – the rights weren’t assigned to Notch, or to his company Mojang, or to their acquirer, Microsoft. So he made it free for everyone.” (Alistair for Hugh). Severe Cow Warning – Interesting Bits . “I am breaking my rule here by posting a self-link, but it’s really just me summarizing a bunch of articles and a very enthusiastic TikToker. The short version: A bunch of cows went rogue, evading cowboys and drones and terrorizing a small Quebec town, and nobody seems to be able to do much about it. It’s a story that’s all over French media, but hasn’t found the audience it quite rightly deserved.” (Alistair for Mitch). From Bowling Alone to Posting Alone – Jacobin . “Emerging from the enforced isolation of the pandemic has been a challenge for many of us. I consider myself a social introvert; or a personable misanthropist; or something similar. That is to say, my most comfortable mode is to be alone. I still enjoy social activity, but I really have to make an effort to make it happen. I’m also a creature of habit. So, the rhythm of the pandemic was actually nice for me. A very small bubble of a couple of friends, with regular probably-against-covid-rules supper became a pattern that it’s been difficult to break out of. But I feel compelled to break out of it — even if it was comfortable it was isolating, and I notice as I emerge from that cocoon that renewing interactions with friends has had a great impact on how I think about the world. Still, with all the Zooming and emailing, as well as the online (rather than in-person) buying I seem to do, it’s easy to drop back into a kind of low-level loneliness, a lack of physical interaction with others. Loneliness, without much surprise, is becoming a real issue.” (Hugh for Alistair). Open AI Beta . “Mitch, Alistair, Julien Smith and I recently had our first post-Covid lunch together, something we used to do a couple of times a year, and something I guess we haven’t done since 2019. A big part of the conversation was about GPT3, the AI system from OpenAI. So, I asked GPT3 to summarize the article above, From Bowling Alone to Posting Alone, and here is what came back with: ‘This article discusses how the internet has changed the way people interact and form social connections. It argues that, while the internet has enabled people to stay better connected than ever before, it has also created a new form of ‘social isolation’. The article points to the trend of ‘posting alone’, or people sharing their experiences online without any real-life social interaction, as an example of this new form of isolation, and explores the implications for society.’” (Hugh for Mitch). The Bird Site Is F*#ked – Chuck Wending: Terribleminds . “I’ve posted his work here before… and I am fairly certain I will do it again. Whether you agree with his position or not, Chuck Wendig is both an amazing author of books and an equally amazing commentator on the state of the world (which includes a lot of content on creativity and writing). Here, he rants and raves about all things Twitter. A little taste of his stylings? Here is how he describes Elon Musk: ‘a billionaire narcissist with skin thinner than shaved prosciutto stretched precariously over a honeydew melon.’ Big ups to Ann Handley for bringing it to my attention.” (Mitch for Alistair). How a Great Audiobook Narrator Finds Her Voices – The New Yorker . “I, personally, recorded the audiobook version for both of my books. I had some experience in radio and I had been podcasting for a while. Still, there’s nothing like a great voice reading a long book. It’s really not the same as doing a radio hit or having a conversation for a podcast. This is a beautiful feature that focuses on the craft of audiobook narration and the process by which renowned narrators – like Robin Miles – finds her various characters’ voices. These artists do extensive research in order to bring a book’s characters to life. They dives deep into the book’s setting, references the author’s other works, and listens to other audiobook narrators to get a better sense of the tone and style they should employ. Miles also immerses herself in the story, visualizing the characters and the settings they inhabit, in order to fuel her imagination and create a more authentic performance. Now, you can better understand the process of creating distinct voices for the characters in these audiobooks. This is how the best of the best in audiobook narration bring the characters and stories to life and create a captivating performance that transports the listener into the world of the book. So fascinating…” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Joseph Jaffe Explores The Future Of The Internet – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #858 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to

What role will Web3 and NFTs play in the future of digital ownership and intellectual property rights? Can the adoption of Web3 and NFTs lead to greater inclusivity and access to opportunities in the digital economy? Joseph Jaffe is widely regarded as one of the top marketing thinkers in the world (Jaffe Juice). He is the author of many excellent books (Life After The 30-Second Spot, Join The Conversation, Flip The Funnel, Z.E.R.O., Built To Suck). More recently, he launched the Alpha Collective a hybrid mastermind, online community and Web3 venture to help business leaders better connect to the future of tech. He’s also the host of his business talk show, Joseph Jaffe Is Not Famous. A long-time friend (and one of the main inspirations behind the Six Pixels of Separation podcast), we used to record semi-regular conversations, debates and back-and-forths that would dive a little deeper into the business, innovation and marketing landscape. Well, we’re back, and in this episode we discuss the future of the Internet and how the past may look a lot like its future. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose):  #858 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

SPOS #858 – Joseph Jaffe Explores The Future Of The Internet

Welcome to episode #858 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #858. What role will Web3 and NFTs play in the future of digital ownership and intellectual property rights? Can the adoption of Web3 and NFTs lead to greater inclusivity and access to opportunities in the digital economy? Joseph Jaffe is widely regarded as one of the top marketing thinkers in the world (Jaffe Juice). He is the author of many excellent books (Life After The 30-Second Spot, Join The Conversation, Flip The Funnel, Z.E.R.O., Built To Suck). More recently, he launched the Alpha Collective a hybrid mastermind, online community and Web3 venture to help business leaders better connect to the future of tech. He’s also the host of his business talk show, Joseph Jaffe Is Not Famous. A long-time friend (and one of the main inspirations behind the Six Pixels of Separation podcast), we used to record semi-regular conversations, debates and back-and-forths that would dive a little deeper into the business, innovation and marketing landscape. Well, we’re back, and in this episode we discuss the future of the Internet and how the past may look a lot like its future. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 1:03:23.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.Check out ThinkersOne.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Joseph Jaffe.Alpha Collective.Joseph Jaffe Is Not Famous.Built To Suck.Life After The 30-Second Spot.Join The Conversation.Flip The Funnel.Z.E.R.O.Check out Joe on ThinkersOne.Check out Joe on Twitter.Check out Joe on LinkedIn.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #858.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #651

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

Confronting Chaos: A New Concept For Information Advantage – War On The Rocks. “A new concept for information advantage: It’s clear to anyone paying attention that information is warfare; that the more open a society the more vulnerable it is; and that by being connected to and reliant on the Internet, we’re all on the front lines. I’m not a fan of hawkish warmongering, but from time to time, it’s interesting to see how they think. This post from War on the Rocks was written over a year ago, but presages much of what’s happening in Ukraine and elsewhere right now. The links alone are pretty sobering.” (Alistair for Hugh). The end of the system of the world – Noahpinion – Noah Smith . “The global economy was supposed to stop us from attacking one another. Interdependence, it was thought, would allow more cross-cultural understanding and make the cost of isolation so high nobody would attempt it. It would also give us ways to punish bad actors by cutting them off. But that system seems to be unravelling, according to this wide-ranging look at economic and political trends.” (Alistair for Mitch). Best Songs of 2022 – Said The Gramophone . “Said the Gramophone is a music blog that’s been at it since 2003, which is about when I got really involved in the Web. It was one of the world’s first ‘mp3 blogs’ (raise your hand, if you are old enough to even know what that means! mp3? blog?), and holds a special place in my heart as one of those quirky old websites that once upon a time made me so excited about the Web. It’s run by Montreal writer Sean Michaels, and to my delight it hasn’t changed at all (so much so, that the latest post is asking for help migrating from Movable Type (!!) to WordPress – they need help doing it, if you are in a giving mood). In any case, every December they put out a list of the best songs of the year — eclectic, ranging from commerical pop to obscure minimalist industrial to raging punk and beyond — something I’ve always looked forward to as I replenish my musical inputs. I’ve discovered some of my favourite artists from this yearly list. Note that you can find the playlist on Spotify.” (Hugh for Alistair). The Gamification of Everything Is No Fun – The New Republic . “The great Adrian Hon on the oppressive misery of gamification, and ‘digital Taylorism’ in the workplace.” (Hugh for Mitch). Awesome ChatGPT Prompts – Github . “Over a lively Holiday Season lunch gathering, Alistair, Hugh, Julien Smith and myself found ourselves debating the future of tech (which was how these weekly ‘six links’ got started over 12 years ago). Naturally, the conversation was dominated by ChatGPT and what it means for creatives, technologists and humanity. Seth Godin wrote something very insightful about this AI’s ability to create content on the fly: ‘Now, with GPT and Stable Diffusion and other machine learning AI tools gaining widespread use, there’s a gap between people who are simply stumbling around with silly short prompts and folks who are figuring out how to engineer an excellent prompt. We’re all the boss. Giving better instructions gets better results.’ This is the same truism when it comes to search engines. Here’s a great (and curated) list of excellent prompts to think about, as more and more people use ChatGPT. One last, philosophical, thought: Should you use platforms like ChatGPT to replace you or make your work better and more thorough? I know how I am using it.” (Mitch for Alistair). Three Reasons Creatives Should Embrace, Not Fear, The Role of AI – Tom Webster – Medium . “Over on Facebook, I posted this: Writing is easy. Great writing is almost impossible. It was in response to much of the excitement over ChapGPT replacing everyone from lawyers to copywriters and journalists to academics. That post generated over 85 comments and inspired (or so he tells me) Tom Webster to write this very thoughtful piece about why everyone (not just creatives) should use ChatGPT as way to make their work better… not as a replacement (see my last link above). ‘The semi-spicy take is that it will cost the jobs of mediocre writers, but the good writers will always be in demand. I don’t fully agree with either of those. AI won’t be the death of writers, or even of mediocre writers… but one thing I can say is that even before AI, we already have a word for people who are employed specifically as writers who are mediocre at writing: unemployed. No one currently creating ‘huge amounts of mediocre material’ or ‘bad Seinfeld scripts’ are at risk of redundancy, because those people aren’t currently employed now, or if they are, it’s never been a long-term prospect, Skynet or no.’ Preach!” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Wondrous Tools Often Don’t Replace The Person Wielding It

Oh no, not another article about ChatGPT!

I don’t know about you, but I am drowning in content about this artificial intelligence platform that can generate original copy.
Gasp!
My TikTok feed is ONLY videos about ChatGPT… not joking… all of them.
Gasp!
If you’re a writer, content creator, journalist… even a lawyer… you ARE doomed!
Gasp!
ChatGPT will transform everyone’s job… or replace it!… Right now!
Gasp!

Simmer down now.

ChatGPT is very cool.
It’s early days, but it’s already able to perform some interesting writing, coding, spreadsheet macros and other tasks.
But, I also think that Seth Godin was spot on when he wrote this:

“If your work isn’t more useful or insightful or urgent than GPT can create in 12 seconds, don’t interrupt people with it. Technology begins by making old work easier, but then it requires that new work be better.”

And then this:

“…there’s a gap between people who are simply stumbling around with silly short prompts and folks who are figuring out how to engineer an excellent prompt. We’re all the boss. Giving better instructions gets better results.”

Or, transcribed as: It’s a tool… and it’s only as useful, unique and powerful as the person wielding it.

As a writer, do I believe that this technology makes me obsolete?
I do not.
Think about the arc of more recent tech that has helped writers/creators:

Think about word processing.
Think about spell check.
Think about Google.
Think about blogging/publishing platforms.
Think about Grammarly.
Now, think (more seriously) about ChatGPT.

ChatGPT may be able to replace me… one day, but we’ll see.

I’m not going down without a fight!

Why?

Because I don’t write articles to game the SEO/Google system.
Because I don’t write articles because someone told me it’s my job to just write articles that keyword stuff and game the system.
Because my job isn’t to write content that is bland, watered-down and corporate.
Because if you think articles like, “15 ways a newsletter can help your business” or “How ChatGPT will change marketing forever” are great… well… that’s your opinion (and you’re entitled to it).

With that, ChatGPT has helped (like word processing and Grammarly) make my daily writing/content work much more effective.

It has helped me take a podcast guest’s standard biography and punch it up to the point where a couple of edits have made it something more than what I was doing previously (just a simple copy & paste from the guest’s website).
I has given me some great ideas for email and general communications, instead of staring down at an empty screen and blinking cursor.
It has validated (and improved) a few pieces of content by providing additional areas of interest to write about, without me having to take my own inventory of the topic.
It has become an invaluable content assistant in the past short while (like word processing and Grammarly).

You can replace the word “writing” with whatever metier pays your bills.

To the smart, ChatGPT is a powerful tool and assistant.
To those just trying to game some kind of system, ChatGPT is going to help you churn out the exact same mediocrity (with less cost and time).

Always remember: Writing is easy. Great writing is almost impossible.

Jay Baer On Consumer Expectation And Speed – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #857 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to

What does it take to truly win at the customer experience? Speed. Sure, there are plenty of other ways to do better, but speed is the main thing these days. That’s what Jay Baer has discovered in the 2022 Consumer Patience Study that he conducted titled, The Time To Win. My friend Jay has spent 29 years in digital marketing and customer experience. His last book, Talk Triggers, was the complete guide to creating word of mouth excitement. He’s also the author of Hug Your Haters, Youtility and more. Before selling his agency, Convince & Convert, he also hosted the Social Pros podcast and the Standing Ovation podcast. If that were not enough, Jay is currently a business influencer and an amazing keynote speaker. Jay is also a certified tequila sommelier, and creates custom tequila education/live tasting programs for in-person and virtual events. Now, how fast is fast enough for today’s demanding consumers? Let’s find out. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose):  #857 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

SPOS #857 – Jay Baer On Consumer Expectation And Speed

Welcome to episode #857 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #857. What does it take to truly win at the customer experience? Speed. Sure, there are plenty of other ways to do better, but speed is the main thing these days. That’s what Jay Baer has discovered in the 2022 Consumer Patience Study that he conducted titled, The Time To Win. My friend Jay has spent 29 years in digital marketing and customer experience. His last book, Talk Triggers, was the complete guide to creating word of mouth excitement. He’s also the author of Hug Your Haters, Youtility and more. Before selling his agency, Convince & Convert, he also hosted the Social Pros podcast and the Standing Ovation podcast. If that were not enough, Jay is currently a business influencer and an amazing keynote speaker. Jay is also a certified tequila sommelier, and creates custom tequila education/live tasting programs for in-person and virtual events. Now, how fast is fast enough for today’s demanding consumers? Let’s find out. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 51:13.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.Check out ThinkersOne.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Jay Baer.The Time To Win.Talk Triggers.Hug Your Haters.Youtility.Jay is also a certified tequila sommelier.Check out Jay on ThinkersOne.Check out Jay on Twitter.Check out Jay on LinkedIn.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #857.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #650

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

Visions of the future – William Gibson and James Gleick – New York Public Library – YouTube. “The Peripheral was the first TV series in a while that I’ve been furious at when it ended. I was weaned on cyberpunk, but have been mostly disappointed when it hit the screen. William Gibson‘s work really came to life with Amazon‘s production of Gibson’s work, and this interview with him and James Gleick (Chaos, The Information, etc.) gets into much of how he thinks about the future. Gibson makes up weird portmanteaux (Cyberspace being one) to drag us into his worlds, and gets into this a bit in the interview.” (Alistair for Hugh). Kevin Conroy’s DC Pride Story Is a Powerfully Necessary Kick in the Gut – Gizmodo . “Mitch, I know you’re a fan of comic books. I like ’em, but I don’t exactly consume them. I hadn’t realized that DC was putting out anthologies, nor dealing with such heavy real-world topics. Given the winds of political change in the US, this seems pretty timely, particularly the piece by Kevin Conroy, which is autobiographical.” (Alistair for Mitch). The messy true story of the last time we beat inflation – Vox . “Q. How do you tame inflation? A. Raise interest rates. Maybe. Paul Volcker, famed inflation slayer and Federal Reserve boss in the late 70s and early 80s, squashed inflation with high interest rates. Anyone worried about inflation hopes that the rate hikes undertaken by the Fed and the Bank of Canada among others, will work just as well. But it wasn’t just high interest rates that cured inflation way back when: Among other things, unions got crushed (meaning working class wages have stagnated); cheap products started flowing from China and elsewhere as globalization took off (meaning prices of manufactured goods went down). But unions are already busted (too busted, many would say); and global goods are likely to get more expensive. So, will raising interest rates do the trick this time? Maybe.” (Hugh for Alistair).  ‘Our mission is crucial’: meet the warrior librarians of Ukraine – The Guardian . “I’ve avoided posting about Ukraine, but this story is about librarians, so I think I’m allowed.” (Hugh for Mitch). Author’s tweet about a disappointing book signing snowballs in the best possible way – Mashable . “If you have written a book, not only is this your greatest fear, but it’s an inevitable. There’s an event for the book… a book signing… a meet & greet at a conference… and… well… nobody shows. It’s happened to me… and it’s embarrassing and crushing to the soul. This author gets vulnerable on Twitter and the responses are what makes our world a better place. Plus, we live in a time that everyone believes Twitter is toxic. This thread also demonstrates that who you follow (and how you show up) will determine your Twitter experience as well. I love this story on so many levels… and you will too. h/t to Laura Gassner Otting for this one.” (Mitch for Alistair). Helsinki Built a Library That Brings a Whole City Together – Reasons To Be Cheerful . “I asked ChatGPT AI to write 150 words about the important of libraries in our communities. This is what is spit back: ‘Libraries are an essential part of our communities. They provide access to a wealth of information and knowledge, including books, magazines, newspapers, and online resources. They offer a safe and welcoming space for people of all ages to learn, explore, and connect with others. Libraries also serve as important community centers, hosting events, workshops, and classes that bring people together and foster a sense of belonging. They provide support and resources for students, researchers, and professionals, helping them to develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. In addition to their educational and social benefits, libraries also play a vital role in promoting literacy and lifelong learning. They provide access to books and other materials that can help children and adults develop their reading and language skills, as well as their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. Furthermore, libraries are often a lifeline for individuals and families who are struggling financially or socially. They offer access to computers and internet, as well as job search assistance, financial resources, and other support services. Overall, libraries are a vital part of our communities, and their importance cannot be overstated. They provide access to information and knowledge, support lifelong learning and literacy, and foster a sense of connection and community.’ The AI is right, and nobody is living this more than the people in Helsinki…” (Mitch for Hugh),

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.