Of course we want live shows with you. we could talk about complex apps like Scrivener. Or going back to pen and paper. Or typewriters even. Is dictation a form of writing?
You did catch that bit about how I want to look clever and well-informed, right? I know you, you and your questions that make me have to think. For shame. But I did very much enjoy being quizzed… A more general, open writing session: I feel safer with a specific topic but maybe that’s the point.
Otter will record and transcribe your interviews, including the listing of keywords in the conversation. There’s now a feature where it provides an outline of the discussion as well.
I would very much enjoy live shows with an over the shoulder approach. Perhaps a few episodes per medium with a shared screen going through the whole process for books, screenplays, magazines all the way from outline and planning to execution and editing, and seeing the proofing an publication steps. Would be very interesting to see the thought process articulated for different mediums and see all the time saving techniques as you go through all the apps along the way. Perhaps a bit like a live tutorial series with a bit more of an off the cuff approach with some instructions and associated musings along the way.
Oh! That's interesting... I'd skipped doing that before because I didn't want to have you wait while I tried to figure out something. But I do believe that I learn best by having a specific objective, so maybe setting out to do something I don't know how to do could be interesting. Or I could bore you. It would go either way, wouldn't it?
@@WilliamGallagher I don’t believe that it would bore any of your regulars. Some of my favorite things you have done are the Three Biscuits but I always wish there was a little more of your favorite features. The things that you only learn in the thick of a project that you might otherwise overlook in a more general overview. But I’m a glutton for tips and tricks. I could sit through a 4 hour livestream of you just tinkering in all the apps you use one at a time and I think many of us would appreciate the hands on real world examples that come up in the flow state of a real world project. You have an excellent ability to summarize vast topics and that’s perfect for the more mainstream material you make with a shorter video, but I think we all want to see a bit more under the hood in a day in the life of a working writer, wrinkles and all.
I am writing this comment using Whisper Transcription. I've been using it for typing replies on Discord, writing emails, responding to emails and other messages, and basically pretty much everything. Everything gets edited before it gets used and that way whatever errors there are, I can fix them and can pretty much make sure that it's my own words because I know what I said. Plus I'm able to edit my words - and vet them before they wander off into the world on their own. I still don't have the use of my hands to do a lot of typing so this has made a massive difference for me. Unlike dictation, which often makes more work for me, I can write using my natural speech rhythm, and it doesn't mind when I pause to collect my thoughts or remember a word. It saves the audio as well because I'm using my MBP to do the recording. On the topic of live streams, I'm not sure I would be able to catch you, but I would certainly love to. It sounds great. I'd love any hints or tips for writing on the iPad, without an attached keyboard since I really can't type on one at the moment.
Ooooh, that's a good idea about the iPad. Sorry, I'm being rude, leaping straight onto that. I should have said, as I did think as I was reading this, that I'm sorry about your not being able to use your hands. But it's fantastic that you can write anyway. Can I ask how you get the text from Whisper Transcription into, say, emails? Are you able to copy and paste? As for live streams, I cannot, simply cannot figure out a time that works for everyone. But I do know that when I tried one out a year or more ago, the recording that RU-vid put up immediately afterwards got at least as many views. So while I'd better not promise to cover iPad text entry just in case I can't find out anything useful, you won't miss out if I do it and you can't be there live.
Sorry I wasn't able to answer your question until now. I was exporting the transcript as .txt (and for transcribing general text, found it best to set the format to Full Transcript) and saving the file to the desktop for further editing. Today I imported a file from Just Record and when I was ready to export the transcript, my eye spotted a little "copy" icon at the bottom right of the screen. I tried it, and it worked so I could just paste it into mail or my journal and edit it as needed. Brilliant!
In terms of transcriptions, if you have davinci resolve (studio) that will give a text output as well. Not awesomely formatted, but does the job. One off charge.
And I second another individual’s comment here. A live podcast series with industry interviews would be great. It would be nice to have a cup of something while you pick the brains of some authors, editors, and publishers. Im sure you have an interesting Rolodex of people to call upon, and you are bound to have insights into the method behind the madness of various steps of writing and publishing. Johanna Penn has a similar podcast called The Creative Penn, and it leads to some great deep dives into other authors and designers on the creative process. Since it would be live you could have a QnA at the end of each episode.
I like Joanne Penn's work. My sole problem with this is that when I last arranged a whole series of interviews, the availability of the people meant it had to be done at bizarrely different times. I'd worry about scheduling a live one and being able to guarantee it. But I like the idea very much. Thinking...
@@WilliamGallagher I knew I spelled her name wrong. Yes I agree that would be the hardest part. Perhaps a monthly interview series in addition to other live shows might break up the regular video schedule and allow some cathartic shop talk with other creatives, while not being all-consuming in planning it out? Im sure your peers would love the opportunity to showcase their deeper insights and life experience, and I know you would probably enjoy the change of pace from the more demanding and technical introspective content. Maybe a bit more philosophical and stream of consciousness on the days where you are feeling a bit overwhelmed. Would be great to see you all in your creative elements in a sort of community showcase. Might be a good place to plug a book/project or two for you or your guests as well.
58Keys tackles subjects with endurance. Software that will be useful for the long haul, that sort of thing. Your live shows could cover the ephemeral, offering insight on developing trends or news in publishing. You could have guests and discuss issues of import to writers, perhaps interview authors. It would be great. Best of all, it would be a perfectly compelling reason to put off writing! 🤪
Oh, and I was with you right to the end punch line. I like all of these. They all take more production, enough that I’d a) worry about getting it done monthly and 2) I’d rather do a built programme, a recorded one, so that I can get the most out of an author in an hour slot. This does fit with a different idea I’ve got for a different project and a specific client… Thinking…. Thanks.
Hadn't heard of Perplexity but it seems decent. Like you, there's no way I'd even go near it if it didn't also share its sources, but given that it does... yeah, promising. Now if only it integrated properly with Alfred. Perhaps someone cleverer than me can write a workflow similar to ChatFred.
We're even: I'd not heard of ChatFred before. Thank you: I think I'm intrigued. I think. I can tell you that I got a bit put off Perplexity by how many times it let me down while I was making examples for this episode - but I've regained my appreciation for it tonight. I'm producing the AppleInsider podcast in Logic Pro and some weird things were happening, yet a switch question in Perplexity sorted me out with the right answers.
Thanks, William, interesting as always. I think you make an important point that AI isn't necessarily going to be in our faces, but will be subtle in the way it will augment our existing toolsets. I agree that even if AI could write the most amazing novel, why read it when you know it was produced in seconds by a computer? At the end of the day, there has to be some humanity there in art and culture otherwise what is the point of art and culture at all? The next few years are going to be very interesting: I hope in a good way!
I like Just Press Record and I've recommended often -- actually, hang on, only a couple of weeks ago now too. But I don't find its transcription as good as Whisper.
Non-fiction? This one sounds like a topic for a live one rather than for me, but I'm not sure I could pull off a whole show on it because neither has any interest for me in terms of writing. But then I don't even like Grammarly and I know fans of it.
How have you used Ai to complete your YT video segments/whole. How you can use it to help you create YT video scripts on your focused topics (Mac/etc.)
I haven't used AI to create any script or any writing -- except for the example test at the end of this edition. I found that example disheartening, too. I can see a logic that if I asked AI what topics worked the best, it would tell me the ones with the most views -- but that's not necessarily what I mean by the best.
Currently writing a non fiction book. I know quite a bit about the topic, so I am not using AI as a crutch. AI is useful for 'homework answers' and for getting the computer to spit out some sort of structure that you can flesh out. That said, it isn't useful if the author feels it's a "cut and paste time saving engine". As it presently stands, the error rate is high and it's just so obvious that its an AI spit out. I think readers can tell pretty quickly when it is an AI dump, particularly as it any form of opinion is removed. AI generated material always seems to be produced by the 'most generous person in the room'. So, if I'm writing a management text AI might say "There are many reasons for underperformance...understanding..love...time...stroking...free coffee and donuts etc will fix it". Whereas I might be more inclined to go "Lazy people are a curse. Accountability, clear expectations etc". But the structure of the response might be useful, even if the text isn't. AI be useful to ensure nothing has been missed. But it's not a substitute for an author applying their brain to the job. Hope this helps.....
@@StingyGeek No AI would ever call itself StingyGeek. This is why AI is RUBBISH. (Anything that gets us to the finishing line is good - er, unless it’s pushing two buttons and AI coughing up 80,000 words - so I’m really far from against it, I just feel the same as you about the difference between AI writing and ours.)
It did seem to spring into our lives at a rush, are you saying that was because up to then it hadn't been creating writing? That's clever. I like that.
Of course a live session! I'm thinking that your 9000 (ye gads!) subscribers are smarter and more interesting than the average bear, and I just want to see/hear them. Sorry, gotta go now, and check out Perplexity. See you live soon.....
That's a good idea, thank you. I don't feel I know it well enough yet to be useful, but I'll look into it. I have this moment reopened the app -- and discovered so much text I wrote in it in 2018!
None. Haven't even tried any, though. I was reading some old computer book from the 1980s recently and it was deeply absorbing -- because of all the attitudes and assumptions the writer had at the time. With this distance, the author's voice and mind shone out over the outdated text.
AI generated youtube content is Ick. Instant click away. In under two years you've learned that AI generated content is ick. You're far from alone. Yet the hype is through the roof.
I know it's not exactly the point of the video, but I've seen some people say things like "AI allows me to write an entire book in a day instead of a year." And I'm just thinking... but you didn't. You have to actually *write* the book to write a book. If a machine just spits a manuscript out, those aren't your thoughts. You can't rightly say you wrote a book without, you know, actually doing the work. All you really have is a digital ghost writer who churns out manuscripts for you.
Yes! These are the same people who don’t want to write, they want to have written. They like what they believe is the rest of it, the being published, the fame, the adulation. Writers know none of that matters, even if it happens, and that it’s the writing that’s the thing. It used to be that while we had our heads down typing away, that kind of person would soon give up and move on. But now, yep, they can push a few buttons. I think they’re pushing my buttons too.
To be fair that’s the same issue I have with the concept of Ghost Writing and even anonymous Copy Writers. Something feels soulless and disingenuous about the whole concept of having a celebrity or corporation use the words of someone anonymous as if they were their own creation. Although on the other hand I do see the necessity of having Ghost Writers to make something dry like a political memoir more tolerable. It’s likely that people who cannot express themselves will use Ai as a ghost writer, but that doesn’t stop charlatans from using it to extract our time and money to read computer generated prose that never should have been printed, and that’s unfortunate but inevitable.
Hi William, I will develop an application for both mobile and web platforms for those who want to learn a new language. I will find example usages of unfamiliar words from your videos and show them to the user. This way, I will also demonstrate the example usage of that word I would like to make short excerpts from your videos for this purpose. I will use the original RU-vid link of the video. I am requesting permission from you to avoid infringing on any copyright laws.Would you grant permission? Thank you for everything. Have a nice day.