WELCOME TO BRIGHTER TIMES
It’s been a long winter, hasn’t it? And while it’s not shirtsleeves weather yet, it feels like we’re getting somewhere. It’s possible that there may still be big jacket days ahead of us, of course, but those days are numbered. Yes, this is shacket season.
In the Clubhouse this month, we’re asking questions about memory, toothpaste and parrots.
Undo a button and step on in.
AI IS A PARROT
And you are not
The real danger of the chatbots, according to linguist Emily M. Bender, is that we forget that it’s just threading together language based on equations. When we start to believe the illusion – that the words mean something, that there is something real behind it – we start to lose our own humanity.
HOW TO READ A TREE
In case you're bored of this email already...
Trees can help you find your way through an unfamiliar landscape, lead you to water, and reveal the hidden stories of the earth, if you are willing to learn to read them.
THE TRUTH ABOUT TOOTHPASTE
This bit is longer than it needs to be, really
There are too many types of toothpaste. We know this. And every packet piled into the the supermarket aisle claims to have a different speciality (cavity protection, whitening, sensitivity, super gum protection power, a million other preventative superpowers.) It’s completely overwhelming.
It would be different if you were assembling a team of toothpastes, but you’re not. You’ve got one shot. How do you possibly prioritise? Do you go for one specific skill and risk missing out on other essential skills? Or do you choose one that claims to be a generalist, knowing that it can only give you an, at best, average performance across the board?
Is any of this real? Or is it a pseudo-medical mess created by marketing departments?
TLDR: This is link to a podcast about toothpaste marketing.
MEMORY AND CONCERTOS
Let's not forget how to remember
Traditionally, performing a piano concerto has required an almost superhuman feat of memory. Pianist Angela Hewitt says that makes the music better, freer and more human – and shows how to keep your memory in shape.
WRITING CLUB IN BRISTOL
We're going back to university
Recently we’ve been running workshops for students on UWE’s Creative and Professional Writing BA. Earlier in the year we set up shop in a lovely old forge in Bristol for the day, wrote a tonne of briefs, and gave students a taste of life in a busy writing agency.
AND FINALLY, FROM THE WRITING CLUB DESKS...
PEAKSAVE
Helping British Gas customers save on their energy bills
Last year we helped British Gas name PeakSave, an initiative that encouraged customers to use less energy during the busiest times, in return for money off their bills.
This week we worked on the second phase of the project, PeakSave Sunday. Of the 148k customers who read our emails, SMS and web pages, 100k have signed up so far.
(If this email hits those numbers, we'll be delighted.)
