Cal Newport
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The Normie’s Guide to Thinking About Tech
It’s become hard to talk about technology. Commentators have split themselves into two increasingly extreme teams: the pessimists and the optimists.
Seinfeld's Genius Advice for Success in the AI Age
The most recent episode of the Acquired podcast featured a story about Jerry Seinfeld that provides a critical lesson for succeeding in our current AI moment.
We Had Real People Test Popular Productivity Strategies
What happens when neat theoretical ideas about productivity are deployed in the messy real world?
The New Tesla Demo Captures Why Big Tech is Broken
Tesla’s recent demo of a rocket-powered Roadster doing a kick-flick over a parked car touched a nerve in me.
“Rogue” AI Is Not Inevitable. It’s a Choice.
A lot of attention has been paid recently to examples of AI going “rogue.” What’s missing from this discussion, however, is a more detailed explanation of what specific types of systems are causing…
Mathematicians Just Proved How to Prevent AI Brain Rot
How do we stop from becoming so reliant on LLMs that we lose our ability to think. A new paper explores answers based on an unlikely source: rigorous mathematical models.
A Former AI Doomer Reveals a Dark Truth
Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News.
A Single Sheet of Paper Can Fix Your Overwhelm
One of the more debilitating experiences in our current digital world is the sense of being trapped in relentless, reactive, busyness.
ChatBots Are Killing People!
With all the recent discussion of the potential catastrophic impacts AI might cause in the future, we’re losing track of the significant harms it is already causing right now.
A Dramatic Solution for Brain Rot
A recent New York Times op-ed reveals the true nature of “brain rot,” and in doing so reveals a much larger problem affecting us all.