The algorithm recently served me some words of wisdom by legendary bass player Victor Wooten. Paraphrased here:

2025 is shaping up to be the most uncertain and turbulent year of my adult life. Even after experiencing Trump 1.0, I was not prepared for the level of global chaos him and his administration are willing to inflict on the world this time around.

Humans live for an upward trajectory. We want to know that next year will be at least as good as this year. We need to feel that our kids are better off than we were.

I am not great at strict New Year's resolutions. In our well-intentioned desire for change, it's easy to be overly ambitious and set ourselves up for failure. But I have found more success sticking to New Year's themes: identifying areas where I want to focus additional energy, and areas that I am happy to let sit on the back burner.

Creativity is a muscle. It must be stretched and exercised to grow and stay healthy. This is true not only for personal projects but also professionally.

This is my first time reading a book on the craft of writing. It was written by legendary Yale writing professor William Zinsser on the craft of nonfiction writing. I've never felt insecure about my writing, but I've also never taken much energy to develop it the way I have other disciplines.

I read the book at my wife's behest. It really wasn't for me. I asked Claude to explain the historical significance of the novel, and after reading more about the context in which it was published, I understand why it matters as a historical artifact.

Something about me: I have no trouble putting down a book that loses my interest. Speaker For The Dead may be one of the few exceptions to that. I deeply lost interest in the story and characters for most of the book, but occasionally books are worth finishing even if the journey is a slog.

All Systems Red is a fun and easy sci-fi read. Focusing on an anonymous SecUnit, which calls itself Murderbot, the story lets you inhabit the inner workings of this robot as it learns what to do with its newfound autonomy.

Scott Alexander Howard has published a brilliant time travel novel that feels deeply human and is rooted in a small French community which comes vividly to life.