Frank Gullo's Blog, page 2

Buffalodown

Buffalodown: Only Human is a themed event in Buffalo, NY about AI and humanity.

Taking place at The Cave in Buffalo, NY, doors will open at 6pm for an hour of open social time, followed at 7pm for the Buffalodown talkshow featuring conversations with myself and advocate India Walton, a roundtable on the rise of AI, and performances by the band Grosh and DJ Sike.

To conclude the show, Grosh will take us home with a one-time-only set for the occasion, including big hits and deep cuts befitting this theme.

Buffalodown: Only Human with Grosh

I’m teaming up with Reconnecter and the band Grosh for the next Buffalodown event on September 26 at The Cave in Buffalo, NY.

Led by musical guest Grosh and inspired by my audiobook Only Human, Buffalodown: Only Human will include social connection, conversations, and a Grosh-show like no other, featuring originals, special guests, and select covers.

Stay tuned for more info, and subscribe to this Substack, the Grosh mailing list, and the Reconnecter Roundup for the latest updates!

Only Human Website

I’m really excited about the new Only Human website designed by Forcoda. The site will include information about the book, as well as links to media and other content. There are also some exciting book-related projects in the works I can announce soon.

The Only Human site will launch soon at https://onlyhumanthebook.com/, but for now, here is a sneak peak.

The Girl and the Alien

A young adult, science fiction audio short story voiced by David Copper, The Girl and the Alien tells the story of Gianna, a human teen on a colony planet who comes face to face with her beliefs and prejudices about an alien race during an accident on a trip to a planetary rainforest.

Set in the same universe as Only Human, listen to The Girl and the Alien for free today on our YouTube channel @OnlyHumanBook.

“The Girl and the Alien”
Playing Time: 18:34

The Common Language of Sports

Behind every sports fan, there is an origin story, a beginning, and then sports is lifelong, part of you. I’m reminded of this every May 21th, because this is my Dad’s birthday, and today he would have been 90. He taught me the common language of sports.

During football season, whenever the Bills are playing, my friends and I will text each other in a group chat. We’ll each be watching the game separately in our homes, and yet we’ll celebrate the great plays in unison, routinely second guess the dubious coaching decisions, send silly and often inappropriate memes, and basically share the complete game experience together—win, lose, or draw. At some point during the game, the chats and conversation will inevitably turn to updates about our lives, current events, and even otherwise divisive politics. Because sports—no matter how long it’s been since we’ve seen one another or what may have changed in our lives or how much we might agree to disagree—remains the common language that brings us together for at least 3 hours every Sunday. It’s the common language that unites us and lets us talk about any subject as long it’s done within the lines on the playing field. I speak this common language fluently because I learned it from my father.

My father and I were very different, but sports was our shared passion: what we watched, what we did, how we communicated, and how we bonded and spent the bulk of our quality time together.

Living in Buffalo, of course my introduction to this common language began with the Bills and Sabres. I still remember the specific fall season and day when I first started to understand this language. I was 9 years old. It was a Sunday in September in 1980. Ronald Reagan was President. The Bills were playing their division rival the Miami Dolphins who had beaten them 20 straight times. I recall coming into the house after playing street football with my friends when my Dad excitedly and loudly told me the Bills won and the fans stormed the field and tore down the goalposts in celebration. I couldn’t remember seeing him this animated before over sports. This was big and I knew I needed to understand why.

It began to come together for me that 1980 to 1981 Bills season, when the Chuck Knox coached Bills team jumped out to a 5-0 start en route to a thrilling 11-5 season. I recall watching nearly every game with my father that season and learning the nuances of the game and the history of the franchise. He shared with me how he used to enjoy going to games in the old War Memorial Stadium and of the great, championship Bills teams from 1964 and 1965. I learned the names Ralph Wilson, Coach Lou Saban, Quarterback Jack Kemp, and Running Back Cookie Gilchrist, among others. Long before there was a Bill Mafia and when it became fashionable to watch the NFL, my father supported the team through good and bad in the Rock Pile. The Bills were his team, and he was bringing me into the fold.

The 81 playoff run was an amazing ride with breakout seasons from Joe Ferguson, Joe Cribbs, and Jerry Butler, and the community rallying in support. “We’re Talking Proud” was the slogan of the team and era - part of the common language of sports, and I was learning.

But the language of sports is not without disappointment, and the 81 Bills were my first lesson in Buffalo sports heartbreak as a hobbled Joe Ferguson (injured with a sprained ankle) and the team lost to the San Diego Chargers in the playoffs. Nonetheless, I was hooked and from that point forward watched countless games together with my dad. And it wasn’t just the Bills - my father was also a die hard Yankees fan, and he supported the Sabres and the Braves as well.

Here are some of my favorite sports memories of my Dad.

Getting to stay up late on Mondays to watch Monday Night Football

The famous Kellen Winslow game. This was an epic AFC divisional playoff game between the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins that took place on January 2, 1982 in the Miami Orange Bowl. The game, won by the Chargers in overtime, 41–38, is one of the most famous football games ever because of the conditions, the performances, and the numerous records that were set. My Dad and I watched every minute of the game and Dad commented after watching it that Kellen Winslow’s performance was the single greatest athletic performance he’d ever witnessed.

Super Bowls - every year, my family hosted family and friends to come over for Super Bowl Sunday, and dad especially treated the day as a holiday, with food, drink, and Super Bowl betting squares. For the 1981 Super Bowl, I wagered my first bet with my dad, and won as the Oakland Raiders beat the Philadelphia Eagles. My dad also got me a jersey of my favorite player - cornerback Lester Hayes of the Raiders - which I still have to this day.

Hockey ... especially the French Connection, Hockey Night in Canada, and the Scotty Bowman Sabres teams, and their battles against the Bruins, Canadiens, NY Islanders (and more Buffalo sports heartbreak). My dad introduced me to the Aud and took me to my first ever Sabres game, which continued my education into sports and fostered my interest in all things Canada, which eventually led to my going to Ottawa for grad school.

Lazy summer nights watching the Yankees and hearing about all the great Bronx Bombers Dad followed as a kid and young man. He liked Joe DiMaggio more than Mickey Mantle, felt Phil Rizzuto was underrated, absolutely loved Joe Torre, sympathized with Billy Martin, never embraced Roger Clemens as a true Yankee, and was saddened when Thurman Munson died in a plane crash.

And finally and most memorably, the great Bills teams of the 90s. My Dad and I watched nearly every televised game during the Super Bowl era together. He conceded that Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith were phenomenal talents, but deep down appreciated Thurman Thomas more. As anyone here who knew my Dad back then will tell you, he struggled to respect Marv Levy, felt Levy was out-coached by Bill Parcells in Super Bowl 25, and would never, ever, ever concede the point.

Dad loved to express his sports language opinion on the radio. That regular, animated caller you heard on the “Art Wander Show” in the 1990s? That was my Dad.

I learned from my father that when it’s your team you watch til the end, and hold your head high and maintain dignity, even when losing. This lesson began on a cold winter day in 1993, when the Bills were losing a playoff game to the Houston Oilers 35-3 in the third quarter. The game wasn’t televised and my Dad and I listened to Van Miller and the radio telecast. I was ready to give up more than once, but my Dad kept listening and eventually the Bills rallied and beat the Oilers in what is still considered the greatest comeback in NFL history.

Perhaps more poignant was a moment from Super Bowl 27 a few weeks later, when the Bills were losing big to the Cowboys. It was late in the game and the Bills fumbled and Cowboys defender Leon Lett picked up the ball and was running in for a touchdown … when Bills receiver Don Beebee sprinted to catch Lett and knock the ball away, preventing the touchdown. My father and I exchanged glances but did not speak as sometimes words aren’t necessary in the common language of sports. You play to the end and I’ve never, ever forgotten that moment.

The beauty of the language of sports is that it’s timeless and passed on. My daughter and I visited my Dad a few days before he passed. On the car ride, she talked about her love of playing basketball and how great she feels when she’s in the zone, on the court, away from all the drama of life. My father would agree and, yes, he was a big basketball fan too and would have loved to see his granddaughter play.

To close, to celebrate my Dad’s gift of sports to me and now his granddaughter, I feel it’s fitting to end with a quote that sums up his love of sports and life. This is from the young adult novel about basketball The Crossover by Kwame Alexander.

In this game of life
your family is the court
and the ball is your heart.
No matter how good you are,
no matter how down you get,
always leave
your heart
on the court.”
― Kwame Alexander, The Crossover

Audio and Audio Engineers

Now that the audio production of Only Human has concluded, I want to thank my audio engineer and voice narrator David Copper.

After listening to hundreds of auditions and narrowing it down to a short list, David was selected unanimously for the project. From day one, David demonstrated that not only is he is an expert audio technician with an amazing deep voice, but also a thoughtful, creative and engaged audio production manager.

David helped create a comfortable collaborative relationship and through the 3-month project was always willing to express new ideas and remained open to feedback and experimentation. I realize we are now entering a booming era of AI, and many audio engineers and voice actors will struggle to compete as new AI audio tools give creators easy and cheap audio production options. But there’s no substitute for collaborative creation, and what made the final audio of Only Human was my continuous back and forth with David: the exchange of ideas, quick edits and feedback. Much like the story we recorded, there are times when the perfect talent is only human.

David may be contacted via his Twitter/X profile (@CopperVox) and soon via a new website. I recommend you consider him for any audio production or voice talent needs you have.

Free Sneak Peek from my New Audiobook

I'm excited to announce that Only Human is launching soon as an audiobook on Audible!

But rather than tell you the audiobook is coming, I’m going to share a free audio sample and give you a sneak peak at the new cover for the audiobook version.

Thanks for letting me share my early excitement. I can't wait until the audiobook is ready to launch.

Eclipse Fall

“Nightfall”, Astounding Science Fiction, September 1941

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse is set to cross North America. I’m one of the fortunate ones to live in the path of totality and excitement has been steadily mounting for the event. Estimates vary based on specific geographic coordinates but generally scientists have calculated that the eclipse will last for approximately four minutes for those in the path of totality.

This means the sky will become dark, as at dawn or dusk. Weather permitting, the sun's corona, usually obscured by the bright sun, will be visible. Seasoned eclipse experts have shared that the rare event feels “fleeting” and “otherworldly”.

Now imagine we lived in a world of multiple suns and constant daytime, such that darkness falls only once every 2000 years. Such is the premise of the classic 1941 science fiction story “Nightfall” by Isaac Asimov.

“Nightfall” explores the tension in society when faced with the gaps in our scientific knowledge and an impending, not fully understood celestial phenomenon. For most of the characters on the story’s planet Lagash, the eclipse is not an event to experience in celebration, but one of existential dread, with scientific evidence showing that previous eclipses on the planet led to the collapse of civilization by fire. Doomsday cultists are also present in the story, and prophesize that the coming nightfall would bring stars that would rain down fire and turn people into beast-like savages.

Asimov notes in his autobiography that the inspiration for “Nightfall” came from an Emerson quote shared by Astounding Science Fiction editor John W. Campbell.

He had come across a quotation from an eight-chapter work by Ralph Waldo Emerson called Nature. In the first chapter, Emerson said “If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore, and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God?”

Campbell asked me to read it and said, “What do you think would happen, Asimov, if men were to see the stars for the first time in a thousand years?”

I thought and drew a blank. I said “I don’t know.”

Campbell said, “I think they would go mad. I want you to write a story about that.”

”Nightfall” climaxes as darkness begins to fall … “a crimson glow began growing, strengthening in brightness, that was not the glow of a sun. The long night had come again.”

Thank You, India

As I write this, millions in India and worldwide are celebrating Holi, widely known as the Hindu festival of colors and an annual celebration of spring with cultural and religious significance.

I was reminded early this morning in a group chat with several colleagues. The “Happy Holi” greeting reminded me of my visit to India a half year ago—and that I’d yet to chronicle my trip.

I traveled to India in October 2023 and spent 8 days across 3 cities. This was a business trip but we went early to spend a weekend in Delhi seeing the sights before traveling to Chennai and Bengaluru for the work portions of our travel.

Below are several photos and some reflections from this trip. The pictures give a sense but India has a way of amplifying your visual sensory experiences with a richness of sound, smell, taste, and touch along with the optics.

DELHI

One of our first stops after arriving in Delhi was Raj Ghat, a memorial complex that houses the tomb of Gandhi.

India Gate felt impressive, much like a Washington D.C. monument.

We could not only see but feel the long history of Qutb Minar.

Several historic Mughal emperor sites are near Delhi, including Red Fort (or Lal Qila).

THE TAJ MAHAL

Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the creator of the Taj Mahal, said it made “the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes”. Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore described it as a “teardrop on the cheek of eternity.”

CHENNAI

Though not planned, we arrived in Chennai during the week of Ayudha Puja, a holiday with observances for paying respect to the places we work and the tools that enable our daily lives, such as office equipment, vehicles, bikes, etc. I was honored to be included in our office’s puja observances and spend some time in the city and on the waterfront.

BENGALURU

Bengaluru is one of India’s tech hubs and is the capital and largest city of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. This was a fun and interesting part of the trip for me, as I was able to meet and spend time with several work colleagues in person for the first time.

CRICKET WORLD CUP

By coincidence, the ICC Cricket World Cup was taking place across India while I was visiting. Though I recalled from years ago the Disney movie “Million Dollar Arm” and that Cricket was popular in India, I had no idea how big and popular it was until I was there and started to engage in cricket sports talk with my Indian colleagues.

The sports fan in me felt right at home. After all, wasn’t I doing all I could to find ways to watch my hometown Buffalo Bills while I was halfway around the world?

THANK YOU, INDIA

Singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette sang about spiritual awakenings following her trip to India in her 1998 song “Thank U”, and I join her, in gratitude and appreciation.

Thank you India
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you thank you silence

Thank you, India.

Welcome to F/X

Welcome to my Substack — FX!

I’ve moved much of my old writing here, and I’m looking forward to posting here regularly and connecting with other writers and readers.

On F/X, I’ll be focusing on short fiction and general interest topics, including current events, pop culture and media, sports, and more.

TechXY, another Substack, will feature my professional writing, with a focus on business, technology, and the modern workplace.

About Me

I’m a business professional currently employed as Chief Technology Officer for Aleron.

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