Who are you? And Why Am I Here?

1622 True Fans

Aug 30, 2024

Who are you?

Currently, 1,622 fine people subscribe to this little newsletter. Most of you know me in one way or another. Some of you are long-term friends, former colleagues or students, some of you attended one of my workshops, or perhaps you downloaded a resource from me (blockchain game, for example) and signed up then. Only thirty-one of my readers subscribed due to finding me on the Substack platform.

Forty-five percent of you are outside the United States and in 61 other countries! Six percent are in South Africa, where I have a lot of collaborators.

Five of you are my nieces and nephews, who I have added without your consent because everyone should learn from their crazy uncle's brilliant insights.

Who Opens?

For every newsletter I send, only 30 to 40 percent of the emails get opened. That is a pretty good open rate for a newsletter, which might surprise you. What happens to the other 60-70? I suspect:

Some people have aggressive spam filters, and my newsletter is in the spam box. They might open it later or never.
Some people are too busy on any given week and delete the email when clearing their inbox (I do the same when I get overwhelmed).
Some have their email software configured not to allow tracking, so they are opening it, but the open doesn't get recorded in Substacks stats.
Others might have abandoned the email address they used to subscribe. (While writing this bullet point, I realized that several readers have passed away, and removed them from the list 😢).

Even with ~35 percent open rate, my posts have been read 44,046 times in the last two years!!

Format

I have been writing this blog or newsletter since I quit Facebook, and I wanted to find a way to stay in touch with friends and colleagues. Over the years, I have changed the format of this newsletter numerous times, going from just updates and recommendations to serialized articles about a particular topic. Currently, I am trying to alternate one short, humorous or anecdotal piece (for example, this post) and a more serious column that explains a technology issue or bit of technology news and gives my take on it. And get at least one posted each week.

My most popular post so far is “Prof C Goes to DEFCON,” I suspect because a lot of DEF CON peeps have checked it out. I just returned from an APEC meeting in Peru and I am thinking about writing about what I learned there (hint: international trade is all about standards).

I try to write for a non-technical audience and attempt to explain technological issues clearly so they can express their opinions about how technology should be used while giving my perspective. However, I often fail and slip back into technical jargon…

Why I write

Besides staying connected with friends, and helping people understand technology issues, I write this newsletter to become a better writer and test my ideas.

I am not particularly good at choosing popular topics, nor do I research topics to find ones that might go “viral.” Instead I write more about what I see and think about as I go through the world. Unfortunately for my readers, it has been a lot of posts about Artificial Intelligence lately.

Income

I get a lot of psychic income from this newsletter. Whenever I post, I get at least a couple of emails from friends and former students, either about what they think about the topic or just wanting to check-in.

A former student from a study abroad program in Alicante, Spain, Clément S just sent me a detail perspective on AI, and my friend Joe G. sometime sends me songs he is working on:

1×

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-4:39

These notes and shares are a huge dividend for me.

I don't write for money per se, but I get paid for speaking and consulting projects from my readers indirectly from time to time. I have started listing some recommended items and, starting this week, items I have made myself as I try to figure out how to productize electronic projects and sell them online.

I don’t want to monetize this newsletter, but it has given me ideas for newsletter topics that people might find valuable enough to pay to subscribe. The problem is opportunity costs; if I did that, I would have to say no to many other things.

Future Projects

I have decided to narrow my creative pursuits to Substack for now. Trying to make content for multiple creative outlets (substack, medium, youtube, etc.) is way too much work and takes a lot of the fun out of creating.

As the web becomes more enshittified (it is just a matter of time for Substack?), I might even move this newsletter back to my website as an old school blog.

It would make it harder for people to find my writing, but perhaps all my people are already here. Thanks for being one of them.

📆 Upcoming Talks/Classes

I will be presenting “Managing the Learning Machine” at 8:00 AM on September 10th for the MU Retiree’s Association (In Person and Zoom). More information and Registration will be available on MU Retiree’s Association website.
I will give a talk on Artificial Intelligence and The Election a couple of times in September:
- Tuesday, September 10, 6:30pm - 8:00pm at the Missouri River Regional Library in Jefferson City. More information is available on the Missouri River Regional Library website.
- September 13th, 3:00pm to 4:15pm at the Trulaske College of Business in the Cornell Auditorium. If you want to attend, let me know and I will get you a parking pass.
- Description: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is challenging our ability to distinguish between truth and deception, a critical skill for democracy. This session will explore AI's potential role in spreading disinformation, particularly during election periods. Prof C will also offer strategies for navigating a world where trust is increasingly elusive.
My friend and colleague, Sophia Rivera Hassemer, is teaching “Technology Potpourri” for Osher on Sept 12, 19, 26, and Oct 3 from 9:30 to 11am, and I will be her assistant! It will be in person only at the Moss building, and will be very hands on with technology. More information and Registration will be available on the Osher website.
I will present “Harnessing AI for Nonprofit Growth” from
10:45 - 11:45 a.m., on November 7 via zoom. More information and Registration will be available on the New Chapter Coaching website.
I will present “AI: Current Trends and Future Directions” for the Mid-Missouri PMI Chapter on November 12th at 7:30am via zoom. Registration will be available on PMI Mid-MO Chapter's website.

🛍️ Products I Make

#AlwaysbeLearning. In this case learning more about products and e-commerce.
- Smiling Pin with LED Eyes (in the style of the Def Con Jack) is available on Etsy. The instructions on how to make one yourself are posted on Instructables.
- More coming soon. (hint it lights up).