George Lawton

My newest article on my publishing Substack shows authors how to get a strong start at gathering reviews from your release team and through pro reviewing sites. https://lnkd.in/gF7dA_7r

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Editing pet peeve: the goofy obsession with the Oxford comma. Oxford enthusiasts—whom I often refer to as "Oxfordnistas"—insist that the serial comma is the ultimate arbiter of clarity and slayer of ambiguity. And they demonstrate this overstated power through a series of reductionist—albeit humorous—memes. Below on the left is one such example. Again, this meme assuredly suggests a moment where a lack of a serial comma may confuse readers. Rather than express a list of the three, the Oxford-less sentence seems to imply an appositive suggesting the exotic dancers are, in fact, Stalin and JFK. But what happens if you change strippers (plural) to stripper (singular). One good contrived strawman argument deserves another, right? On the right is the counterpoint. Here, the sentence with the Oxford comma introduces ambiguity. Is that JFK on stage three collecting singles, or is somebody else? The trick is simple: When in doubt, rewrite. "We invited JFK, Stalin and the strippers." See how this is clearly a list of three? See how I didn't need the comma to do so? Ultimately, the Oxford comma is a stylistic convention, so it is a matter of personal preference. You can also write, "We invited JFK, Stalin, and the strippers." That *also* works. Either way, stop pretending that your prescriptivist take on the Oxford comma is holy writ. #Oxfordcomma

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Writers often explore taboo subjects to challenge societal norms, provoke thought, or explore the darker aspects of human experience. They’re often avoided because they can be distressing, controversial, or offensive to readers, but... There are reasons we—if called to write about them—must write about them. In this video I talk about what taboo subjects are, why writers resist writing about them, and what to do about it. Stuck in your writing practice? Join my email list: https://lnkd.in/g9hJmZQv Get my COMPLIMENTARY "Alchemy of Writing—First Steps to Conjure and Nurture Your Writing Practice!": https://lnkd.in/gKkdfqwt... JOIN the Alchemy of Writing Membership Group - STILL at the Founding Member price - $18 - https://lnkd.in/gnWxSuv2 My website: https://lnkd.in/g9hJmZQv My blog: https://lnkd.in/g-6KuTkG Instagram: @johnniemazzocco Pinterest: @johnniemazzocco #writing #writinglife #writingpractice #astrology #astrologyandwriting #writingandastrology #writingsupport #writingtips #writinghelp #writingtips #taboo #taboosubjects #taboosubject

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As artificial intelligence plays an ever-larger role in automated systems and decision-making processes, the question of how it affects humans' sense of their own agency is becoming less theoretical — and more urgent!

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A Book About Saving Democracy from Tech Companies

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In this post, I look at whether we should put effort into treating non-sentient AI (e.g. ChatGPT and humanoid robots) in virtuous ways. This may help us get into the habit of behaving ethically towards AI in the future should it gain sentience. #technology #AI #artificialintelligence #ethics

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It's been a busy September, there's no doubt about that: the month has seen the publication of 116 news articles, my two regular newsletters - one for the Free and Open Source Silicon Foundation (FOSSi Foundation) and one for the open-source software-defined radio project MyriadRF - and the first stage of a roadmap document to be presented to the European Commission later this year. On that last topic first, I was approached by the FOSSi Foundation to act as editor for a whitepaper document offering an overview of the state of the open-source electronic design automation (EDA) sector in Europe and a roadmap for how investment could help deliver improved resiliency and technological sovereignty in the region. A collaborative document pulling in contributions from industry, academia, and the community, my first editing pass was completed in September; a second pass is scheduled for October ahead of the document's presentation to the European Commission via the GoIT project. The biggest news story, meanwhile, came at the end of the month: the release of the Raspberry Pi AI Camera Module, a MIPI Camera Serial Interface (CSI) accessory for the Raspberry Pi family of single-board computers which uses Sony's IMX500 "Intelligent Image Sensor" to deliver on-sensor computer vision acceleration. My review was published day-and-date on Hackster, just squeaking under the wire for inclusion in the September round-up - and, as usual, includes a wealth of in-house photography. Other big stories include a project to distribute Commodore VIC-20 software via YouTube video streams, several Espressif ESP32-based development board launches, a virtual joystick library for LVGL, the formal unveiling of the MNT Reform Next open-hardware laptop, a lower-cost MiSTer-compatible FPGA emulation board, the discovery that Play-Doh can be used to deliver ultra-low-cost sensors for human-machine interface systems, and my most popular story of the month: an open-source kit to build a plasma-ring-generating desk toy, inspired by tokamak nuclear reactor technology. A full list of publications, with links to each story, is available on my website. https://lnkd.in/eYfhJWpa

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How can you get your writing to stand out from the online noise? By writing better than everybody else. And my FIRE Framework gives you a strategy to help you make that happen! Listen to my new audio blog to learn all about it!

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♫ We were talking, passing strangers, moments caught across a #tech conference room ♫ Check out TechRepublic's Top Tech Conferences & Events list. ('Wasted whispers and faded secrets'? Well, depends on the event and attendees.) https://lnkd.in/ge_5j5uy #AI #cybersecurity #techevents (Lyrics: https://lnkd.in/gsSvmkaB)

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Efficiency tip for working in Word: If you're doing a lot of searching in a manuscript but don't want to lose your place, or if you want to compare tracked changes to a clean copy, try the New Window function (under the "View" tab). This opens the same file in a new window, allowing you to work on either. I use this when I need to compare references, check spellings throughout the manuscript, or see how edits look in the marked-up file vs. clean file. It saves me from so much back-and-forth. To see how it looks in practice, check out my blog post on efficiency tools you can use while editing.

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The latest AI Marketing Ethics Digest issue is out. In it, we discuss the "four horsemen" of the "AIpocalypse." I promise that no horses were harmed during the writing of the issue. However, your customers could be if you don't use AI responsibly in your marketing. #AIethics #ResponsibleAI #AI #marketing

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In Nimble AMS by Community Brands’ AI success kit, you get four resources: two 30-minute webinar recordings about AI for associations and two white papers, an introduction to AI for associations and a guide to developing an AI strategy. https://buff.ly/3V0MYWi #associations

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In Nimble AMS by Community Brands’ AI success kit, you get four resources: two 30-minute webinar recordings about AI for associations and two white papers, an introduction to AI for associations and a guide to developing an AI strategy. https://buff.ly/3V0MYWi #associations #associationmanagement

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