Over the next few months I may be posting more public content, though not on topics I've traditionally covered. Instead of a personal blog about self-reflection, philanthropy, and acknowledging all that makes us human and applying that to helping others, my content will be more about . . . building AI tech and building a business. [crowd boos and hisses] And I'll mostly be doing it on LinkedIn. [Nate dodges a shoe] I mean, even a lot of that content will have sprinklings of philosophy, wit,...
29 days ago • 1 min read
Well friends, the reason I've been so quiet is because I've been working nonstop for 4 months, and today's the day: I'm throwing YouBots.ai out into the world. In November I put together a tiny team to solve a big problem: could we build an AI platform that a small business could easily afford - one that would instantly give them value across all areas of their organization, without anyone on their team needing to know a thing about AI, prompt engineering, or software development? Could we...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
I fell asleep last night imagining all of humanity riding on undulating cycles of time . . . never-ending fractals of uniquely expressed lives exploding in diversity, yet all contained within familiar boundaries of rhythm and season. The rise and fall of empire (my favorite art piece, by the way) just a magnified echo of the rise and fall of a single soul. Everything we are, everything we do, never before experienced in this way by these people in human history . . . and yet a nearly carbon...
3 months ago • 1 min read
It's almost here! Over the past couple months I've been designing a suite of AI-powered tools that can give superpowers to small teams of regular people. The full details are kind of a secret until January, which will be the official launch. But in the meantime, I'm looking for 10 beta testers to put into my system starting in December. These folks will get free access to everything I'm building for a month or so. You can use everything, break everything, and then tell me where my stuff is...
4 months ago • 1 min read
For the past few weeks I've been head-down, working hard on three areas of my AI journey:1) Getting the Hollywood product ready for sale into the agencies and studios out there 2) Doing client work to pay the bills 3) Recruiting a team and getting my new business off the ground I won't get into all the details - I'll just say that everything is going well, and at this rate I expect to be able to tell you about the beta trial of the new business in December. I really think you'll like it :) I...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Over the weekend I did my annual graveyard walk, this time stopping by to visit my friend who recently passed, instead of walking it with him. A sad time, certainly, but not without its bittersweet moments. In fact, I noticed that there's an open slot in the bookshelf above his book of ashes in the mausoleum library. I've never made any plans for my body after I die, so maybe I'll buy that slot and have it all taken care of so my kids don't have to. I'll think about it. my favorite photo from...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Every October for nearly 20 years, my buddy Chris Damico and I would do our annual graveyard walk. We’d choose a cemetery somewhere in Milwaukee, get breakfast nearby, and then spend a couple hours slowly winding our way through the grounds. Both of us professional writers and amateur photographers, we enjoyed taking pictures and telling stories about all the lives we came across. Usually the days were sunny and brisk, with beautiful fall colors exploding all around, but winter comes early in...
6 months ago • 1 min read
This is my grandpa. I love him a lot. He's gone now, but he helped me become who I am today. I can close my eyes and be back in this room anytime I was meeting with a client this week - a sound technician and film composer from LA, an older gentleman. When the topic of early sound equipment came up, I mentioned my grandpa (who was one of the foremost authorities and largest collectors of antique radios, microphones, and sound equipment), and it turned out this man knew of him. I got to spend...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Get your mind out of the gutter - the only d**k pic I'm talking about is a "desk" pic! I can't take you people anywhere, GAWD So the other day I was looking for my tape measure, and I finally found it in the back room where I had last used it literally months ago when I was putting something together. That's how seldom I use physical tools. Compare that to my brother, who has an entire work van filled floor to ceiling with proper construction tools that he uses every day. But when it comes to...
7 months ago • 1 min read