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Daily one-pagers about AI, leadership, technology, and being human.

johnmaconline

I'm writing to think, learn, and remember in public. I'll be here everyday.

October 31, 2024 2 minute read

You are the Traffic

The250

You ever get annoyed sitting in traffic?

For three years, I commuted 55 miles from my place in rural Berks County to the parking garage at 19th and JFK in center city Philly. This commute required the dreaded 422 corridor (there’s even a Facebook “fan” page) and the more sinister Schuylkill Expressway. Two “no way around” roads. If you’re going into and out of Philly from the northwest, you’ll need those roads.

The morning was fine, as long as I left by 5am. And there were no accidents. And it wasn’t raining or snowing. And an errant leaf didn’t blow by. I’d usually be sitting at my desk by 6:15.

But the evening commute was brutal. It was two hours of scratching and clawing for every inch of asphalt on those two “higwhays.” Stop and go. Move an inch. The guy on your right shoe-horning his bumper into the three inches of space between you and the guy in front. Horns, fists, other hand gestures. Just a mass of PO’d humanity. All of us sitting in this traffic, annoyed at everybody else who’s creating the traffic.

Here’s the thing, though — If you’re sitting in traffic, you are the traffic.

October 30, 2024 1 minute read

Same Thing, Different Day

The250

We often use it as a slur, but it’s underrated.

The more days you do the same thing, the more you get predictability. Predictability creates stability. Stability creates space and energy for creativity.

Habits eliminate the friction of endless decision-making. They anchor us into who we are and who we are becoming. Repeated actions build identity. Each day we do the same thing, we reinforce the new version of ourselves.

Do you like the new version of yourself?

October 29, 2024 1 minute read

Today is Important

The250

Today is important.

You woke up. You have choices. You have responsibilities. You have opportunities.

Today is important. Treat it as such.

October 28, 2024 2 minute read

AI-You

AIThe250

Could AI-you offload a bunch of administrative tasks? Could it manage your schedule (like you would) and the supply chain required for running your household?

“Hey, AI-me, as you know, we’re having a party next weekend. Here’s the menu. Please ensure we have the ingredients on friday.”

“Hey John, your Mazda is due for inspection at the end of the month. I’ve scheduled with the garage for Wednesday of next week because it was the only day they had available. I needed to move the lunch plan you had with Jack to Thursday. He was good with that.”

Could AI-you deal with household issues quick and easy?

“Hey, AI-me, the garage-door just broke. Get someone here ASAP.”

“Hey John, the hot-water heater started leaking during the night. The plumber will be here in 35 minutes.”

Could this AI-you manage your finances? The day-to-day and also investments, find money-making opportunities (specific to you, your skills, and view of the world), capital improvements, etc.

“Hey, AI-me, we’d like to like to redo the office this winter, but we’re wondering if a new fireplace and wood flooring would fit into the budget. Could you work up a bunch of options based on these ideas…”

“Hey John, you should look at this opportunity I just found. It looks like it would fit your skillset and might bring in an extra $1000 a month.”

If AI-you could do those kinds of things, would you want it to?

October 27, 2024 2 minute read

What I’d Do With an Optimus Robot

AIThe250

Elon thinks Optimus is the perfect household assistant. He envisions a future where humanoid robots are performing many of the tasks that we spend our day doing today — cleaning your house, cutting the grass, tending the garden, grocery shopping, and walking the dogs.

I disagree. I wouldn’t have it do any of that. But what I would do is walk it across the United States. Drop it off on the Ocean City Fishing Pier, pat it on the butt, and say, “I’ll see you at Pescadero Point.”

What a cool engineering and social experiment.

Think of all the technical hurdles it would have to autonomously overcome to make that trip — recharging, repairs, weather, terrain, navigation, etc.

Think of the social curiosities it would generate and hurdles it would have to navigate.

If you saw an Optimus just walking down the street, what would you do?

Would you engage with it? Would you ask it questions? What if it looked ragged or broken? Would you help it? Would you knock it over? Would you invite it to your home? Would you play games with it? Would you encourage it? 

I wonder what Optimus would learn by walking from Jersey to California.

October 26, 2024 2 minute read

Would You Want an AI Version of Yourself?

AIThe250

More creatives are signing open letters to stop training LLM models on their content without proper licensing (i.e., financial compensation).

Fundamentally, this is a legal copyright issue (i.e., money). Not a “stop the AI from taking over!” issue. 

Licensing issues (i.e., bucks) aside, would you want an AI version of yourself? (Note: A ChatBot version of you).

Well, what could it do for you?

Picture a 10-minute morning meeting with your AI-you each day. Of course, it’s been trained on all of the previous days of you, so it knows your history, how to sound like you, your preferences, and how you generally respond to the requests, challenges, and tasks of the day. But the purpose of the morning meeting is to understand the today-you. It asks you about how you’re feeling, things on your mind, what happened yesterday, and stuff that is important (as far as you know). 

Presumably, this AI-you could stand-in and take your place in particular aspects of your daily life that don’t require you physically. Let’s also assume that AI-you really is a good version of you. 

Maybe, in some ways, a better version of you because it’s you at your best, most consistent self. Rarely, if ever, would you review what AI-you did and think to yourself, “that’s not how I would do it” or “I’m not happy with that.”

But I don’t think this comes down to pragmatism.

I think it’s simply, “Would you want an AI Version of you?”

October 25, 2024 2 minute read

Keep Your Head Up

The250

I played and coached ice hockey for almost 40 years.

I’ve heard and given the advice of, “keep your head up!” a million times. It’s great advice, for several different reasons.

The first is for safety. I had a tendency to watch the puck on my stick as I skated, and then, BAM!!!. Next thing I knew, I’d be sprawled out on the ice, wondering what the license plate number was on that car that just ran me over.

Keep your head up, or you may get hurt.

The second is for opportunity. As I skated around staring at the puck on my stick, how was I supposed to see what was happening and, consequently, where the puck should to go next. How could we solve the puzzle of putting the puck into the net without having any idea of what was going on around us?

Keep your head up so you can see opportunity.

The third is for emotional support. After a tough loss or tough personal moment of failure, the “keep your head up” advice was a meant as a balm to the wounds. This is temporary. You should be optimistic about the next opportunity.

Keep your head up because tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities, and you’re taking all that you learned today into it.

Keep your head up.

October 24, 2024 1 minute read

Some Questions to Ask Yourself and Your Team

The250
  • What is our mission?
  • Does that mission help a person, organization, or community?
  • Do we know how to find that person, organization, or community?
  • Are we talking to that person, organization, or community?
  • How do we help versus how others help?
  • Does our success require our person, organization, or community success?
  • Are we confident in our abilities and mission?
  • Are we uncomfortable? Desperate?
  • Would someone else talk about us and share us with those they care about?
  • Are we creating tension?
  • If you had enough money, how would apply it to the mission today?
  • Is it time to “yes” to more or “no” to more?
  • Are there partnerships or collaborations that will help us fulfill the mission?
  • Are we talking to those people?

Keep asking questions. 

October 23, 2024 1 minute read

If the Robot Can…Should You?

AIThe250

If the robot can drive the car, should you?
If the robot can harvest the corn, should you?
If the robot can serve the drinks, should you?

But what if the robot can negotiate border disputes? Should you?
Or what if the robot can decide value? Should you?
What if the robot can prioritize? Should you?

In the near and far future, robots can do many things.

With humans, it’s not about can. It’s about should.

October 22, 2024 1 minute read

Famous or Good?

The250

Were the Beatles good or just famous?
What about Madonna?
Is Dwayne Johnson good or just famous?
What about Meryl Streep?
Is a Ferrari a good car or just a famous one?
What about a Tesla?

Is your friend a good interior designer even though they’re not on HGTV?
Are you a good musician even though you don’t have tracks on Spotify?
Is your partner a good cook even though they don’t have a spot on the Food Network?

Famous requires the intersection of several variables, some of which you have control over and some of which you don’t.

So does good. But good is in the eye of the beholder. If these people don’t think you’re good, you can choose to look elsewhere for other people.

Focus on good.

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