Solve, not seethe

I often think of what Dale Carnegie wrote: "Don't criticize, condemn, or complain."

How can we not, given that there are so many things wrong with the world? And we are bombarded by negativity every day, especially on social media where people are pouring out their woes and hoping to go viral with their vitriol.

But it doesn't have to be this way. While it is human nature for us to pass judgement on things, we can focus on talking about the solution rather than the problem. Complaining raises awareness, but if we haven't thought through the problem and designed a way forward, then our words are of little help.

That's why I don't write everything on my mind. If I can't offer something useful to the reader, then it's not worth your time. I may lapse though, so keep me in check and let me know if I start becoming negative, ok?

What I wrote this week

My instant solution to annoying AI-generated comments on LinkedIn. You should try it.

Why, for the umpteenth time, you need to read widely and deeply.

I discovered that every generation has always been upset with the younger generation's grasp of writing. Thank you, Steven Pinker!

More Pinker: Do watch this interview with him on writing in the age of LLMs.

Hopefully, Matt Abrahams' book "Think Faster, Talk Smarter" is still discounted at $1.99.

I not only encourage students to use Gen AI, I let them steal my prompts too.

Google Gemini is incredible for making instant web apps. I know "vibe coding" has bad connotations, but you should really try it. It's like magic.

Nice clouds during a morning run.

I tried to imagine the feeling of being in the movie Total Recall, during a particularly hot Sunday.

LLMs can be a good Bible study aid, but beware of the demon in the machine!

That's all, thank you for reading!