Issue 92 - Nuclear-Powered AI
Welcome to 500 Words. Listen to this newsletter. A moment for station identification for new readers and listeners: 500 Words is a weekly-ish newsletter with...
Issue 91 - Follow the Money
Listen to this newsletter. Welcome to 500 Words. This week's 500, as always, is written by a human. INTERROGATING AI There are many AI unknowns this week. To...
Issue 90 - Online Personhood
Listen to this newsletter. Welcome to 500 Words. INTERROGATING AI Hey, you human? Prove it. With more AI-generated slop that I can handle on my screens these...
Issue 89 - Book Talk
Listen to this episode. Hello, and welcome to 500 Words. Not only are people buying more books, but they are also talking about them more often, in more...
Issue 88 - Yes, people buy books, and AI has a good side
Listen to this newsletter. Hello, and welcome to 500 Words. It didn't seem that long ago that the experts said that nobody would buy physical books anymore....
Issue 87 - Is that really you?
Welcome to 500 Words.Listen to this newsletter. INTERROGATING AI How can you be sure I'm me and you're you? I'm asking because a person's vocal identity is...
Issue 86 - Cloning an Actor's Work
Hello, and welcome to 500 Words. Listen to this newsletter. INTERROGATING AI Let's consider actors' voices as uncommon instruments, ready to fit vastly...
Issue 85 - Here Comes the Future
Listen to this newsletter Hello, and welcome to 500 Words. INTERROGATING AI If you look at a screen, then AI is part of your life. From where I sit (in front...
Issue 84 - Praise for Librarians
Listen to this newsletter. Hello! Since I've been working on distributing my new book, I have been thinking about libraries. A moment to mention this: Ingram...
Issue 83 - FAKEOUT LOL and a visit to the archives
Listen to this. Since I can't keep up with all the output 500 Words requires on a weekly basis, I've brought in a collaborator, one with BIG ideas. They have...
Issue 82 - Anxiety About What's Next
Navigating anxiety, future storytelling, and a forthcoming paywall.
Issue 81 - Let's Enter the Flow State
This newsletter was written by a human. Listen to it. TOP OF MIND Creative work starts with a flow state. A flow state is a state of focused attention that...
Issue 80 - Special Edition - Celebration
Listen to this. I'm writing today to celebrate the official publication of my second novel, Resist. It went live yesterday on Amazon, with more platforms to...
Issue 79 - Climate Positivity
This newsletter was written by a human. Listen to me read it: TOP OF MIND Have you heard that climate change is your fault? It's your fault that you drive a...
Issue 78 - Thank You for the Blurbs
Listen to this. TOP OF MIND Blurbs. You see them on the back of books. You see them in movie ads. Now, here they are in my newsletter. They're everywhere!...
Issue 77 - Oops! ... I did it again
Welcome to 500 Words. This newsletter was written by a human. TOP OF MIND We are living inside history, and it feels pretty strange. There's nothing special...
Issue 76 - Cooperate or Fight?
Hello, welcome to 500 Words. This newsletter was written by a human. TOP OF MIND Do we cooperate or fight? When considering AI, this is the question before...
Issue 75 - Your Official Spokesperson is not Real, and that's OK
Hello, welcome to 500 Words. This newsletter was written by a human. For the past week, I've been deep into the final proofreading of my second novel,...
Issue 74 - The 500-Year-Old Rapper
TOP OF MIND Welcome to 500 Words. How do you know what is real on the internet? Subscribe now Mike Isaac reports in The New York Times that Instagram is...
Issue 73 - Champions of the Internet
TOP OF MIND Remember when the internet was nice? When I look back to earlier days of the public web (probably through a haze of nostalgia), I recall an...
Issue 72 - Down the Rabbit Hole
TOP OF MIND Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. -- Arthur C. Clarke Subscribe now The quote from science fiction writer...
Issue 71: Your Next App will be a Good Friend
Subscribe now TOP OF MIND Tamagotchi are virtual pets that hit peak popularity in the late 1990s. You picked up a handheld device to play with, feed, and...
Issue 70: You're getting a B on this assignment, because I didn't read it
Subscribe to 500 Words TOP OF MIND I teach a class for USC, in the Architecture Department, and I've learned one thing these past few years. If I don't keep...
Issue 69: The Royal Screwup
Welcome to 500 Words. This week, the newsletter is late because I’ve been revising my second novel. I just sent off the book yesterday to my editor for a...
Issue 68: The Rock Band that Tours Until the End of Time
Hello all, Welcome to 500 Words. Subscribe now TOP OF MIND I was invited to publish articles on Medium.com when it started in 2012. I sent them articles on a...
Issue 67: Woodpeckers Working on a Big Tree
Hello all, I’m trying for a newsletter post today. Kind of. I’ll offer a few quick ideas, because today these thoughts are pecking at me like woodpeckers...
Issue 66: Top of Mind
Hello! In the last newsletter I ran, I asked you all what you’d like to see me write about in 500 Words. The overwhelming favorite was “report on what is...
Issue 65: Easy and Hard Predictions
Hello! It's just about time to complete another orbit around the sun to close out the year. Looking ahead, here are my predictions for 2024. First, some easy...
Issue 64: Readers Wanted!
Dear Friends, I have a problem with writing science fiction. I can’t write it fast enough to have it remain fiction. Too much of what I imagine is coming...
Issue 63: Some Things are Fake but This is Really Real
Hello! It’s been a while since I’ve written you all. I’ve been head down in an edit pass for Resist, a novel that is the sequel to Surrender, the book that I...
Issue 62 — Rachel Allen Keeps the Love of Writing Alive
Hello Friends, I’m not a big fan of summer, but this year is different. I’m grateful for the fuzzy nature of summertime. We’ve had an eventful last few...
Issue 61 — JV Hilliard has Created a Masterful World
Hello Friends, This Week on FutureX JV Hilliard is the author of the Warminster Saga fantasy novels. Here's how he often introduces himself. “Born of steel,...
Issue 60 — Elon Musk Messed Up My Logo
Issue 60 — Elon Musk Messed Up My Logo Greetings! I added the exclamation point above to conceal my bad mood, because Elon Musk messed up the FutureX logo....
Issue 59 - Rod Faulkner Sees the Genius in Short Sci-Fi Films-
Issue 58 - Rod Faulkner Sees the Genius in Short Sci-Fi Films Hello, everyone. I’m going to introduce this week’s FutureX podcast in a moment, but first, I...
Issue 58 Brian Freeman is Building a Creator Community
Hello! In this episode of the FutureX Podcast, Brian Freeman discusses Creatorland, a professional networking platform designed for content creators who are...
Issue 57 - JJ Ramberg and the Goodpods Community
Hello! In this episode of the FutureX Podcast, I interview JJ Ramberg, co-creator of Goodpods, a platform designed to help podcast listeners discover new...
Issue 56 Racism and Resistance in the Digital Age with Dr. Robert Eschmann
Issue 56 Racism and Resistance in the Digital Age with Dr. Robert Eschmann Hello! In today’s episode of The FutureX Podcast, you’ll meet Dr. Robert Eschmann,...
Issue 55 Creating a School for Changemakers with Laura Hartley
Issue 55 Creating a School for Changemakers with Laura Hartley Hello! In the latest episode of The FutureX Podcast, you’ll meet Laura Hartley, founder of an...
Issue 54 Managing Multiple Creative Projects with Danielle Desir Corbett
Issue 54 Managing Multiple Creative Projects with Danielle Desir Corbett Hello! Danielle Desir Corbett is an author, podcaster & podcast marketing coach. She...
Issue 53 - Building Literal.club with Piet Terheyden
Hello! In the newest episode of The FutureX Podcast you’ll meet Piet Terheyden, Co-Founder & CEO of Literal. Literal.club is a platform I’ve been enjoying to...
Issue 52 Sista Circle - Black Women in Tech, with Lexi B.
Hello! In the newest episode of The FutureX Podcast you’ll meet Lexi B. Lexi B is one of Silicon Valley’s most candid and prominent voices. She is the...
Issue 51 Building an Online Community for Your Writing with Matt Gemmell
Issue 51 Building an Online Community for Your Writing with Matt Gemmell Dear Friends, This week on the FutureX Podcast, you’ll meet Matt Gemmell, a writer...
Issue 50 The Visibility Mindset with Bernice Chao
Issue 49 The Visibility Mindset with Bernice Chao Dear Friends, This week on the FutureX Podcast, you’ll meet Bernice Chao, an award-winning creative...
Issue 49 The Sports Justice Movement with Dr. Shaun M. Anderson
I hope your week is going well. This week on the FutureX Podcast, I speak with Dr. Shaun M. Anderson, author of The Black Athlete Revolt: The Sport Justice...
Issue 48 Planning Micro-Events with Ever Gonzalez
Hello! This week on the podcast, I speak with Ever Gonzalez, a self-described filthy capitalist with a hippie heart. Ever is the Founder of OutlierHQ, a...
Issue 47 The FutureX Podcast Starts with Representation
Exploring intersectionality in media with Dr. Nicole Haggard on The FutureX Podcast.
Issue 46 Power to the Indie Booksellers
Hello! I’m proud to announce that Surrender is available at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena. If you’re around Pasadena, stop by and get your own copy. Indie...
Issue 45 Erasing the Archive
Hello! I've always been a total nerd about my work setup. I have custom-made rubber stamps for my notebooks and treat pencils like cult objects. Most days I...
Issue 44 I was a guest on the Care More Be Better Podcast
Hello! I was a guest on the Care More Be Better podcast to talk about eco-anxiety and my book Surrender. The host Corinna Bellizzi and I spoke about facing...
Issue 43 Available Everywhere
Hello! My new science fiction novel Surrender is available everywhere now, listed by Bookshop.org, Book Depository, and Amazon. Wow. I will do an audiobook...