Xander Cansell

Former Head of Digital, now independent digital consultant and author – digital strategies, products and problem solving. Also at @[email protected]

[Miranda Ward @MirandaWardC]

Next month I’ll be tutoring an @arvonfoundation Writing Week w/ @tanyashadrick + guest @malachytallack. There are a few places left if you'd like to join us in Yorkshire for five days of writing non-fiction through the theme of water. 27 Nov–2 Dec: https://t.co/K3AuaM6jFE

[Sarah O'Connor @sarahoconnor_]

Tech bros say AI will create "winners and losers" as if it's out of everyone's hands, & up to govts to mop up the consequences. I think that's a dangerous story to believe. AI creates opportunities and dangers. How they play out, and to whom, is up to us. https://t.co/wPvNhsxkkl

[Xander Cansell @quitexander]

“The self is a landscape in motion, after all”

@MirandaWardC writing beautifully on May and the light and promise and time.

https://t.co/7nizf4eIlQ

[Xander Cansell @quitexander]

"The explanations have to be wrong, because if their explanations were always right, you could just replace the black box with the explanations."
Cynthia Rudin is trying to make machine learning models show their working:

https://t.co/E0MjtsMY8U

[Xander Cansell @quitexander]

The ever delightful @craigmod in his latest Roden newsletter on earning trust, purpose and "hard won pages".

https://t.co/PAATbYt1af

[Xander Cansell @quitexander]

"everything, in the end, is on its way to freemium. The right place to draw the line will and should differ based on whether a product is niche or scaled, and on the cost structure of the content producer"
https://t.co/igjfRFOCw4

[Xander Cansell @quitexander]

Here's @robinsloan making weird and wonderful things, as usual: https://t.co/w5GTuV1dcR

[Xander Cansell @quitexander]

Please excuse the data-dump.

Link, as they say, in bio.

</🧵>

[Xander Cansell @quitexander]

I’m terrible at talking about what I get up to professionally. And I’d like to change that. So here are a few highlights of my consultancy practice over the last year or so.

In short, I’ve relished working across the digital, business and arts sectors this last while.

🧵 1/5

[Xander Cansell @quitexander]

– Various smaller digital-related-can-you-fix-it or advice projects from websites to desk research to business plans.
– Produced and edited a white paper for an education think tank
– Oh, and I wrote a book (https://t.co/d0Eo2UxGaT)

5/5

[Xander Cansell @quitexander]

Art & literature are messy, odd, weird. And commerce is an awkward bedfellow. When commerce is given power (usually money) it tends towards removing art from the process. Modern AI is no different.

On the perfect mediocrity of ‘algogen’ from @fakebaldur

https://t.co/KHofKeoC3I

[Xander Cansell @quitexander]

I’m (very) not fond of marketing myself professionally or formal networking.

But I’ve found if I think of activities like these as charging up the serendipity batteries, it makes much more sense to me.

[Xander Cansell @quitexander]

@wesayso Great to hear. I'll be there!

[Xander Cansell @quitexander]

I’m (very) not fond of marketing myself professionally or formal networking.

But I’ve found if I think of activities like these as charging up the serendipity batteries, it makes much more sense to me.

[Xander Cansell @quitexander]

Love this exploration of 'hiring for happiness' in Ted Gioia's latest newsletter. From jazz trios, through Ruskin's individualism, to Iain McGilchrist on holistic thinkers: https://t.co/JVIsUZWjth