Week #18: Last Week's Open Tabs & Links
Week of April 28, 2025: Myths, degeneracy, sycophancy
WHAT IS THIS? A roundup of interesting stuff I read this week. Maybe it’s helpful to you? Generally, they’re going to be related to leadership, food, culture, digital strategy, investing, fatherhood, writing and other stuff that’s interesting
Where Did all The Classy Americans Go? - from the WSJ? Now? Now? After all this, they’re starting to clutch some pearls? Of course, there’s some real truths in this piece. Gotta re-read this one. Sorta related: I didn’t like the condescension in 2018, but this critical take on political operatives and Trump people more specifically gets at something that doesn’t get discussed much: Character and motives and morals and ethics really do matter. No one is perfect, we’re all flawed, but that doesn’t mean every one is “good”.
Are You Not Entertained? - Really thought provoking article on the need for a better balance between Brand and Customer Acquisition in B2B businesses. It’s an age old struggle. Everyone knows both are important, but it shouldn’t be impossible to keep them in balance. This essay makes the case for “Brand as Entertainer” as a way to generate awareness, engagement, persuasion, etc. Not sure I buy the premise, especially since TikTok and Instagram have already turned brands there into dancing monkeys. Note: I really like what Shannon Deep and the crew are building with Around the Bonfire.
When in doubt, reach for the myths - Packy’s got a killer essay this week, dealing with chaos and opportunities. It’s really well structured and I love the energy that comes out. Can’t imagine how much coffee he drank writing that thing. But, more than anything, I love that he hung this essay on some old myths. What a great demonstration of the power of stories to help illuminate the way and create some structure when things are dark and chaotic.
Scanlon, Degeneracy and “Rigging” - This might just turn into a Kyla Scanlon fan-zine. Her essay this week is really important for a number of reasons, but her take on the way AI “rigs” our perceptions of ourselves via it’s language/tone and general obsequiousness is deep:
AI systems aren’t neutral. They’re reality-shaping! If we spend all day with an algorithm that constantly affirms us, we risk normalizing a kind of cognitive passivity - one that rewards vibes over verification.
The most successful technologies today don’t help us think better. They help us feel better about how we already think.
She’s an economist, but she’s becoming more valuable as a social critic. Her take on degeneracy has got me thinking. Why wouldn’t a typical 30 year old feel less invested? The politics seem rigged, the economy is “rigged” for the rich and the connected, our social platforms are “rigged” to keep us clicking, AI is manipulating us via an overly supportive echo chamber; the media is “rigged” to keep us afraid, outraged and watching. As the middle class of the US economy continues to erode and no leader seems to have an actual plan to rebuild it, where does a typical 30 year old see hope?
Sycophancy - Here’s the write up on the OpenAI sycophancy problem and what AI did about it. And, because it’s really interesting and we probably don’t think about how these things get tuned, here’s the model spec. Specifically, here’s the bit about personality and style:
The rollback is welcome, but now I can’t stop thinking about the way the “personality” of the AI is tuned to make me trust it. It’s like i’m back in the corporate office, questioning everything I hear for motives and subtle manipulation. Friend of foe?
The Palate Cleanser - I’m not a heavy reader of contemporary fiction, but I’m wading back into it. Here’s what I finished this week.
Dream State - Just finished this book from Oprahs Book Club! First time ever reading one of her books. Listened to Eric Puchner and Curtis Sittenfeld talk about this book and had to read it. It’s a pretty ambitious book that I really loved.
Thrillville USA - Taylor Koekkoek’s debut. A helluva short story collection that feels familiar, like he’s read a lot of Denis Johnson (in a good way). I know some of these characters and it’s hard not to like or love the f’ups. Even the losers get lucky some time.
This was on repeat all week. Just beautiful playing and simple but rich production.
Fine tuned listening to new music from Eli Brunelle. The kids are alright.
Heading to Nashville this week for the first time. Hope your week is great!