Thoughts on being human + tech that helps us connect
On tech that connects
I love tech.
I love, particularly, how it can help us to work smarter (and by that I mean work less, find more time for creativity, connection with humans, and for eating ice creams with our feet in the lake. For example 😃)
Here are some of my current tech faves and how they help me do all of the above:
Read AI:
This beauty comes along to meetings with you, summarises and makes notes on all that was said, and sends it all back to you with a recording, transcript, and recommendations of how to have a more productive meeting.
Last week it also attended a meeting on. my behalf and sent the summary. Brilliant.Monday.com:
This powerful PM tool never fails to amaze me.
With automations, power ups, app syncs and more, it’s like the love child of Notion, Airtable, Asana and Zapier in one place.
I currently use it for content libraries, project management, asset creation, and strategic direction.ChatGPT:
Listen, I am a writer.
Crafting words is my thing.
But/and I think that using ChatGPT as a tool can be really interesting, productive, and useful.
We still need to know how to craft a killer hook, what the target market pain points are, and all the other things that will never be taken away from copywriters and marketers - but as a way to process voice note transcripts into useable content as a starting point, it's an expert at removing blank page paralysis, which is how I cam currently playing with it.
On being human:
I love this poem, Dead Stars, by Ada Limon:
A recent piece of personal writing on dementia, which is currently prevalent again in my family, and a reminder of how precious moments are.
Dementia came for my parents.
It arrived unannounced, snuck in through some faulty vascular wiring, and began to undo lifetimes.
It snowballs in stealth, unraveling memories like sweet wrappers, shredding moments into a kaleidoscope and shaking up the roots of the humans it inhabits.
It ravages through the identities we take lifetimes to carefully curate, form, mould and become.
In it’s wake are fragments; placeless, faceless, formless and timeless.
Floating. Unanchored. Terrified.
Dementia reminds us that some day we will all need help.
It reminds us that we all deserve kindness, patience, respect.
When we no longer know who we are, or what made us smile, we can only hope that others can help us remember - if only for a moment.
When we get lost, when we are frightened, when we forget how we got here and don’t know how to get home, we hope that the world around us can be kind enough, human enough, caring enough, to keep us safe.
Dementia reminds us that we are all vulnerable.
That if the moments , the knowledge, the presence that make up a life dissolve around us, we still need love, care, compassion, and grace.
It came for them.
It might come for me.
Or you.
Or someone you love.
Dementia reminds us that all we have is this moment.
So make these moments matter.
And until that kaleidoscope comes, forget me not.
With love to my loved ones and yours.
Sending much love and human-ness.
Jo x