Author: Craig Constantine

People are really good at inference →

Published July 27, 2025  ·  All posts on Jul 27

As we gathered data, surveyed people and set up experiments, it became clear that those tiny shortcuts – sometimes hailed as a hallmark of efficient communication – undermine relationships instead of simplifying them.

~ David Fang from, Why you should think twice before using shorthand like ‘thx’ and ‘k’ in your texts

Elsewhere, this is 4utewy1. — slipbox

After I thought about this a bit, this seems to be a clear benefit: We’re really good at trying to imagine (and predict) what other people are really thinking. We pick up subtle clues from body language and more, and we do it subconsciously. So why wouldn’t we also pick up subtle clues in a medium like text?

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Subservient →

Published July 26, 2025  ·  All posts on Jul 26

Only with Substack does anyone perceive creator branding as being subservient to the platform — something that ought to be seen merely as an interchangeable CMS — like that.

~ John Gruber from, Daring Fireball: The Substack Branding and Faux Prestige Trap

Elsewhere, this is 4udate3. — slipbox

I’ve tried a few different things on Substack. (None of them ever took off, and each of them I subsequently moved to web sites I directly control.) I’ve always felt something was off, and lately I’ve been souring more on the whole platform. This piece by Gruber puts a clear, fine point on what I dislike about Substack.

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Too human? →

Published July 25, 2025  ·  All posts on Jul 25  ·  

Here’s the actual thing. Robots: Make incorrect assumptions. Misinterpret clear direction. Claim they know when they don’t. Make mistakes. Lie.

Who else does this all the time? Every single human. Like. Always.

~ Michael Lopp from, Every Single Human. Like. Always.

Elsewhere, this is 4urabo1. — slipbox

This is what makes the LLMs feel different. So far, computers have always been perfect—except when they’re wrong/broken. That’s fundamentally not how people are. LLMs came along and they’re imperfect. Always. Just like people.

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Sometimes I consult for large corporations →

Published July 24, 2025  ·  All posts on Jul 24  ·  ,

So Verizon’s new CEO sent me an email…

Where shall I begin?

(more…)

Marks were made →

Published July 23, 2025  ·  All posts on Jul 23  ·  

A friend and I recently did a 48-hour fast. (One of the low-lights was going to dinner with people on our way to a concert… everyone’s having burgers and salmon, and I’m drinking black coffee. Anyway.) Our design was to finish the fast by doing one of my usual quadrupedal movement (QM) workouts at my favorite tennis courts, and then a run (as best as possible) around 1.75 mile trail loop. Then break our fasts by eating.

By the end of the QM, I was utterly exhausted. For a cool down I worked on a sweat-angel for about 5 minutes. Left a legit puddle where my head was. And then we did the trail run. Several people joined us for the QM and run, and much fun was had by all.

There’s no real takeaway here. Just a photo and a note to myself: Sometimes I push things. Sometimes I push things too far. Where’s the edge?

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What nature requires →

Published July 22, 2025  ·  All posts on Jul 22  ·  ,

What nature requires is close by and easy to obtain. All that sweat is for superfluities. We wear out our fine clothes, grow old in army tents, hurl ourselves against foreign shores, and for what? Everything we need is already at hand. Anyone who is on good terms with poverty is rich.

~ Seneca, letter 4:10-11

Elsewhere, this is 4a1559. — slipbox

And 7 years later? →

Published July 21, 2025  ·  All posts on Jul 21

What does that mean? It means you can write a post that is directed within the network. If you want to get on the radar of a blogger – write about their ideas and reference them. The lowly hyperlink is a connective tissue that creates a network graph between the nodes.

~ Tom Critchlow, from Experiments in Networked Writing

Critchlow wrote that in 2018. 7 years down the road, all the technology (for the web and blogs) works great, it’s easier than ever to blog, and in 14 years / 5,000 posts I’ve never had anyone (an author of something I’ve linked to) reach out to me. I’m not complaining—I don’t blog as a way to fish for connections like that. (I blog as a way of working with the garage door up.)

Elsewhere, this is 4utone1. — slipbox

Also, how is this the first time I’ve used the tag “Blogging”?

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Strategy →

Published July 20, 2025  ·  All posts on Jul 20  ·  ,

What matters is whether a certain approach gets you to where you want to go. And let’s be clear, using obstacles against themselves is very different from doing nothing. Passive resistance is, in fact, incredibly active. But those actions come in the form of discipline, self-control, fearlessness, determination, and grand strategy.

~ Ryan Holiday

Elsewhere, this is 4a1558. — slipbox

Infused →

Published July 19, 2025  ·  All posts on Jul 19

How did these trillions of potent proteins, originating in thousands of human bodies, find their way to my son’s blood circulation? What historical, social, and economic conditions enabled this extraordinary exchange of substances?

~ Ben Belek, from Is Donated Blood a Gift or a Commodity?

Elsewhere, this is 4usacu4. — slipbox

There are a slew of interesting questions explored in that piece. The question of “gift or commodity” hadn’t even occurred to me.

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Temptation →

Published July 18, 2025  ·  All posts on Jul 18  ·  ,

The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.

~ Oscar Wilde

Elsewhere, this is 4a1557. — slipbox