Dario Amodei

is an American AI researcher and entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and CEO of Anthropic. He previously worked at OpenAI, where he played a significant role in the development of large language models. I am following him closely as he is particularly known for his focus on AI safety and alignment, attempting to ensure advanced AI systems behave in ways that are beneficial and predictable for humans. At Anthropic, he has championed ideas such as “constitutional AI,” which aims to embed ethical principles directly into AI training; the latter is well worth a read. His work places long-term responsibility and risk reduction at the centre of AI progress.

This is his latest essay which-might I suggest-is essential reading.

Go read. Go study.

And here is my contribution to the topic.

How to Beat ChatGPT.

Release it Clean

Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a fan of self-publishing (for two main reasons: control over your MS and short time to market). Such readers will also know that I believe your book needs to be delivered with perfect text i.e. error free. Many readers have written to ask about my approach to ensuring errors are close to zero. Tomorrow we’ll look at that but first it’s useful to understand a little terminology as there are different levels of editing or preparation.

There is line editing Aide-mémoire: “How does it sound?” → Improves flow, voice, rhythm, style (sentence by sentence)

There is copy editing Aide-mémoire: “Does it make sense?” → Fixes clarity, grammar, consistency, logic

There is Proofreading Aide-mémoire: “Is it clean?” → Catches typos, spelling, punctuation, formatting

And the order is Line edit → Copy edit → Proofread or Sound → Sense → Spots

TBC

The Tools of Excellence

Number 13: Blackboard Paint

This paint will transform any wall into a canvas for thought. Two coats of blackboard paint-matte black, slightly textured-and suddenly you have unlimited space for ideas, lists, diagrams, quotes, and calculations.

Quality chalk on that black density feels satisfying in a way that dry-erase markers never do. The slight resistance as you write, the clean lines, it’s visceral. And unlike those whiteboard pens that dry out, squeak annoyingly, or leave ghost images, chalk is simple: it writes, or it doesn’t. When it’s done, you grab another piece.

The blackboard wall becomes your external brain. Priorities are captured, executed, and erased. Project timelines span a metre of wall space. Brainstorming sessions are filled with possibilities. Inspirational quotes stay up for weeks. Shopping lists can be started. I love a blackboard wall. Most surfaces will take the paint, and the ability to think big is liberating. I can list, mind-map, sketch, timeline or create a matrix. All my writing starts here.

Unlike small whiteboards, a painted wall gives you room to think big. Ideas spread out, connect, breathe. You can step back and see the whole picture.

Productivity made visible. Creativity given space. Immediate overview.

The other sixty-nine tools of excellence are here.

The Trilogy is FREE this weekend.

We were a couple of days into the first UK lockdown. I’d just done a glorious long hike in Wales and I’d cleared my diary as it was clear my kind of trainings were not going to be possible for a while. And I thought-no excuses, let’s get that book written. For a long time I’d had an idea so I sat down to write.

In the end I wrote a very different book but it was well received and I did a follow up and then completed the trilogy. They are all free this weekend.

Meet Molly Molly and The Isle of Kasta Molly and Ben

Go read.

The Tools of Excellence

Number 10: The 3x5 Card

Pull a 3x5 index card from the stack. Write today’s three priorities. Or tomorrow’s meeting agenda. Or the ingredients for tonight’s dinner. Or the key points for your pitch. One card, one focus, one purpose.

The constraint is the power. A 3x5 card can’t hold your entire life’s ambitions or a rambling to-do list with forty-seven items. It forces clarity. What actually matters? What are the essentials? Write them down. Carry the card. Reference it. Cross items as you complete them.

Unlike digital task managers with their infinite scroll and will-destroying multiple notifications, a 3x5 card is finite and forgiving. You fill it, you complete it, you’re done. Then it goes back in the stack, a physical record you can review later if needed, or recycle if not. It took me a while to discover what being productive really meant to me and which tools would support that quest; the 3-by-5 card does. It’s a winner.

The tactile elements enhance effectiveness: the writing by hand engages your brain; the card lives in your pocket or on your desk, visible, immediate, present.

You don’t need to unlock a device to see what matters today. They never need charging. They work perfectly for decades. One card creates focus. A stack aggregated with a gorgeously analogue rubber band makes a system.

Simple, portable, clarifying. That is excellence you can hold.

The other 69 Tools of Excellence are here. Instant. Budget. Kindle. Worldwide.

The Nightmares of trying to get Your Book published

with Michael Wade.

Michael highlights the crazy nature of the publishing industry currently. I have published both ways: with ‘named’ publishers and self-published. I 100% prefer the latter. Why? Control over your copy, your cover, your marketing. Greater royalties. Greater speed to market.

But…

Isn’t it less prestigious to self-publish? Perhaps. But presumably your goal is to make a success of your book. A ‘big name’ publisher does not guarantee that. If your work is not selling well in the first few weeks after release, notice how quickly your calls are not returned.

Surely I’ll get lots of marketing money thrown at my book? Not necessarily. You’ll be asked about your social media lists, your blog. Few publishers have much marketing money to throw around: they keep that for their winners such as J K Rowling.

What about manuscript preparation? It’s not what it was. It’s likely to be software driven.

IMHO.

  1. Self-publish.
  2. Learn how to use social media to publicise your book.
  3. Never release until it has been thoroughly proofed.

Go write. Go proof. Go publish. Good luck.