Neal Stephenson made his name in 1992 when Snow Crash was first published, the year he turned 33 and I turned 7. Written between 1988 and 1991, it was his third novel after The Big U in 1984 and Zodiac: the Eco-thriller (“enjoyed, though rarely bought, by many radical environmentalists”) in 1988 but Snow Crash was his first big hit. I’d first read it six years later as an impressionable 13-year-old boy in 1998 or 1999, and now, two decades of interest in virtual reality later and 33 years old myself, I’ve just finished it for the second time.

“The…

The Last Jedi has revealed itself and while critics are raving and it’s making out like a Canto Bight arms dealer, fans are sharply divided, claiming it’s too diverse, it’s too jokey, it shouldn’t have an actress beloved by the gay community with a bold hairdo, Luke would never wear that much eyeliner, it’s just not Star Wars. However, a long time ago in a CBS programming block far, far away, audiences and critics were in sharp agreement when it came to the Olaf’s Frozen Adventure of 1978: The Star Wars Holiday Special. But they were wrong. Dead wrong.

To be fair, there are many things working against it.

The…

1. 10×ing, whatever that is.
2. How to be more productive.
3. How to quit quitting Instagram.
4. How to write more Medium posts.
5. How to get more sleep by sleeping less.
6. When to know it’s time to stop. Really. Stop.
7. How your personal brand can help hide the body.
8. How we made it through the wilderness, somehow.
9. Why JavaScript is terrible and you must learn to code now.
10. How to spend more time setting up Sketch templates instead of reading about productivity hacks.

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I’ve just flown back from South By Southwest Interactive in beautiful, cold, and rainy Austin, TX last yesterwednesday and boy are my takes hot! Seven key themes emerged from this year’s conference, which are sure to dominate the conversation for the next 12 months until they are unceremoniously declared “over” at next year’s Southby.

Trend #1: Artificial Intelligence has arrived and it thinks you’re fat.

You may not be ready for a Smart Mirror to be in the dressing room with you, watching, always watching, but it’s coming anyway. Most everyone at SXSW is careful to label themselves “techno-optimists,” but that’s because they’re trying to sell you something.

In a panel…

1. The Great Dreamer

While scuba diving in the South Pacific on spring break you’ll separate from your group and swim off to a strange, sunken city. Could this be the legendary R’lyeh? There in his house you’ll find Cthulhu waiting, dreaming. With a quick peck on one of his rubbery tentacles he’ll awake. Was he dreaming of you? His allure will be unmistakeable. In the relationship you’ll often feel more like a worshipping cultist than a significant other. Later, drunk on too much cheap New England moonshine, you’ll get a lower back tattoo in Papyrus that says Fhtagn. He’ll tell you it means…