Keith Ammann 🔜 Gamehole Con

ENNIE-winning author of The Monsters Know What They're Doing, Making Enemies and other stuff. Humanist, antifascist, curmudgeon. Teeth on the board. ✶✶✶✶

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[email protected]

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nprofile1qqsx8ahdvpp3nws4cq75v9dj62afmdvjhj9hwl64t0swan6z09ae5hspz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds70mjsf

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relay.damus.io

nos.lol

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npub1v0mw6czrrxaptspagc2m9546nk6e90ytwal42klqam85y7tmnf0qrdawjr

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Last Notes

2026-04-13 18:24:55 GMT

Daði Einarsson of the Mystic Arts YouTube channel recorded a response to a video that Matt Colville made. I watched Daði's video. Then I watched Colville's. Then I watched Colville's again. Then I watched Daði's again.
Then I wrote a response of my own. https://www.onefootinfairyland.com/the-elements-of-gamemastering-style/
#TTRPG

2026-04-10 00:46:07 GMT

Times have changed. The old rules no longer apply. Our foes have grown in strength. We must adapt.
Don't worry. I gotchu.
With updated tactics and brand-new tips for every monster, REMONSTERED! THE MONSTERS KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING comes out this Oct. 6. Preorder at https://bookshop.org/a/511/9781668236932. #DnD
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/116/377/646/971/964/342/original/873f05c06ebdfa1f.jpeg

2026-04-09 19:03:44 GMT

Break it down, break it down: Golgari NPC tactics. https://www.themonstersknow.com/golgari-npc-tactics/
#DnD

2026-04-07 17:08:00 GMT

2026-03-24 04:21:30 GMT

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@nprofile…p0fq I don't think OrcaCon wants me, and ECCC is a tall order. But a lot may happen in the next year.

2026-03-23 04:57:03 GMT

Happy-tired at PDX after my weekend at #GameStorm. Portland continues to come through for me, and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to come out and express my gratitude. Thanks to Nicole Nowlin, Artemis Billington and all the rest of the con staff who facilitated my appearance.
P.S. If you missed me at the con, run-don't-walk to Powell's, where I signed all the books of mine they had on hand! 😉

2026-03-19 22:16:39 GMT

Here I am at GameStorm in Portland, Ore., paying an overdue visit to the city that buys my books at a higher rate per capita than any other. Thank you!
In a little under an hour, I'm running a monster design workshop, then D&D and Cypher games Friday and Saturday morning.
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/116/258/150/732/084/487/original/f070b696b1170f3e.jpg

2026-02-01 18:59:56 GMT

Took the biggest step of my #degoogling today: nuking my Gmail account.
All gone.

2026-01-20 20:00:07 GMT

Ahoy, Cascadians! I'm traveling from the war-torn hellscape of Chicago to the war-torn hellscape of Portland, Ore., for GAMESTORM 26, March 19–22. I'll be selling and signing books (including MAKING ENEMIES), running D&D and Cypher adventures, and leading a monster design workshop. Badges are on sale now at gamestorm.org.
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/115/928/595/989/396/428/original/5e33ec9008ee5785.png

2025-11-28 17:15:54 GMT

Looking for prezzies for the GM on your list? Give 'em one of my books!
But—here's the important part—today, this weekend and through Cyber Monday, DON'T BUY FROM AMAZON OR TARGET. BUY INDIE! BUY LOCAL! #WeAintBuyingIt
Order from your favorite independent bookseller at https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=Keith+Ammann
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/115/628/449/212/978/673/original/22d7bc3019dcbdd6.jpg

2025-11-11 03:54:57 GMT

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@nprofile…pdgt @nprofile…tkl4 @nprofile…p5am They're supposed to be banners, but I got lazy with the proportions.

2025-11-11 01:24:31 GMT

This Saturday, Nov. 15, starting at 6 PM U.S. Eastern Time (5 PM CT, 3 PM PT), join me and Lexi McQueen (blackgirlmage), @nprofile…tkl4, @nprofile…p5am and Brian Gray (urbanbohemian) as we play D&D and raise funds in support of our neighbors who are being threatened with harassment, assault and kidnapping in the name of immigration enforcement.
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/115/528/451/395/582/796/original/cc3590e783e74432.jpeg

2025-10-07 23:47:36 GMT

If you're in Chicago, you can catch me in person this week reading from MAKING ENEMIES:
Friday, Oct. 10, 7 PM at the Book Cellar, 4736 N. Lincoln Ave.
Sunday, Oct. 12, 3:30 PM at Chicagoland Games, 5550 N. Broadway
Hope you see you there!
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/115/335/551/732/735/184/original/6abf1e1f243f46f7.jpeg

2025-10-07 13:00:07 GMT

TODAY'S THE DAY! Making Enemies: Monster Design Inspiration for Tabletop Roleplaying Games, with cover illustration by Lio Pressland and interior illos by @nprofile…32ts, is now on shelves!
Get it at your local independent bookstore, at your friendly local game store or through one of these links: https://spyandowl.com/making-enemies
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/115/333/005/706/473/901/original/2467780a62ce56c7.jpeg

2025-09-07 16:46:14 GMT

Just one month away from the release of Making Enemies, my deep dive into creating #TTRPG monsters from the ground up, with system-specific advice for #DnD 5E, #Pathfinder 2E, #Shadowdark, the #CypherSystem and #CallOfCthulhu 7E! On sale Oct. 7—preorder today at https://spyandowl.com/making-enemies !
1/3
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/115/164/025/549/248/169/original/1e10665c69a8fd4b.jpeg

2025-08-18 19:24:50 GMT

Some of a monster's most memorable attacks are ones that are first primed, then detonated—using a condition or maneuver to gain an edge, or forcing a PC to decide whether to buy off the impact of an extra-hard hit.
Making Enemies goes on sale Oct. 7—preorder now at https://spyandowl.com/making-enemies. #TTRPG
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/115/051/402/987/566/589/original/f16e2b5959dda1b4.jpeg

2025-08-05 17:02:20 GMT

In praise of anchored high fantasy, a worldbuilding and play style that the TTRPG market is abandoning. https://www.onefootinfairyland.com/a-wizard-creates-a-mountain-the-mountain-creates-a-rain-shadow/

2025-08-04 00:50:22 GMT

My blog got 1,300 hits around 7 this morning, and I have no idea why.
More than half of them came from Poland.
Was there a TikTok or something?

2025-07-30 16:19:18 GMT

Excited for the release of Making Enemies: Monster Design Inspiration for Tabletop Roleplaying Games? Let other folks know: Mark it as "Want to Read" on Goodreads and Storygraph!
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/224039145-making-enemies
Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/2c9d9f32-f889-4404-8c2a-2649483de439 #TTRPG #DnD #Pathfinder #Shadowdark #CypherSystem
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/114/943/089/516/491/888/original/f3b426d0fbb6bcac.jpeg

2025-07-21 23:14:52 GMT

Every monster is at the center of its own story—but what kind of story do YOU plan to tell? One of predation? Corruption? Compulsion? Poetic justice?
Making Enemies: Monster Design Inspiration for Tabletop Roleplaying Games comes out Oct. 7—and is available for preorder now! https://spyandowl.com/making-enemies
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/114/893/762/753/687/340/original/9e2f1861c014f115.jpeg

2025-07-16 18:02:32 GMT

Finishing a manuscript draft is a great time to dig through the out-of-control piles of paper on one's desk, and what's this I just dug out?
Recipes for a dwarven feast? https://www.onefootinfairyland.com/dwarven-feast-fine-dwarven-feast/

2025-07-07 18:06:17 GMT

Just three months away from the release of Making Enemies, my deep dive into creating #TTRPG monsters from the ground up, with system-specific advice for #DnD 5E, #Pathfinder 2E, #Shadowdark, the #CypherSystem and #CallOfCthulhu 7E! On sale Oct. 7—preorder today at https://spyandowl.com/making-enemies.
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/114/813/277/101/437/741/original/a6a024d9405df8f2.jpeg

2025-04-26 15:40:06 GMT

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@nprofile…a9az That would be https://bookshop.org/p/books/making-enemies-monster-design-ideas-for-tabletop-role-playing-games-keith-ammann/2d732e01a8035bff?ean=9781668093344&next=t&aid=511&listref=by-keith-ammann

2025-04-23 17:52:07 GMT

Are you a Barnes & Noble member? Preorder Making Enemies: Monster Design Inspiration for Tabletop Roleplaying Games today—in hardcover, e-book or audio—and get 25 percent off list price.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/making-enemies-keith-ammann/1146902901
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/114/388/548/060/161/133/original/f3b69dcc0a423ba6.png

2025-03-04 22:00:16 GMT

Want to show your gamemaster some appreciation this #InternationalGMsDay? Give them a copy of How to Defend Your Lair (https://bookshop.org/book/9781982171353), or preorder them a copy of Making Enemies: Monster Design Inspiration for Tabletop Roleplaying Games (https://bookshop.org/book/9781982171353)! #DnD #TTRPG
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/114/106/408/340/498/062/original/c97936883d3b5b2c.jpeg

2025-03-03 18:31:38 GMT

The first installment of my reflections on what a genuinely antifascist #TTRPG would look like. (It's not just punching Nazis.) https://www.onefootinfairyland.com/thoughts-on-an-antifascist-rpg-part-1/

2025-02-18 21:00:04 GMT

Bumping this announcement because Making Enemies is finally available for preorder through Bookshop. If you've been holding off because you support independent bookstores and/or want to withhold your money from Amazon, you're my kind of people, and I love you, and you can use this link: https://bookshop.org/a/511/9781668093344
#TTRPG #DnD #Pathfinder #Shadowdark #CypherSystem #CallOfCtulthu
https://dice.camp/@KeithAmmann/113918372220802337

2025-01-24 20:34:55 GMT

For the second year in a row, the ENNIE Awards are accepting products that include AI-generated content. (I only found out this week, because last year I had nothing to submit.)
Because of this policy, I've removed the award bug from The Monsters Know What They're Doing's banner image and all references to the ENNIEs from my retailer copy and social media profile bios.
I intend to return my ENNIE medals, but I haven't gotten a reply to my query concerning where to send them yet. #NoAI

2025-01-22 18:02:03 GMT

How do various "universal roleplaying game systems" stack up? I start with a look at the Cypher System and Savage Worlds. One definitely performs better than the other. https://www.onefootinfairyland.com/all-in-one-part-1/ #TTRPG

2024-05-15 18:17:35 GMT

The program calendar listing gives me top billing for some reason, but if you attend the "Level Up: Writing and Gaming" panel at the American Writers Festival in Chicago this Sunday, May 19, you get to see not only me but award-winning SF writer Derek Taylor Attico, gaming/tech community organizer Keisha Howard of Sugar Gamers, and indie game writer/narrative designer Samantha Ortiz. That's way cooler than just me! (And it's free to attend!) https://americanwritersmuseum.org/program-calendar/american-writers-festival-level-up-writing-gaming/

2024-04-05 17:24:43 GMT

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@npub19ll…nvrx Biden joined Threads; not exactly the same thing. The link you include is an obvious parody account.

2024-01-25 03:23:52 GMT

QoTN:
"So ... these are flaming creatures heading toward us ... and everyone has hidden in trees?" #DnD #Humblewood

2024-01-23 13:27:17 GMT

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@npub1u4k…vxe4 Card games exist only where paper exists, and primarily where paper is plentiful.
If paper is a luxury, only the upper classes play cards.
If its use is widespread but the material is scarce, the cards are small and thin, like these:
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/111/805/493/160/356/912/original/fe90ef5f93a744c5.jpg

2024-01-16 21:21:38 GMT

Gamer Says Ubisoft Exec Needs to Get Comfortable With People Not Giving Ubisoft Money, Then
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/111/767/713/090/635/415/original/8211eec6d2185fad.jpeg

2024-01-08 19:21:31 GMT

If you wouldn't use the word "gypped" because of its pejorative origins, don't use the slogan "From the river to the sea." You can't cleanse either one of their respective connotations. They're both fruits of poison trees.

2023-12-24 18:40:04 GMT

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@npub1lfq…h527 Personally, I voted for NOT federating, but the folks who say a plurality voted for some degree of federation have a point. If this had been a ranked choice vote, limited fed almost certainly would have won. That said, a _poll_ isn't the same thing as a _vote_, and you do note that people's arguments also played a role in your decision.
Regardless of whether the question is up for reconsideration, I think everyone ought to read this, by @npub1qmc…v6gx: https://erinkissane.com/untangling-threads

2023-12-24 00:20:14 GMT

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@npub139m…6cf9
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/111/632/526/301/500/051/original/dc728abe2d94267c.png

2023-12-14 18:01:28 GMT

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@npub1u4k…vxe4 Change theme, then? IDK. My last redesign, I switched from Edin to Twenty Twenty-Three, and while setting it up was a miserable, day-long process, I'm very happy with it now that I'm done.

2023-12-14 17:53:27 GMT

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@npub1u4k…vxe4 Time is part of Date. I use the default format, which doesn't show time, but there are options in the pull-down that do include it. And you can choose "Custom" to set it up any way you want: https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/customize-date-and-time-format/

2023-12-14 17:51:11 GMT

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@npub1u4k…vxe4 Yeah, that's how I have it set up. Every post starts with:
Title
Date | Categories

2023-12-14 17:49:07 GMT

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@npub1u4k…vxe4 Using the block editor? Select a Date block. Make sure the Default Format setting is off. Choose a format from the pull-down menu.

2023-12-09 21:49:12 GMT

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@npub1u4k…vxe4 Yes!

2023-12-09 21:47:30 GMT

Whoa.
"The slim profile and strength of the material mean it could provide an alternative to products made from thin, easily shattered cuts of plastic or glass, such as display screens. … But most research has centered on transparent wood as an architectural feature, with windows a particularly promising use." https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/12/transparent-wood-touch-screens-windows/676288/

2023-11-22 18:00:03 GMT

Aartuks originated in second edition Dungeons & Dragons; along with the original aartuk warrior and aartuk elder, Boo’s gives us an aartuk priest. Challenge rating–wise, all of them are suitable foes for mid-level adventurers. However, their low saving throw DCs complicate matters.
https://www.themonstersknow.com/aartuk-tactics/ #DnD

2023-11-17 01:30:57 GMT

Aw, HELL no, #Squarespace. This is NOT OK. #NoAI
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/111/423/301/653/979/750/original/5509f90e3b4a57bd.jpg

2023-11-08 22:45:49 GMT

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@npub10pr…qn7d Sainte-Marie didn't "refute" the reporting. She rebutted it. If she'd refuted it—proved it false—this wouldn't be a story.

2023-11-03 18:20:36 GMT

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@npub1u4k…vxe4 That's some hard-earned and much-needed redemption, though.

2023-11-03 12:01:39 GMT

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@npub1u4k…vxe4 Probably because the characters aren't supposed to be likable or admirable, and really godawful things happen to them more often than not.

2023-10-27 17:00:01 GMT

Ghosts hang around postmortem because the time and manner of their deaths leaves them with unfinished business that they compulsively attempt to complete. Starlight apparitions, on the other hand, hang around in the Astral Plane to help others do what *they* need to do. Isn't that nice of them?
https://www.themonstersknow.com/starlight-apparition-and-kindori-tactics/ #DnD

2023-09-23 20:03:04 GMT

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@npub1u4k…vxe4 @npub1t3z…f87n Except that from everything I can tell, WotC's presence at Big Bad Con is going to be significantly smaller than its presence at Gamehole Con was going to be.

2023-09-23 02:16:39 GMT

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@npub1t3z…f87n Wait, did WotC pull out of Gamehole Con? All of a sudden it's off the event calendar. That can't be right, can it?

2023-09-14 17:00:02 GMT

The eye monger is yet another head-scratcher in what’s turning into a whole series of head-scratchers in Boo’s Astral Menagerie. A large, durable brute, it’s saddled with a plodding flying speed of only 20 feet. How is it supposed to catch targets in order to bite them?
https://www.themonstersknow.com/eye-monger-tactics/ #DnD

2023-09-06 17:00:08 GMT

I read the feyr stat block in Boo’s Astral Menagerie, formed a quick notion of how it ought to be played, then read the flavor text and found it to be largely a summation of what I’d just concluded. Long story short, the feyr is chiefly a jerk move to pull on your players.
https://www.themonstersknow.com/feyr-tactics/ #DnD
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/111/019/268/965/607/389/original/56832f322fee242c.png

2023-09-05 21:24:18 GMT

I'm ashamed it took me this long to realize that I never re-followed @npub134s…hfkj after dice.camp defedded his instance. It took @npub1u3h…4uls boosting one of John's posts to remind me I hadn't seen anything from him in ages.
Is there still a compelling reason to have mastodon.social silenced? Or is it just a layer of friction accomplishing little or nothing of value?

2023-08-30 03:24:50 GMT

TFW you add a bunch of posts to a long-running Mastodon thread only to realize you forgot to set the post with the hashtag on it to Public. Sigh. #CypherSystem https://dice.camp/@KeithAmmann/110976277047947625

2023-08-23 17:58:44 GMT

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@npub10pr…qn7d HAHAHAHA THAT DISC OF MICHAEL CLAYTON I FORGOT TO RETURN IN 2015 IS MINE NOW
now i have to find it

2023-08-10 17:00:11 GMT

Spelljammer’s vampirates bear only superficial similarities to the vampire and vampire spawn of the Monster Manual. They’re not sensitive to sunlight, they don’t drink blood, they’re indifferent to running water, they don’t regenerate, and they can march right into your house whether you’ve invited them in or not.
https://www.themonstersknow.com/vampirate-tactics/ #DnD
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/110/866/386/769/720/373/original/72a3c30e11c91537.png

2023-08-05 17:36:43 GMT

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@npub1u4k…vxe4 @npub1ztk…lanu There's a new company called QuillBot that IS referring to its "writing assistant" as "AI." And not only Grammarly but Notion, Word, Google Docs and even Jetpack are introducing "AI" tools that are supposed to help writers.
In the end, though, they're nothing but crutches—substitutes for writers' own skill and judgment. They don't make you a better writer. Nor are they adequate substitutes for an editor, if your work needs editing.

2023-08-05 15:00:09 GMT

In light of the recent revelation that WotC chose to include artwork that was at least partially “AI”-generated in Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, I will not buy that book or analyze any creature in it unless and until the art in question is replaced with entirely original art by a human artist.
https://www.themonstersknow.com/a-note-on-ai-in-dd/ #DnD
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/110/837/603/260/845/228/original/670b33d0eb6a667f.jpg

2023-08-03 15:46:39 GMT

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@npub1ztk…lanu Quite honestly, I'm about to go back in time to just before Tasha's and say, no character creation options from after this point.
It's just getting to be too much. Way, way, way, way too much.

2023-07-31 12:14:09 GMT

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@npub1zdp…vqv8 That guy's face is going to smack into the seamless. 😳

2023-07-25 15:23:27 GMT

I've gotten 26 new followers on Bluesky in the last 24 hours.
On #Mastodon, I've gotten … one.
Folks, we are NOT doing this right if Elmo's cosmic screwups are no longer resulting in waves of new Mastodon signups. Folks like @npub1xzm…eykm need to be listening to folks like @npub1qmc…v6gx about how to break down the technical barriers and discourse behaviors that are repelling users, both before and after they join.

2023-07-14 22:38:44 GMT

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@npub1u4k…vxe4 It's VERY WELL HIDDEN

2023-07-14 22:38:26 GMT

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@npub1u4k…vxe4 It's HIDDEN

2023-07-05 15:29:19 GMT

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@npub1u4k…vxe4 How well did you sleep last night?
There ya go.

2023-07-05 14:35:56 GMT

Got an invite to Bluesky and set up an account over there just to have it.
Turns out, that's where nearly all the D&D/TTRPG people have gone. And also a whole bunch of news and history folks I used to follow.
Well, shit.
I still like it better here. I wish that opinion were more widely shared.

2023-07-05 14:26:41 GMT

If you care about making #TTRPG gathering spaces safer for ALL gamers, please sign this petition asking #PAX to bring back mask and vax requirements for #PAXUnplugged. The decision is not yet made, so now is the best time to make our voices heard. https://chng.it/zqjvrV9j5c

2023-07-01 23:55:10 GMT

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@npub1u4k…vxe4 Yeah, that was all 2021 and 2022. This year was supposed to be about what comes next.

2023-07-01 23:42:45 GMT

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@npub1u4k…vxe4 It's true, I've managed to publish new blog posts at a non-embarrassing rate.
My goals were a lot higher than that, though.

2023-05-15 18:54:34 GMT

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@npub1yk6…4zz4 I also couldn't see your reply to my reply. Had to guess it was you and visit your profile to confirm. 🫤

2023-03-15 23:42:08 GMT

Why is so much venture capital wasted on these stupid AI projects when they could be spending it on something that will effectively clean a broiler pan