Back in January I did a post about having been writing (maybe more like scribbling) here on Substack for a little over a year. In that post I said this about writing here and being here, so to speak:
Writing has been fun, but by far the biggest source of enjoyment in my time at Substack has been discovering the great publications and great writers on this platform. Some of them cover topics I’ve always been interested in, and a few have helped me discover a brand new area of interest.
That’s still how I feel, and even more so now as I’ve discovered even more great writers and Substacks (which I’m going to shorten to “stacks” in the rest of this post) and also all the fun there is in reading and participating in the Notes and Chat areas of Substack.
Now it’s time for Part 2 of A Stack of Recommended Stacks - and I’m going to do this with the same format as the original post, which is:
With these recommended publications I’ll offer my own quick thoughts, at least an excerpt from each publication’s About page, and a recommended taster link. One more thing to note - I honestly can’t recall how many free posts you can read, or full posts you can read, for all these publications, but I think you should be able to at least read the taster post links for each of them.
Now, on to those recommended stacks:
One Useful Thing
My 02: I have a section of my Notion folder for all things AI and GenAI called “AI Thinkers”. The author of One Useful Thing - Professor Ethan Mollick - is right at the top of my list of AI thinkers to follow and I have taken lots of notes on his thoughts. He has been one of the big influences behind my AI Optimism.
Stack’s About Page:
This blog/newsletter provides a research-based view on the implications of AI, by me, Prof. Ethan Mollick (and, no, I don’t use AI to write this, so forgive the spelling and grammar issues). Free resources and prompts are compiled at More Useful Things. You might also be interested in my New York Times bestselling book, Co-Intelligence.
Recommended Taster Post: Four Singularities for Research
Why Try AI
My 02: The best coverage of all things to do with GenAI image creation - from news to tips and walk throughs on how to get the best results out of them. There’s also a Sunday Rundown post with a short, sweet list of interesting GenAI news and tidbits. Maybe the best thing about Why Try AI is that Daniel Nest, its author, brings a lot of fun to its pages and a wonderful sense of humor to his writing.
Stack’s About Page:
“Who dis?”
I'm Daniel.
I can’t code. I’m not a visual artist. And I don’t produce music.
But generative AI lets me code simple games, get creative with images, and experiment with text-to-music tools.
I started Why Try AI to help others get into this space without all the hype.
I focus on AI news, tips, and tools that:
Are instantly usable by the average person
Have little to no learning curve
Are cheap or free to use
Recommended Taster Post: The Skeptical Writer's Guide to AI
Shades of Greaves
My 02: Speaking of humor and fun posts, Shades of Greaves is just funny as hell, consistently. And it’s funny in the best of ways - dripping with sarcasm, wit, and irony. Carlos Greaves is the writer and he has a resume full of blue-chip names he writes for or has written for. If you have ever come across McSweeney’s and thought it was sheer brilliance, then seeing that name should be all you need to know about Shades of Greaves. Carlos also posts some classic notes in Notes.
Bonus Tip: The chart in the taster post is pure gold.
Stack’s About Page:
Shades of Greaves is a play on words.
Shades of Greaves is also a humor newsletter written by me, Carlos Greaves (pronounced like “graves,” hence the wordplay)
Who am I?
I’m an electrical engineer turned comedy writer who, for the past 3+ years, has been working full-time as a freelance writer / teacher / doer of any job that will pay me to write words. I contribute to The Onion, teach classes at The Second City, coach students at Hillside Writing, make TikToks, publish humor in The New Yorker and, of course, write this newsletter! You might’ve also seen some of my other work in McSweeney’s. Last year, I self-published my debut book, Spoilers: Essays That Might Ruin Your Favorite Hollywood Movies, and I’ve been documenting that journey on this newsletter in a section called “The Honda Civic Diaries,” a name that will make more sense if you start from the beginning of the series.
Recommended Taster Post: How I Grew My Substack From 439 to 451 Free Subscribers In Just 11 Months
The Pragmatic Optimist
My 02: Along with technology and culture, this stack covers topics that are scary to me (because my knowledge of them is borderline non-existent) , like economics and something call macroeconomics. And it has charmingly increased my knowledge on those without boring me to tears. My favorite things about The Pragmatic Optimist is the great crossover of tech and economics in most of the posts and its strong coverage of emerging technologies and even the biggest of tech companies that are on the rise.
Stack’s About Page:
I started my newsletter, The Pragmatic Optimist in September 2023 to make sense of the world by connecting the dots in macroeconomics, technology and culture. Since then, 5000 readers have joined me on my journey. My hope is to take you along with me to help you understand the “big picture”, identify great businesses and improve your financial and mental wellbeing … I try to publish posts 5-6 times a month, 1-2 posts for Monday Macro, 2 posts on Thursday Teardowns and 2 posts on our stock picks.
Recommended Taster Post: “Don’t bet against America”- Are we entering a prolonged productivity boom?
Catherine’s Studio
My 02: I’ve only just discovered this stack, and it’s brand new to Substack this month. This note from its author - Catherine Rayner - made it love at first sight:
And I quickly found that there’s so much more where that came from. So many lovely drawings of so many adorable looking dogs, cats, rabbits, panda bears, at least one woolly mammoth, and lots more animals. Even just the notes from the author are a highlight of my day every time I see them.
Stack’s About Page:
Hello there!
I’m a bit shy on my Instagram and Facebook - I think because it’s such a public platform. But THIS is where we are all pals! If you subscribe here you can see behind the scenes and find out what lurks deep inside my plan chest. I’ll be sharing what makes me tick and the inspirations behind my work as an illustrator, author and artist. So, if you want to get to know more, you are in the RIGHT place! … “Catherine Rayner is an award winning children’s author and illustrator. Originally from Yorkshire, Catherine studied Illustration at Edinburgh College of Art. She fell in love with the city and still lives there with her husband, two sons, and a small menagerie of animals of all shapes and sizes. The largest is a horse called Shannon and the smallest is a shrimp called Gavin. Her dachshund, Otto joins her in the studio every day. Catherine loves animals and is constantly inspired by the creatures which surround her.
Recommended Taster Post: Brand New Book! 'You Can't Catch Me!
That’s 5 stacks that I’ve become a big fan of. Here are 10 more in my first Stack of Recommended Stacks post: