Alex Burns

But most websites today prioritize efficiency and usability, which leads to a kind of architectural sameness. “Everybody's house sort of looks the same,” he says, “you're taking the same hallway... because we’ve fallen into the same UI patterns.” He wonders about a new kind of website that invites curiosity rather than just guiding a behavior. “Isn... See more

In 2007 Varsity also formed the Dallas-based nonprofit USA Cheer. The cheer world has long nurtured dreams of seeing its athletes compete at the Olympics, a goal that may well be realized at the 2032 games in Brisbane, Australia. USA Cheer was one key to that master plan. A governing body could tighten the reins of a sport that had initially been r... See more

In December 2023, for example, fantasy author Cait Corrain lost her book deal after it was revealed that she was creating fake accounts on Goodreads to boost her own reviews and lower those of her peers — the latest example of people review-bombing books for any number of vendettas, sometimes even before it has been released.

That idea felt inevitable in the moment, with the Patriots among eight teams with a job opening and the NFL’s most successful coach on the market. Belichick, with 333 career victories, is 15 wins shy of breaking Don Shula’s record, and that seemed like an obvious attraction to ownership — on top, of course, of his coaching acumen.

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Have killer voice. How do you develop killer voice? Be confident. How do you develop confidence? Read oodles and write oodles more. If you’re sending a “list newsletter” you better have one hell of a point of view because, well, there are oodles-upon-oodles of list newsletters out there. Generally, like with much good writing, the magic for readers

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Talk to friends and family on the phone

Okay, you can take your phone and AirPods with you if you’re calling loved ones. I was inspired years ago by “the secret power of the eight-minute phone call.” The general idea is that casual connection protects against the erroneous perception of “time surplus,” an idea too many busy people have that in the v... See more

“When I was a young writer,” Neil Gaiman reflected in View from the cheap seats , “ I liked to imagine that I was paying someone for every word I wrote, rather than being paid for it; it was a fine way to discipline myself only to use those words I needed.”