From Billboards to Big Tech: When Will We Draw the Line on Attention Theft?
In Paris at the turn of the twentieth century, commercial artists began putting up posters around the city advertising venues and shows and the like. It was so effective that soon posters were covering every surface of the city, leading to a concerted push by
https://curtismchale.ca/2025/05/18/from-billboards-to-big-tech-when-will-we-draw-the-line-on-attention-theft/
#BookClub #advertising #attention #billboards

Screens Steal Connection
Never before in human life on the planet have more people had access to a wider array of diversions at each waking instant. And yet, we are increasingly stalked, as the King is, by the sense that it's not enough. The more diversions available the more diversion we need, and the more intolerable we find its absence. The Sirens' Call - Chris Hayes Pg 62

For
https://curtismchale.ca/2025/05/11/screens-steal-connection/
#BookClub #attention #Marriage #SocialMedia

The print editions of: “You are a Strategist: Use No-BS OKRs to Get Big Things Done” are now available via independent retailers!

Because eBooks are great and all, but there’s just nothing like that “new book smell.”

#NewBook #BookLaunch #BookWyrm #BookLover #BookLife #AmWriting #AuthorLife #AuthorsOfMastodon #IndieAuthor #SelfPublished #Bookish #MustRead #BookClub #AuthorsHelpingAuthors #BookishCommunity @authors @bookstodon @books @autisticbookshop @autisticbookclub

Time for a little #introduction!

We're the Save and Load Club, a book club community centered around Visual Novels.

We pick something from a list of member suggestions, vote on what to read and then, while reading, discuss the VN together!

This account will be used to announce new sessions or other significant news. You can also always ask questions about the site.

A more detailed rundown on what this is and how it works can be found on our forums with the link below.

https://saveandload.club/t/welcome-to-save-and-load-club/5

The Siren Caught Me Scrolling
This is our first look at Siren's Call by Chris Hayes, and it's a bit of a confession from me.

Hayes hit me pretty hard by page 4 when he equated the world around us, particularly the online platforms, to the Sirens from the Greek myth of Odysseus. Online platforms called to me via Facebook, which I haven't traditionally used, but I do organize group rides and that's the best pl
https://curtismchale.ca/2025/05/04/the-siren-caught-me-scrolling/
#BookClub

The Courage to Rethink – Lessons from Think Again
This is our final look at Think Again. Next month we're reading The Siren's Call which is all about attention. If you're not signed up to get the book club emails in your inbox, it's free. Subscribers get a weekly post about the book for the month.

I first read Think Again in 2022 and was immediately struck with how crucial it was to be wi
https://curtismchale.ca/2025/04/27/the-courage-to-rethink-lessons-from-think-again/
#BookClub

I started this book club on the Fable app - join me there to discuss the math behind AI

#AI #genAI #MachineLearning #Math #Books #Bookclub #Reading

https://fable.co/club/machines-learn-can-we-with-madeline-267661100558?invite=57080583-de32-4372-bdb4-4ae782eb249c

Binary Bias, Cancel Culture, and the Death of Nuance
We like easy answers. Is it good or is it bad? Will I get cancelled for a view, or is it the one that helps me conform to society at large? If you've got kids, telling them yes or no is far easier that trying to give them a nuanced answer appropriate to their age level.

We do this because our brains want to short circuit complexity, whi
https://curtismchale.ca/2025/04/20/binary-bias-cancel-culture-and-the-death-of-nuance/
#BookClub

I'm hosting a virtual #solarpunk bookclub tonight on ALL WE CAN SAVE! All welcome to join!

Time: 4.16.2025, 8pm ET

On Zoom but get the link through the Solarpunk Future! discord:
https://discord.gg/r9uaR9XZ?event=1351224860948435085

When Status Slips and Rage Rises – The Roots of Polarization
The news slams into us every day—another hate crime, another community torn apart, another reminder that the center isn’t holding. As racism resurges and social trust frays, it's no wonder people seek refuge in polarised worldviews. In our second look at Think Again we'll examine the issues with society that I see leading
https://curtismchale.ca/2025/04/13/when-status-slips-and-rage-rises-the-roots-of-polarization/
#BookClub

Second Opinions and Self-Deception
We're swift to recognize when other people need to think again. We question the judgement of experts whenever we seek out a second opinion on a medical diagnosis. Unfortunately, when it comes to our knowledge and opinions, we often favor feeling right over being right. In everyday life, we make diagnoses of our own, ranging from whom we hire to when we m
https://curtismchale.ca/2025/04/06/second-opinions-and-self-deception/
#BookClub #learning #thinking

Bob Doto on Note-Taking – A No-Nonsense Guide to Writing with Purpose
Next month the book club is reading Think Again by Adam Grant Join the book club to get all the content in your inbox.

While the most famous book about starting a Zettelkasten may be How to Take Smart Notes it's not necessarily the best book on the topic. Valuable entries have come from
https://curtismchale.ca/2025/03/30/bob-doto-on-note-taking-a-no-nonsense-guide-to-writing-with-purpose/
#BookClub #zettelkasten

Good Notes Take Discipline – Not Magic
So far as we've looked at A System for Writing we've talked about words being scary, taking more time to process your notes, and exposed the "writing is easy" lie that gurus try to pass off. What we haven't covered is what I think it takes to have a good note system.

Not Magic

I've harped on this for years, but no tool is going to be magic. Unfortunately magi
https://curtismchale.ca/2025/03/23/good-notes-take-discipline-not-magic/
#BookClub

Picked up Admiral Stavridis’ new book the Admiral’s Bookshelf, I suspect the inclusion of 1984, Handmaid’s Tale & To Kill a Mocking Bird, not to mention A Confederacy of Dunces is its own message.
(Anyone with an interest in the sea should work through his Sailors’ Bookshelf) #bookclub

Guru’s Lie – Writing Isn’t Easy, and That’s the Point
It will not literally speak to you. But visible areas of increased connectivity within the slip box, what Sonke Ahrens calls "clusters" can guide you towards ideas ready for expression. - A System for Writing Pg 111

This is one of the big misconceptions with a Zettelkasten/PKM system, it will do the writing for you. You'l
https://curtismchale.ca/2025/03/16/gurus-lie-writing-isnt-easy-and-thats-the-point/
#BookClub #writing

You Don’t Need More Notes—You Need More Time with Them
In chapter 4 of A System for Writing Doto covers all the work that goes into connecting notes, and to many I'm sure it feels daunting. He talks about stretching the meanings of notes when you're starting1 because you don't have many notes yet and you need to start making connections.

My first thought when he said to stretch the
https://curtismchale.ca/2025/03/09/you-dont-need-more-notes-you-need-more-time-with-them/
#BookClub

LIVE NOW @hatnix !
Watch here: https://live.hatnix.net/

Words are the Edge of Fear
There's a lot at stake when putting thoughts into words. Words that remain in our head are free to exist independent of how they're used by other people. Once we attempt to put our ideas on the page, words that previously strutted self-assuredly across our synapses become sheepish and soft-spoken. - A System for Writing Pg 12

I feel these words strongly today based on the post I relea
https://curtismchale.ca/2025/03/02/words-are-the-edge-of-fear/
#BookClub

Otherwise and elsewhere - https://philanthropy2173.ghost.io/otherwise-and-elsewhere/ On the #Philanthropy #BookClub and next steps, with bonus songs and podcasts to enjoy