Presenting the new and improved A Modern Remedy! Beyond a fancy schmancy digital home, updated graphics and tonal shift, there’s a bunch of other things that have changed, most notably how AMR will show up in the world moving forward.
But before we kick off this new era, let me take a step back to provide some much-needed context.
The journey so far
For those of you who have been following AMR these last few years, you would have witnessed quite an evolution. What started as an editorial outlet morphed into an online store, before growing into a services business and then an audio show. Along the way there were also a bunch of backend changes as you can imagine, finding the right tools to accommodate this ever-shifting business. Then there were the platform migrations, where I felt like I was constantly on the hunt for not only the best-fit channel, but in a way, searching for an audience too.
That leads us to today, a near-complete reinvention of AMR.
After a long period of reflection, it became clear that trying to do it all under the one umbrella was too much of an ask. There was also the issue of thematic conflicts, mainly around the services that were on offer and how that was a one-way street, leaching away the credibility of my online writing. That isn’t to say that those services weren’t credible, but that they were in stark contrast to, dare I say it, the ‘thought leadership’ that I was becoming recognised for.
So, I decided to pair back what I was doing, return to my roots and embrace the gift I’d been given; forming semi-coherent sentences and providing dynamic perspectives that went against the norm.
But what of your services? Won’t someone think of the services!
Yes, I’m still in the services biz, only that has been rolled into a venture known as Good Gosh Media. It’s a company I’ve started with my business partner, Sam Hart (an amazing fellow whose show you should definitely check out). The mission is still the same, helping changemakers scale their positive impact. Only now, there is so much more we can achieve by combining our powers. We’ve already started collaborating with some big names and rising stars across some important industries, and we’re super excited at where this is headed, but I’ll save all that for a dedicated post in the future.
What’s in a name (and number)?
For those new around here A Modern Remedy, or AMR, is really just that – discussing innovative solutions to the challenging problems we face in everyday life. By being solution-focused I’m able to transcend any one particular industry and find the commonalities that are universal to people across all different sectors on a global scale.
I’ve interviewed people up and down the chain, from right around the world, to help tell their stories of change, share insights and amplify their voices in the hope of fostering community and maximising reach. I’ve also offered critical analysis and predictions on a range of topics including sustainability initiatives, technology, culture, policy, health and wellbeing efforts.
And as part of this re-launch I’m starting fresh, though I’ll be bringing my show, New Ways, along for the ride, and may also reach into the written archives if the mood strikes.
Four point, oh?
As the number implies, this is the fourth iteration of AMR. For whatever reason, I find it useful to use software version-numbering for each new update, perhaps as a continuation of my time in the tech industry. It’s also a bit easier to convey that this isn’t just a fresh coat of paint, but rather, some level of improvement from the past iteration. And that’s what I really aim for with each change, improvement, not just change for the sake of it.
For instance, unlike previous versions, this site is now run using 100% renewable energy. I’ve also implemented sweeping changes to the elements you see on screen (and many you don’t), through the adoption of sustainable user experience (SUX) principles, accessible colours and neuro-inclusive typography.
I’ve also completely switched up the backend infrastructure and the frameworks used, modernising the code and significantly reducing administration. All that adds up to a leaner, more integrated and streamlined experience for me, but also vast performance, functionality and accessibility improvements on the frontend too.
Organic Intelligence
For the record, I’m not a luddite. In fact, I’m what you might call a futurist and a techno-optimist. I honestly believe that technology can serve to improve our lives and help our planet… when put to good use. Unfortunately, the current state of affairs is really pushing my thesis to the point of breaking.
Without this becoming a long-winded diatribe on the ills of Big Tech, let me sum up my position (a direction which is increasingly gaining support beyond just those in the know). The true application and outcomes of current “artificial intelligence” products that are foisted upon us by mega-corporations (and your mate who has drunk the cool aid) doesn’t match the marketing hype. It is a mere illusion, a parlour trick that takes advantage of our inherent desire to put meaning to things. It’s auto-complete on steroids. A 3D, multi-modal V-Lookup operation or a semi-functional search interface that replaces blue links with text summaries. Take your pick as to which of those resonates with you.
This is not the utopian future we are being promised. And the only industry displacement that seems to be occurring is a transfer of capital from hardworking people into the bottomless pits of unsustainable “AI” companies. Every query you put to that lovely chatbot, every prompt, requires compute. Energy sucking compute. Compute that costs more to run than the money it makes from answering said query, at a factor of 3:1 in some instances. These companies survive via constant injections of capital paid for by suckers who are going along with the scam. That’s why they are shoving it into every application and making sure these useless features are ‘opt-in’ by default. Because they are running out of both time and resources, and increasingly need to have the numbers to point to when speaking to investors, the same mob who are beginning to wise up to the grift.
Now, all that is to say, I don’t use generative AI in anything that I do. I don’t use ChatGPT to provide me with writing prompts, or image generation, or to replicate my own voice. Instead, I do something that might shock and appall you.
I use my brain.
Wait, what? Yes, you heard me. I don’t outsource my cognition to a machine. I don’t let my skills or intellect atrophy by grasping at the low-hanging fruit of convenience. I’d also rather not rely on a system that is fundamentally probabilistic in nature and therefore prone to errors due to its very nature.
So, everything you see on here is independently researched, verified as best I can, and produced by me. My ideas, my authentic voice, all me. And if something is not created by moi, such as a third-party resource, reference or collaboration, then I will cite the source accordingly and give credit where it is due. It is very important to me that we honour human creativity and intellect, especially in this season of AI-hype. For when the bubble bursts and this version of “‘AI” becomes an endemic grift ala cryptocurrency, I definitely want to be on the right side of things.
That is my promise to you. That this is the genuine article. I will continue using organic intelligence, never opting to risk my reputation or quality of output by deferring to a wannabe deity and untrustworthy oracle.
Words and writing
As briefly mentioned, a big part of this update was the desire to return to long-form writing. But more than that, this also give me the opportunity to move into areas that I’d wanted to explore for a while. Namely, multimedia. I’ve recently wrapped season two of New Ways, and am about to launch into episode twenty-one with not only the standard audio treatment, but a full video release as well.
Yes, New Ways will be adding complete video episodes alongside our traditional audio episodes.
This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while, as there’s just a whole other element that is lost when recording in video only. Obviously, this is something that I will keep on doing, as I want to make sure this show is as accessible as possible, but now I can begin to explore this new medium too.
Alongside my articles and the show, I’m also re-launching the newsletter. This is something I’ve had a love-hate relationship with, less to do with the perceived hassle of producing worthy content but more related to the shifting platform challenge I mentioned earlier. That quest just confined to socials, but also a hunt for where I should host the newsletter itself. After going back and forth with Substack, I decided to self-host my publication as it didn’t make sense for my audience to be bouncing between platforms, plus after their content moderation fiasco I simply could no longer find myself aligned with their (lack of) values.
There won’t be any scammy ways to make you part with your email address (I take privacy extremely seriously), and I’m not about to try and faff about with monetising my audience. instead, I want to focus on delivering value and working out a cadence that is easily manageable and fits in with my workflow. Quality over quantity. Anything else wouldn’t be respectful, and if you’ve decided to invest your time reading my words then that’s the least I can do.
Just like the old days
Halloween’s kind of a special day for me, my favourite holiday in fact. It’s also the day I launched the original AMR, version 1.0, back on October 31st, 2021. Nearly three and half years later, I find myself launching v4.0 with seven new pieces of content, the exact same number as the first version had in total. And of that, you’ve got over 7,000 words across three articles to dig into, alongside several audio show episodes totalling around four hours to enjoy. Eat your heart out, streaming services!
Now look… I’ve been out of the writing game for a little bit as my business has transformed and grown to consume most of my free time, but it felt good to jump back into things and start using that muscle once more. I may not be on my absolute A-game, but this launch is a good measuring stick to see where I’m at and how I can improve. And as always, I welcome your feedback.
Plus, just like v1.0, we are launching with some areas of the site that are still in progress. I also expect that there will be some bugs, some kinks, some optimisations to be made. But that’s just it, this is my side-quest, a labour of love, something that I am going to let grow organically. Already I’m wanting to tweak a few areas, but I know that if I don’t hit publish now, I never will.
Perhaps AMR is a window into my thoughts, an analytical operating system, a platform from which to build positive impact.
All that is to say, this isn’t your average, static website. Watch this space. Things will continue to evolve and mature over time. And at some point, far into the future, when v5 is ready to drop, it will be fun to go back and re-read this post, to look back and see where things started, and where they ended up.
Bringing it home
The overarching premise, the theme of AMR 4.0, is ‘home’. The obvious representation of that is a new digital hub, a space to house all of the words, media and conversations, a flashy new roof to contain the goodness that is AMR. Perhaps AMR is a window into my thoughts, an analytical operating system, a platform from which to build positive impact.
But it’s more than that. It’s about returning to a familiar space, going back to my roots, re-exploring the origins of what AMR meant to me when I registered that business name back in 2021. I want to talk about solutions, for people and planet. I want to produce media that helps to make a positive impact. And I want to do all of that here, through this very website.
I hope you’ll join me on this next chapter.
