Rough couple days for the media, mostly because the rules have been thrown out. Over the last few weeks a bruhaha has been bubbling around Substack, the hot new email publishing tool that allows writers to charge subscription fees to readers. The substance of that is nicely summarized by Annalee Newitz: Substack is not merely…… Continue reading editors, blogging and platform/publishing confusion
Considering the Future of the Workplace
“Where” may not be as important as “how” people work. First, let’s acknowledge that the U.S. labor market is still a complete disaster. U.S. employers added 49,000 jobs in January, after a revised drop of 227,000 the month before. Unemployment fell to 6.3%, from 6.7% in December, as hundreds of thousands of people left the…… Continue reading Considering the Future of the Workplace
Random Writing Advice From Movies and TV
Let’s get this all out in the air. Last Friday, for reasons unclear to me, everyone started sharing their own Harsh Writing Advice on Twitter. https://twitter.com/ChrisThilk/status/1355273806080831491 Inspired by some of the helpful, ironic and flat-out funny advice that crossed my timeline, I thought I would round up some great writing advice from movies, TV series…… Continue reading Random Writing Advice From Movies and TV
Learning As a Vocation
Today I learned… Much of the period between July, 2016 and March, 2020 was a combination of thrilling, frustrating, exciting and nerve-wracking. After being let go from Voce Communications I embarked on the roller coaster life that is freelancing, eventually adding on my full-time position at Starbucks, meaning each week and month involved a fun…… Continue reading Learning As a Vocation
Well, That Was 45
It was, as they say, a year. I’ve likely said something like this before, but for someone like myself who likes clean starts, having a birthday that comes within days of the turn of the new year is somewhat calming. The coincidental proximity of those events means I get to look back at the life…… Continue reading Well, That Was 45
2021 Writing Encouragement Courtesy of “Disenchantment”
Luci is here to help you finish that project. If you’re looking for a way to get your new year’s writing started on the right foot, you need look no further than Luci, the helpful demon on Netflix’s “Disenchantment.” During the eighth episode of the show’s second season, Bean is trying to process the complicated…… Continue reading 2021 Writing Encouragement Courtesy of “Disenchantment”
Is The Future In-Office, Remote or Both?
Where people work will influence what jobs are available. Back in March, the assumption seemed to be that most white collar workers being sent home because of the coronavirus outbreak would be able to return later in the year. Many made statements about September or maybe December at the latest being feasible for offices to…… Continue reading Is The Future In-Office, Remote or Both?
Job Losses, Like Coronavirus, Could Be Nearing a Second Wave
Of course the first wave never really ended, but let’s move past that. This is what the official unemployment rate looks like, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (PDF), as mapped out over the last two years. The problem has been exacerbated by the continued resistance of Congressional Republicans to pass another round of…… Continue reading Job Losses, Like Coronavirus, Could Be Nearing a Second Wave
Remote Learning Is Prepping Kids For Lack of Work Privacy
[Extreme Dr. Forrester voice] I know who you are and I saw what you did.] Stories like this have been coming out with some regularity since late March as schools across the country invest in some mix of digital tools to monitor students during online classes and physical equipment to track them and take their…… Continue reading Remote Learning Is Prepping Kids For Lack of Work Privacy
Productivity Lost Reaches a Conclusion
At the beginning of the yearI made the decision to publish Productivity Lost, originally intended as a book and then pitched as a series of contributed op-eds, as a standalone blog. It wasn’t a decision I took likely as there were a number of other options available. In fact, I knew I was actively swimming…… Continue reading Productivity Lost Reaches a Conclusion
