Our Oldest Form of Communication Is Rewriting Reality I’ve been a storyteller for as long as I can remember. I used to come to breakfast and recount elaborate adventures I’d had during the night with my stuffed dog, Checkers. The purpose of these tales was to garner my mother’s attention, a precious commodity given mainly … Continue reading Storytelling is Truth, Tweaked
I am an Empath. Wait! Before you roll your eyes and click off this post, I don’t have paranormal powers. It isn’t magic that I can read people. I’m not psychic. I can’t glean people’s “energy,” whatever that means, or any of that mystical crap. I am a devout atheist and use the word “devout” … Continue reading I am an Empath, and I See You
The most successful marketing campaign I ever created promised to save people money. It did the opposite. Today, America's cellphone carriers are using the same marketing trick on YOU. I knew it was evil when my partner in the boutique marketing agency we ran introduced the campaign idea to our credit union client. It would … Continue reading You Are Getting Screwed
This is the audiobook of Billy and Tyron, two Oakland teens from the rim of the hood, who are granted a chance to rewrite their destiny by the genie Finnegus Boggs. SUSPENSE; Short Story; Modern Fable with a "Great Life Lesson!"... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1O7_RST05o
The danger of AI isn't what it knows, it's how it decides what's true... Saw 60 Minutes with Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai on the current state of AI. Scott Pelly, the interviewer, asked Sissie Hsiao, Google’s VP, what Google’s new chatbot, Gemini, does. “It’s really here to help you brainstorm ideas to generate content like … Continue reading How AI Works IRL
Friends come and go, but is FAMILY really forever? The day my father called to tell me my mom had cancer, I hung up the phone, turned to my husband and said, “Well, that's the end of my family.” I said it, but I didn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it, though I … Continue reading Letting Go of Family
Years ago, I took my five year old son to a playgroup. It was our first time at this particular group, meeting at the hilltop home of the founding member, and we were over an hour late. All the regular members of the group were already there, the moms gathered on the back porch watching … Continue reading Can We All just Get Along?
Every human being on the planet is BORN a racist... We are ALL racists. Every human being on the planet is BORN a racist. ‘NO!’ you’re screaming at me. ‘BULLSHIT, you whacked-out bitch. I am not a racist!’ Racism is taught, not inherent to our nature is the common wisdom. And while it’s true racism, hate, fear … Continue reading Born Racist
What is Your Purpose in Living? Christians and Muslims (actual believers, not in name only because they celebrate Christmas or Eid al-Fitr) believe the purpose of living is to serve and reflect their God’s will to ensure their assent to heaven after death. Jews focus on the present rather than an afterlife. They believe humans … Continue reading The Purpose of Life
Ever felt like you're nothing? Valueless. Transparent, like no one can see you. And you’re screaming truth, cited facts, pouring your heart out, jumping through hoops to be noticed, heard, but you’re still ignored, marginalized. Worthless. Ever feel invisible to everyone, even your reflection? Like when your eyes connect in the mirror and the voice … Continue reading What is Your Value
