0.0 Context Setting

Tuesday, 13 August 2025 in Portland, Oregon where it’s still pretty hot but not too hot, you know?

I have a half or maybe third-finished draft of the next episode sitting in iA Writer but not the brain space to finish it today.

So I’m attempting to throw out my No, It Has To Be This Way rigid thinking in favour of “just do whatever”.

Meanwhile, I mentioned a chat I had with Ted Han in the last episode and completely forgot to tell you that we have a... podcast? Or at least we talk to each other and occasionally have a guest on and you can watch us. It’s called Han to Hon Combat, which means it has the best podcast name ever.

1.0 Some Things That Caught My Attention

Fair warning this episode is a short one.

1.1 Yeah, this is the future

I am watching the new FX/Hulu series Alien: Earth¹. The ads during the show are:

• for a smart ring body monitoring device, Oura, (which kind the current U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services has a plan for as many people to wear as possible); and
• for an online injection-based weight loss drug (“ro”, and the generic “GLP-1”)

Meanwhile:

• Robots deliver packages in downtown Los Angeles.

• People regularly get in self-driving autonomous cars in San Francisco.

• People have relationships with computer programs.

• Ukraine fights a drone war with Russia.

• Doorbell cameras share surveillance footage with police.

I don’t know about you, but it certainly feels like a cyberpunk future.

2.0 Sponsored Content: How People Work

Hello. It’s me again, sponsoring my own content.

You and your team need to go on my workshop, How People Work because just one of the things it does is teach you how to stop writing business bullshit language, and then we practice doing that together.

I don’t need to give you an example of what business bullshit language is, just go to the next email in your inbox or whatever.

How are you?

Best,

Dan