Disney’s deal with OpenAI is breaking my mind a little — especially since they’re giving users the ability to generate videos based only their IP. To have been a fly on the wall in the meetings where Disney lawyers hashed out the details!

This post by Howard Marks is the wisest, most even-keeled take I've read on the question of whether we're in an AI-fueled speculative bubble. Be sure to stick around for the postscript. www.oaktreecapital.com/insights/mem...

Yesterday, I shared my latest "Over the Shoulder" video where I walk you through how I'm using LLMs to make a large change to my personal website. This latest entry focuses on saving time by automating web search using the Perplexity API. youtu.be/Sg-Fyr4BK7A?...

Have an information architecture or user-centered design project, case study, or idea to share? Consider submitting your concept to IAC26 for our annual IAC Poster Night. 📥 Submit by December 14, 2025: forms.gle/QpNHGA9pczuB... 🔊 Learn more about Poster Night: www.theiaconference.com/poster-night/

A demonstration of how to use AI to update site content using web search. jarango.com/2025/12/09/a...

Exploring how theory and art can help us maintain human agency amid dehumanizing systems.

Reflecting on the master architect's legacy and its relevance to current UX.

A video on how I'm using an LLM to extract metadata from unstructured Markdown files.

A video on how I'm using an LLM to extract metadata from unstructured Markdown files.

December 1 means it's time for one of my favorite holiday albums: Bert Kaempfert's "Christmas Wonderland." Not a musical masterpiece by any stretch and quite dated — but brings back warm childhood memories. music.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

A conversation about the importance of paying attention to what others are saying — and how to do it.

What my favorite author can teach us about the nature of language.

Happy Thanksgiving! Wherever you are, there’s always reasons to be grateful. 🙏

The first video in a series on how I'm using AI to make changes to my ~1,300-page online home.

Empathizing with other lives by experiencing literary “virtual realities.”

A conversation about how considered use of AI can help small and medium-sized businesses thrive.

Peeve: articles that don’t include the pub date. When something was published provides important context — esp. when things are changing fast. AFAIK most default CMS post templates show pub dates by default. When I see articles without a date, I assume it’s intentional — and wish they’d left it on.

We're live! youtube.com/live/jEuuCMK...

Going live in five minutes to discuss superagency in SMBs. Join us! youtube.com/live/jEuuCMK...

Reminder: Greg and I are going live at 8 AM PST / 11 AM EST / 17 CET to discuss superagency and SMBs. Join us on YouTube: youtube.com/live/jEuuCMK...

If you've gotten any value out of Wikipedia, consider sending some money their way. Think of how rare it is for such a useful resource to exist at all with a non-commercial business model. That'll only continue being the case if we, who get value from the service, chip in.

Reminder: this Thursday, Greg Petroff and I will livestream a conversation about what superagency means for SMBs + what we've learned so far at unfinishe_. Join us on YouTube!

A conversation about remaining resilient in a time of rapid change.

Reminder: we’re heading into the time of year when we’re bombarded with suggestions to buy stuff we don’t need. Stand firm. There are better things to do with your time + money.

Back when I was doing The Informed Life, the number one listener request was for access to the podcast via YouTube. So I prioritized that channel when launching Traction Heroes. Perhaps I shouldn’t have bothered. Very few people listen on YouTube. 🙄

Sometimes, a mindless popcorn flick is just a mindless popcorn flick.

A week from today, Greg Petroff and I will host a livestream about what superagency means for SMBs. We'll ground the discussion in our initial learnings at unfinishe_. I recommend reading "Superagency" prior to the session. Here's my overview: jarango.com/2025/11/13/b...

Last month I had the pleasure of speaking at the Sketch Your Mind conference about how I've used visual thinking tools and techniques to write my books. The recording is now online. If you’re a visual thinker with a book in you, I think you’ll find it helpful. youtu.be/opjnRi22dGo

A presentation about the visual tools and techniques I’ve used to write my books.

What does "superagency" mean for small and medium businesses trying to get work done? Next week, Greg Petroff and I are launching a new series of live conversations to explore the possibilities of AI for SMBs.

Last year, I shared a script that uses LLMs to draw concept maps. With the release of Claude Agent Skills, I thought it'd be neat to adapt it to give Claude better concept mapping abilities. Here's a walkthrough + installation instructions. youtu.be/Q3z51o5mS_A?...

An new Skill that gives Claude the ability to draw and manipulate concept maps.

Exploring works that express ideas and feelings by transcending media conventions.

A model for acting skillfully when things are changing.

An interview about a software tool central to my work life.

How to deliver value by rearchitecting knowledge pipelines around AI constraints.

Diving into a deeply painful and destructive moral failing: prejudice.

A taxonomy of five kinds of traps that can keep you from gaining traction — and how to avoid them.

Transcendence as a way to cope with the drabness of everyday life.

Learning about memory and motivations from two classic novels.

Unpacking a trait essential for gaining traction.

Connecting with meaning by transcending cultural conventions.

Much of what passes for ‘news’ is more about stoking desire than informing. 👀

Last week, I delved into Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I liked the book — and that led me to a terrible mistake: watching the 1931 film. To say I didn’t like it is an understatement. Mercifully, it’s only 70 minutes long. Check out my full dump. 👇 www.learningbynote.com/p/humanities...

How to turn handwritten notes into Markdown — on your computer. jarango.com/2025/09/30/t...

Are you a visual thinker with a book in you? Join me at the Sketch Your Mind conference on Oct 16 where I’ll show how I used visual maps to write two of my books. It’s online — and it’s free!

Learning about agency and ethics from a 200-year-old novel (and not its more famous film adaptation.)

LLM inception: prompting ChatGPT to write a prompt for Claude Code asking it to convert a current project to instructions for a custom GPT. 🤪

David Bowie: I Have Not Been To Oxford Town - from his 1995 album, 1. Outside; co-composed and co-produced by Brian Eno; synthesizers, treatments and strategies by Eno www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDh9...

Today is the 30th anniversary of one of my favorite records: David Bowie's "Outside." If you've never heard it, give it a spin — it's unusual, even for Bowie. music.youtube.com/playlist?lis...