Execupundit.com

Crank It Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:43:03 +0000

Free A.I. Classes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:33:00 +0000

MIT Open Learning is offering classes on Artificial Intelligence and many of them are free.

First Paragraph

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

This book is about intelligence. On the one hand, it's a portrait of a remarkable human, a chess prodigy, a Nobel laureate, a polymathic thinker. On the other hand, it tells the story of his quest to build remarkable machines: systems that are intuitive, creative, and even original. At some point in the not-so-distant future, artificial intelligence will beat human intelligence at almost every mental task, and to say this marks a watershed would be a parody of understatement. Artificial intelligence heralds a transformation more profound than anything since Homo sapiens acquired the capacity for abstract thought, some seventy thousand years ago.

- From The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence by Sebastian Mallaby

Many Thanks for Your Reviews!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:30:00 +0000

Many thanks to those of you who've posted reviews of Pilate's Magician online and on Amazon.

We're working out the Amazon pages, so the e-book and paperback versions show up on the same page along with the Amazon reviews.

The primary goal, of course, is to create a buzz in the circles that are most likely to enjoy the novel and spread the word.

I wrote my first nonfiction book in 1976 and received an early education on which books get reviewed, which ones get ignored, and how building an audience beyond the original group is vital.

That makes me all the more appreciative of your support.

Chronic Stress and Your Body

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:15:00 +0000

Work

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000

The Hammock Papers has an observation by J.M.W. Turner that should be placed in every classroom in America.

Find Something Beautiful Today

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000

[Photo by NASA at Unsplash]

Take The 52-Week Black-and-White Film Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 04:04:00 +0000

True film buffs know that less can be more.

Ringo

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 14:54:00 +0000

Sharp As A Tack

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 11:30:00 +0000

Ann Althouse got a very strange, and highly inaccurate, correction from ChatGPT.

An excerpt:

Joe Biden did not withdraw after the primaries were over.
He stayed in the race through the primaries and remained the nominee.
Kamala Harris did not replace him as the Democratic nominee.

Rejection Letters

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 22:59:00 +0000

A great post by Patrick Rhone.

Bravo to Beatrice and her classmates!

I have a bias for people who've been punched and keep on going.

Music Man

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 22:05:00 +0000

Side Conversation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:15:00 +0000

"They've canceled all of their training and are hiring very few people. Not clear on the lay-off situation. We're in limbo."

I have seen that before. When uncertainty arises, the reaction is to hold in place. That's regarded as a safe bet. Anyone pushing for big spending outside of A.I. endeavors may be regarded as reckless.

Developing A.I. training is an option, of course, but even that is risky unless it presents the material with a good dose of modesty.

More of a conversation than a presentation.

First Paragraph

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000

The end of Europe is upon us.

- From The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age by James Kirchick

Bear with Me

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

I am meeting today with a group of managers to discuss how to analyze and prevent various types of discrimination cases.

Always timely. It will be a groove.

Back this afternoon.

Best First Lines

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Sippican Cottage gives his list and a grand list it is.

And yet, because it was compiled several years ago, it missed:

"I, Julian Fabius, an advocate for discretion in all things, should have known better."

From this.

On the Origins of Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Treasure Chest

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 17:35:00 +0000

There is always a great deal to enjoy at Yahooey's Blog.

Guaranteed.

Room Ramble

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:51:00 +0000

I'm teaching a workshop later this week on employment discrimination. At the moment, much of my time is devoted to returning order to my office.

A chunk of material that was needed for "Pilate's Magician" is being filed, although boxed is more accurate. [I have misplaced things in files but never in a box.]

Several boxes of books will be going to the used bookstore. I'm keeping most of the Roman history and religion books related to the novel, but others have piled up and I'm ruthlessly culling those. Mainly management titles because if there is any field in which the book promotions tend to overstate value, it's management.

In contrast, history, government, religion, and philosophy tend to hold up well.

Anyway, progress is being made. It won't be a Marie Kondo make-over but it will produce a lot of floor space.

Robert McGinnis: King of Movie Posters

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Books in My Reading Stack

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 22:50:00 +0000

- Old School: Future-proof yourself. AI-proof your career by Nicholas Bate. I'm starting this today.

- Lords of Misrule: Mardi Gras and the Politics of Race in New Orleans by James Gill.

- The Monastery of the Damned: From the Ivy League to the French Foreign Legion by Nicholas Tobias.

- AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order by Kai-Fu Lee

- Overreach: The Inside Story of Putin's War Against Ukraine by Owen Matthews

- Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang

- Mobilize: How to Reboot the American Industrial Base and Stop World War III by Shyam Sankar

- Stay Alive: Berlin, 1939 - 1945 by Ian Buruma

On My List

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:33:00 +0000

Still The One

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

When a person who has not seen the film versions of A Tale of Two Cities said that the BBC is planning one, I advised her to see this one first.

Memorable with a great cast.

Just In

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

A Need for Candor

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:30:00 +0000

Tough Love has an opposite.

My Substack essay is out.