the outlier

jigsaw pieces, the algorithm and word of the day

hello,

It can be hard being a lone ranger and not being part of a big organisation but one of the perks is getting to not do any work on your birthday.

Instead I spent the day wandering around wonderful gardens, eating cake and going out to dinner. It was one of the best birthdays I can remember.

But before that, I spent a little chunk of Sunday morning chatting the breeze with my friend Ranjit on a Substack Live. We largely spoke about the writing and reading of books, with a little bit of time for Arsenal FC too. You can see the whole conversation below and besides the automatically generated transcript, I’ve made some notes underneath as well.

on writing, reading and arsenal fc with Ranjit Saimbi

the books📖

This week I’ve been looking forward.

It feels like there’s much to think about and I’m cognisant of having to add new skills to my quiver. I’ve been learning how to use AI tools to write code and create small web projects and this level of creativity feels amazing to me, especially as anything I don’t understand I can ask the tools to explain in simple terms.

The idea of spinning up projects beyond writing appeals to me enormously and it’s clear that amidst the general volatility, those who can adapt and move quickly will prosper. The classicist H.D.F. Kitto wrote that in Athens, ‘a man owed it to himself, as well as to the [city], to be everything in turn’ and this is how I feel about what I do – I want to be able to write, narrate and create.

Aside from these tinkerings, I’ve been plotting commercial ventures for the rest of the year, making content and catching up on some admin. Then I’ve had to think about my ongoing relationship to TikTok which belatedly did not get banned in the US, or has at least had a stay of execution. I’m going to share a few thoughts and sources on the topic below.

for your interest

jigsaw pieces, the algorithm and word of the day

jigsaw pieces

Something that scares me about writing fiction is the lack of linearity.

Rare is the writer that could begin at the beginning and end at the end. In between lie all kinds of possibilities for divergence and indeed, for discovery.

Writing nonfiction is like doing a jigsaw. The problem is clear, you have all the pieces already so you can slap it all down on the floor, pick up the picture of the end result and put everything together. This is how I wrote my first book Fringes.

What was wonderful about it was I could do however haphazardly I liked, knowing full well that the story had to go from beginning to end. I had the truth to adhere to, the timeline to guide me and while I discovered things I also wanted to say along the way, I knew broadly where I was headed.

Fiction is not like that.

In our chat, Ranjit and I came up with an analogy that I am going to belabour, largely because I think it’s pretty good!

When you’re writing a novel, it’s a bit like you’re cutting out the jigsaw pieces yourself and throwing them on the floor, rather than receiving a box of pre-cut pieces. You don’t fully know the picture yet—your job is to figure out what the problem or shape of the story is, which doesn’t become clear until you’ve created enough pieces and laid them out. Only then can you see where it’s headed and what the real puzzle is.

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry and while you can follow a map to write fiction, not only will you probably get lost at some point, that’s actually a good thing.

the algorithm

TikTok is not going anywhere. Not yet anyway.

This is a relief as my life has become infinitely better since I began posting on TikTok but even if the US did follow through with a ban, I’d be ok. My US audience makes up a decent but not catastrophic percentage of my audience so while I’d miss them, I could and would carry on just fine.

This Twitter thread from former TikTok software engineer Arman Khon made for fascinating reading. I ended up down a bit of a rabbit hole, partly to get everything as clear as I could in my own mind and partly to share with you here.

Khon quit his role 6 months ahead of the The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the TikTok ban on January 19, 2025. The app went dark in the US only to be quickly reinstated by the incoming President Trump who gave TikTok another 75 days to find a US entity to buy them. It’s the first time a major social platform has been banned in the land of the free where TikTok has 170 million users (about half the population) and reversing it will have made Trump, the instigator of the ban in his first term, extremely popular amongst its users.

In my understanding, TikTok have already created a US entity where data can be observed by US government agencies but the algorithm, regarded as far beyond any other recommendation engine in existence, is actually regarded as Chinese government property, with them retaining veto power over any prospective sale. Given Trump is looking to impose higher import tariffs on Chinese goods, both sides appear to have something the other wants.

As China’s power has grown, it’s been more and more concerned with something called ‘discourse power’, a cultural influence it believes lies largely in the hands of the US. Given how pervasive American culture is globally that’s not entirely unreasonable. You can see the power of owning a platform for popular discourse in Elon Musk’s wielding of his Twitter sword and TikTok, with its coveted recommendation engine and larger user base, constitutes a bigger blade. The question is, does it cut both ways?

This piece gives perhaps the best and most balanced roundup I’ve seen of the various concerns around using TikTok, some of which are backed up by Khon in his posts. Here’s a few key points:

• TikTok’s data collection practices on Americans are concerning but not different from the likes of Meta (Facebook/WhatsApp, Instagram) or Twitter/X.

• Even with concerns about the potential for Chinese government oversight, far more data is available to them through illegal hacking and and what is available legally on the open market through US-based third-party data brokers.

• It’s not China but Russia who have used TikTok to spread misinformation but given its obvious importance to their government, its potential to cause harm should not be taken lightly.

• Banning TikTok would contradict the usual US stance for an open and global internet and could pose constitutional questions.

I find it fascinating that one of the most influential cultural formats and forums of our time could just be removed from common use. That this is even happening feels like a profound shift. The story it tells about storytelling and the importance of control over somewhere to tell them feels both modern and timeless.

And what exactly makes the TikTok algorithm the Excalibur that nations are wrangling over? You can read how it’s designed right here.

It’s beyond me but the thinking and reasoning is right there. Isn’t that wild?

word of the day

Despite my erudition and propensity to blather on, sometimes I do struggle for words.

To that end, I created a word of the day generator. It was pretty fun.

a book

The Brothers Karamazov is broken into 12 books and I’ve taken down the first couple. Aside from it I’m knocking along with a few other reading projects, including finishing off All Fours by Miranda July. I’m halfway so am reserving judgement but the narrative voice is really distinctive and it’s amusing or weirder bits are punctuated with some really perceptive writing.

Also, there are some reading recommendations you may have missed right here.

a watch

I’ve been lazy with listening to podcasts and so on so instead I’ll offer a film recommendation.

Paul Giamatti is one of the most watchable actors alive and I really enjoyed The Holdovers, about the unlikely bond forged between pupils and employees forced to spend the Christmas holidays at boarding school near Boston. It was sad, funny and uplifting in a very lowkey manner.

a quote

'I love mankind,’ he said, ‘but I find to my amazement that the more I love mankind as a whole, the less I love man in particular.'

– The Brothers Karamazov

lastly

Thanks for reading! My work is made possible by you so if you’d like to support me you can buy my books, hire me to do something or you can become a paid subscriber using the button below.

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I’ll see you next time.

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