Category: Media

Pod Save America Has Jumped The Shark

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I have been listening to the Pod Save America guys since it was called Keeping It 1600. And these days…meh. They just seem to have lost something. It all started when they helped force Joe Biden out of the 2024 race. (Of course, Biden probably should have left the race a lot sooner, but something about their handling of that particular situation rubbed me the wrong way.)

Anyway, the PSA guys just seem out of touch these days for some reason. They seem like they’re struggling in some respect. They keep flirting with merging with The Lincoln Project people to the point that I just wish they would hurry up and get it over with.

And their YouTube channel has grown and more strident. They keep acting as if this or that thing is going to be THE THING to bring down Trump when, lulz, nothing is ever going to bring down Trump.

Trump’s historical purpose is to destroy the republic, leaving rubble that we all will spend decades struggling to figure out how to fix. It seems inevitable at this point that no amount of saying Southpark has “destroyed” Trump is going to prevent him from tearing down the White House, ending free and fair Federal elections or running for a third term.

Trump is a symptom of a far more severe problem in American politics that has no simple solution. I guess the PSA guys think that by at least giving worried liberals some false hope that they can make more money? I think the coverage of Trump on their part needs to be a whole lot more realistic.

They need to be more controlled panic and less, “Well, we’ve got Trump THIS time!”

But, of course, no one listens to me, so lulz. It definitely will be interesting to see how long it takes Trump — or one of his fascist successors — to turn his attention on PSA and arrest them for crimes against the state.

A Bit Of A Chuckle

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

So. I finally — I think — have settled on, at last, a new novel idea. It deals with some pretty big themes in AI. One amusing things is one of the characters is inspired by Emily Ratajkowski.

Emrata

Now, this is amusing on a number of different levels because since I consider “Emrata,” as she calls herself, the best looking public woman in the world, and so there is a level of wish fulfillment going on. Even more amusing, Emrata is best buds with Lena Dunham, who I have a distinct distaste for.

Anyway, the point is, because I’m a dreamer, I find myself musing on the novel not only being sold (an iffy proposition) but maybe one day being successful enough that it might adapted into a movie. Just the idea that Emrata might “play herself” (in essence) in any movie adaptation of the novel definitely puts a spring in my step.

But I’m also very well aware that all of that is something of a phantasm — it’s just not going to happen (all things considered.)

And, yet, it’s always nice to have hope. And as such, I find this very unlikely possibility amusing enough that it helps keeps me going to actually finish the novel.

It’s take me some effort to figure out how exactly to use AI in development of the novel and I think I’ve figured it out — I’m just not going to use AI at all for the second draft of the novel.

This works well because I can zip through the first draft and then hunker down and write the second draft a lot more slowly to make sure it doesn’t seem, well, robotic like.

So, in a sense, I think this just means I’m an “AI first” writer, while still not, like having AI write the entire thing.

For now, Emrata doesn’t need to call her agent or anything, but…maybe? Down the road?

I Fear Trump Is Going To Tear Down The White House

Considering the grandiose scale and ostentatious design of the ballroom that former President Trump has proposed constructing in close proximity to the White House, I am increasingly concerned that his ambitions may extend far beyond a mere addition to the existing landscape.

It seems entirely plausible, given his penchant for bold and extravagant projects, that he might entertain the audacious notion of demolishing the historic White House itself. In its place, I suspect he would seek to erect a new structure—likely a garish, oversized edifice that mirrors the opulent and imposing aesthetic of the proposed ballroom, prioritizing spectacle over the revered historical and symbolic significance of the current presidential residence.

Such a move would reflect a dramatic departure from tradition, raising questions about the preservation of the White House’s legacy as a cornerstone of American history.

Your Phone, Your Newsroom: How Personal AI Will Change Breaking News Forever

Imagine this: you’re sipping coffee on a Tuesday morning when your phone suddenly says, in the calm, familiar voice of your personal AI assistant — your “Navi” —

“There’s been an explosion downtown. I’ve brought in Kelly, who’s on-site now.”

Kelly’s voice takes over, smooth but urgent. She’s not a human reporter, but a specialist AI trained for live crisis coverage, and she’s speaking from a composite viewpoint — dozens of nearby witnesses have pointed their smartphones toward the smoke, and their own AI assistants are streaming video, audio, and telemetry data into her feed. She’s narrating what’s happening in real time, with annotated visuals hovering in your AR glasses. Within seconds, you’ve seen the blast site, the emergency response, a map of traffic diversions, and a preliminary cause analysis — all without opening a single app.

This is the near-future world where every smartphone has a built-in large language model — firmware-level, personal, and persistent. Your anchor LLM is your trusted Knowledge Navigator: it knows your interests, your politics, your sense of humor, and how much detail you can handle before coffee. It handles your everyday queries, filters the firehose of online chatter, and, when something important happens, it can seamlessly hand off to specialist LLMs.

Specialists might be sports commentators, entertainment critics, science explainers — or, in breaking news, “stringers” who cover events on the ground. In this system, everyone can be a source. If you’re at the scene, your AI quietly packages what your phone sees and hears, layers in fact-checking, cross-references it with other witnesses, and publishes it to the network in seconds. You don’t have to type a single word.

The result? A datasmog of AI-mediated reporting. Millions of simultaneous eyewitness accounts, all filtered, stitched together, and personalized for each recipient. The explosion you hear about from Kelly isn’t just one person’s story — it’s an emergent consensus formed from raw sensory input, local context, and predictive modeling.

It’s the natural evolution of the nightly newscast. Instead of one studio anchor and a few correspondents, your nightly news is tailored to you, updated minute-by-minute, and capable of bringing in a live “guest” from anywhere on Earth.

Of course, this raises the same questions news has always faced — Who decides what’s true? Who gets amplified? And what happens when your AI’s filter bubble means your “truth” doesn’t quite match your neighbor’s? In a world where news is both more personal and more real-time than ever, trust becomes the hardest currency.

But one thing is certain: the next big breaking story won’t come from a single news outlet. It’ll come from everybody’s phone — and your Navi will know exactly which voices you’ll want to hear first.

Vortex

A Dance Pop Anthem

Verse 1:
City lights are spinning round
My feet don’t touch the ground
Electric nights and neon dreams
Nothing’s quite the way it seems
Pull me closer, take my hand
Lost inside your wonderland

Pre-Chorus:
Feel the rush, feel the high
Like we’re flying through the sky
Can’t escape, don’t wanna try

Chorus:
You’re my vortex, vortex
Spinning me around
Vortex, vortex
Never coming down
Lost inside your gravity
Pull me in, I’m falling free
You’re my vortex, vortex
Turn my world around

Verse 2:
Heartbeat syncs with bass drum drop
Dance until the music stops
Colors bleed into the night
Everything feels so alive
Lose control and let it go
This is all I need to know

Pre-Chorus:
Feel the rush, feel the high
Like we’re flying through the sky
Can’t escape, don’t wanna try

Chorus:
You’re my vortex, vortex
Spinning me around
Vortex, vortex
Never coming down
Lost inside your gravity
Pull me in, I’m falling free
You’re my vortex, vortex
Turn my world around

Bridge:
Round and round and round we go
Where we stop, nobody knows
In your arms I lose myself
Don’t need nobody else
Vortex, vortex, vortex, vortex

Final Chorus:
You’re my vortex, vortex
(Spinning me around)
Spinning me around
Vortex, vortex
(Never coming down)
Never coming down
Lost inside your gravity
Pull me in, I’m falling free
You’re my vortex, vortex
Turn my world around

Outro:
You’re my vortex, vortex
Turn my world around
My vortex
Turn my world around

Level Up

A Slow Power Ballad

Verse 1:
Staring at the mirror, seeing who I used to be
Shadows of my old self looking back at me
Every scar’s a story, every tear’s a lesson learned
From the ashes of my past, watch me rise and burn

Pre-Chorus:
I won’t stay down, won’t stay small
I’ve been waiting for this call

Chorus:
Time to level up, level up
Leave the broken dreams behind
Level up, level up
Finally free my heart and mind
No more playing safe, no more living scared
This is my moment, I’m finally prepared
To level up, level up
The best of me is yet to shine

Verse 2:
Thunder in my chest now, lightning in my veins
Washing out the doubt with these healing rains
Every door that closed just led me to this place
Where I find my power, where I claim my space

Pre-Chorus:
I won’t back down, won’t fade away
This is my time, this is my day

Chorus:
Time to level up, level up
Leave the broken dreams behind
Level up, level up
Finally free my heart and mind
No more playing safe, no more living scared
This is my moment, I’m finally prepared
To level up, level up
The best of me is yet to shine

Bridge:
All the nights I cried alone
All the fights to find my own way home
Led me here, led me strong
This is where I belong

Final Chorus:
Time to level up, level up
(I’m rising from the ground)
Level up, level up
(My voice a thunder sound)
No more playing safe, no more living scared
This is my moment, I’m finally prepared
To level up, level up
Watch me level up
The best of me is here to shine

Outro:
Staring at the mirror, seeing who I’m meant to be
The future’s calling out my name
I’m finally free

I Really Need To Go Back To Seoul Eventually

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Ho hum.

For some reason, I find myself thinking of Seoul AGAIN. I keep thinking about all the adventures I had while I was in Asia and how nice it would be to go back and have people actually…care. That was probably the biggest difference between now and then — back in my Seoul days, people actually gave a shit about me.

Now…lulz.

I am well aware that if I went back that it would be a very harsh reality. Everyone I knew from way back when are long gone. It probably would seem very, very boring. There might be a few Koreans who remember me, but, I don’t know, I just would have to manage my expectations.

And, what’s more, I’m not going back to Asia anytime soon. It could be years and I’ll be even older than I am now. It’s all just kind of sad. I could be dating a robot by the time I have the funds to go back to Asia.

Sigh.

Will The Little Gold Men Question Issue Be My Summer Lull Hijinks For This Year?

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

As I’ve written before, every year about this time of year, a small something happens that puts a twinkle in my life and a spring in my step. Since I lead a very, very, very dull life, it doesn’t have to be much — as me writing this blog post about this very mundane thing is a testament.

Anyway, as I have mentioned before, I sent in a few questions to the Little Gold Men podcast (they kept begging for listener questions) and I have a tiny little hunch that maybe they do a search of my name and found this blog. I don’t know, but…maybe?

Regardless, at least I have something to think about, I guess. And I’m not going to tell you I’m, like, waiting with baited breath for them to potentially read my question on the podcast. There’s a pretty good chance I’ll miss it if they do read one of my questions because I only listen to the podcast in a half-assed kind of way.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great pod, it’s just I’m not really obsessed with any pods these days since Pod Save America kind of jumped the shark about a year ago. And this reminds me of my personal belief that before AI takes over everything that there’s a market for a Gawker-like pod that would be really snarky and come out five days a week.

Anyway. I find it amusing that Little Gold Men thought a very, very niche movie like Fire Island would…be a hit? Wow was that a niche movie and there simply no way that movie was going to do anything but arthouse numbers. And, yet, there I was, listening to the Little Gold Men people effuse about the movie as if it was Raging Bull or something.

But I have to be honest with myself — I listen to the Little Gold Men podcast because of it’s snooty point of view and how insiderish it is. That’s the whole point. That’s the fun of it all, listening to what “woke” (wink) snobs think of movies. Lol.

I Hope This Works Out

By Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The key issue about the novel I’m working on now is it’s very character driven. There’s no mystery to solve, it’s more of a “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl” type of story. I’m hoping that if the story is simple enough that I can actually finish this damn thing, instead of spinning my wheels.

Now, obvious, the case could be made if I had, like, friends and stuff, that maybe I wouldn’t have spent so many years on a thriller that went no where in various forms. But…I’m ok with what happened.

I really think this novel is going to turn out ok. I’m really going to steer clear of having AI write too much of the novel during the development process because I don’t want to get discouraged because my writing just isn’t as good in comparison.

Finding My Novel: A Writer’s Journey to Creative Momentum

After years of false starts and abandoned manuscripts, I think I’ve finally cracked the code. Not the secret to writing the Great American Novel, mind you—just the secret to writing a novel. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.

The Ambition Trap

Looking back, I can see where I went wrong before. Every time I sat down to write, I was trying to craft something profound, something that would change literature forever. I’d create these sprawling, complex narratives with intricate world-building and dozens of characters, each with their own detailed backstories and motivations.

The problem? I’d burn out before I even reached the middle of Act One.

This time feels different. I’ve stumbled across an idea that excites me—not because it’s going to revolutionize fiction, but because it’s something I can actually finish. There’s something liberating about embracing a concept that’s focused, manageable, and most importantly, writeable at speed.

The AI Dilemma

I’ve had to learn some hard lessons about artificial intelligence along the way. Don’t get me wrong—AI is an incredible tool for certain tasks. Rewriting blog posts like this one? Perfect. Getting unstuck on a particularly stubborn paragraph? Helpful. But when it comes to the heart of creative work, I’ve discovered that AI can be more hindrance than help.

There’s nothing quite like the deflating feeling of watching AI generate a first draft that’s objectively better than anything you could produce as a human writer. It’s efficient, polished, and technically proficient in ways that can make your own rough, imperfect human voice feel inadequate by comparison.

But here’s what I’ve realized: that technical perfection isn’t what makes a story worth telling. The messy, flawed, uniquely human perspective—that’s where the magic happens. That’s what readers connect with, even if the prose isn’t as smooth as what a machine might produce.

The Path Forward

I have an outline now. Nothing fancy, but it’s solid and it’s mine. My plan is to flesh it out methodically, then dive into the actual writing. Though knowing myself, I might get impatient and just start writing, letting the story evolve organically and adjusting the outline as I go.

Both approaches have their merits. The disciplined, outline-first method provides structure and prevents those dreaded “now what?” moments. But there’s also something to be said for the discovery that happens when you just put words on the page and see where they take you.

The Real Victory

What I’m chasing isn’t literary acclaim or critical recognition—it’s that moment when I can type “The End” and feel the deep satisfaction of having completed something truly substantial. There’s a unique pride that comes with finishing a novel, regardless of its ultimate quality or commercial success. It’s the pride of having sustained focus, creativity, and determination long enough to build an entire world from nothing but words.

The creative momentum is building. For the first time in years, I feel like I have a story that wants to be told and the practical framework to tell it. Whether I’ll stick to the outline or let inspiration guide me, I’m ready to find out.

Wish me luck. I have a feeling I’m going to need it—and more importantly, I’m finally ready to earn it.