Logo

Central Themes

Theme classification is built on the ideas of Reagan’s 2016 Hedonometer study that mapped emotional arcs across thousands of books by tracking sentiment word-by-word. I adapted their approach for articles instead of novels, which isn’t perfect because articles are shorter, more volatile, and don’t always follow the same narrative patterns as full-length books. But it works well enough to classify pieces into seven arc types: rags-to-riches, hero-in-a-hole, cinderella, oedipus, icarus, riches-to-rags, and wild-card. My system uses three different sentiment models—lexicon-based (like the original study), VADER (rule-based), and DistilBERT (neural) to triangulate each article’s emotional trajectory. Each model scores chunks of text, and the algorithm identifies patterns. Does sentiment rise, fall, dip and recover, or just bounce around? When all three models agree, I’m pretty confident in the classification. When they disagree, well, that’s why the wild-card category exists. It’s worth noting that I use AI to determine the article theme itself, which helps to identify patterns I might have missed. Together, they provide a way to organize and understand this wild corpus beyond just tags. Perfect? No. But it’s a good way to classify articles, and sometimes that’s enough.

wild-card

Nostalgia and the impossibility of recapturing the past.

One should have a true North when writing a novel.

My favorite spots in Nashville, dining and otherwise.

There is a certain magic with inefficiency.

When technology choices shape the stories we tell.

Food & Memory.

Does AI have the ability to generate truly creative articles?

Creative constraints improve outcomes.

When the Redbirds ran out of luck.

Certain cultures care little for the world.

Losing a great writer.

The greatest love is always for the fans, the show goes on.

When high-frequency greed meets a Grimm morality tale.

Be the culture you want to see in the world, thank you Mike Leach. You were an inspiration.

Experimenting finds its way to the page.

Building a second brain one card at a time.

Lessons from Rome's slow unraveling.

Dreams can be dangerous but they're oh so important.

A timeless speech might be his defining legacy.

An easy question; short on details.

Logic leaps are killer in telling great stories.

Plant a tree to save the world.

Nuances in the English language matter in great writing.

Reclaiming focus in a distracted world.

FDR's confidence in impossible times reminds us that leadership is contagious.

The finale to The Office is the home of the greatest quote in television history.

80s nostalgia and what might have been for our generation.

Sheer will and love of music can save any day.

Fasting and plant-based eating may unlock the longevity we've always sought.

Everyone wants to build; few want to maintain what they've created.

Long-term options matter more than short-term losses.

Living with the yips and loving the game anyway.

Success requires talent, timing, and a little luck.

Gentleness and warmth persuade better than force ever could.

Fortune favors the bold, but timing matters.

Remembering the fisherman parable.

Spotting ingenuity in the tiniest font.

Agreements start on time.

Rediscovering Nintendo's bold streak.

Changing organizational structure, a means to increase the stock price.

Stretching resolutions from years to decades.

Your ideas deserve journals that will outlast the century.

Questioning the allure of merger magic.

  • Synergy
    Published: February 20, 2017

Conviction must outweigh risk to make any project worth it.

The importance of recognition and feedback in all processes.

Balancing focus and diversification in corporate strategy.

Standing beneath Atlantis and remembering why we dare.

Choosing the project you can't walk away from.

The constraints we accept are often self-imposed.

Remembering the day Washington gave power back.

The stories that endure reveal more about humanity than bestseller lists ever will.

Pushing Through Creative Fear, The Goo Goo Dolls.

The stoics, pondering negative visualization.

Delight in the details.

Carrying shop-class lessons into a life of making.

A good mantra in life is to not buy in the first place, getting rid of stuff takes hard work.

Lifetime learning, a gift we can leverage no matter where or what.

Perfecting the french fry; damn these are good.

Guardrails that keep the words coming.

The constant effort of refining the perfect cup of coffee.

Do you want to end life thinking you didn't dream big enough?

Family isn't always given; sometimes it's earned through earnest connection and luck.

Christmas across eras; thoughts on time and memory.

The unexpected addictive nature of Animal Crossing. Damn you, Nintendo.

hero-in-a-hole

Independent publishing infrastructure for a new internet.

Pitching excellence and efficiency in the modern age, without throwing triple digits.

Governance requires a certain civic responsibility. Values do matter when we write to think verse writing to win.

Has there ever been a player like this one?

The incentive of writing changes in the AI world. Or does it?

Do words evolve?

Passion, attention to eetail, and commitment to excellence in coooking.

Guarding the spirit of Nashville's sacred stage.

Notes on Saunder's book on writing Craft and Russian Literature.

Keeping Cades Cove from becoming a cautionary tale.

Words matter and often reverberate into eternity.

Behind the drafts, what went into the Day Life Breaks.

Can you clone a writer?

Navigating conspiracy-fueled noise online.

Rational faith dissected on Jefferson's desk.

A covid tale, wishing for live music to return.

Aging is treatable, and the science to extend life is closer than we think.

Building habits that last, a viral book because it's helpful to people.

Words matter in the darkest of hours.

Finding the value in choosing your cares.

Internet Archaeology.

Creativity can have a long tail.

Remembering Chris Cornell's howl.

Bill Gates gives advice to college graduates. It is a great time to be alive.

Reliving the joy of parser adventures.

It takes more than one person to have a good career.

Carpe Diem - Seize the Day.

Tips on building better characters in your work.

When walkie-talkies were peak tech.

The eternal city lingers, memories rush back a decade later.

Flying the 'W' flag all winter long was pure marketing genius.

Some stories are hard to fact check yet still matter.

First-mover advantage isn't necessarily an advantage.

Too many rules make seeding an impossible puzzle to solve.

Is cannibalization a business strategy?

Practical playbook used in most corporations.

Does X really marke the spot?

The lion and the gazelle. Competition is meaningful.

Your perspective matters in life.

Honoring the blur of life on the road.

Recognizing the pointless loops that drain motivation at work and home.

Memories can last forever.

The Internet Never Forgets.

Writing Craft, a veiled work from George Orwell.

Never change a novel ending.

Electronic footprints in old technology.

Selling only works when the product delivers.

Designing the Republic; the electoral college still matters.

Two coaches, same miss, opposite responses.

Ronald Reagan's Challenger Address, we dare to be great.

What is the function of landscaping? And can it be more?

Quotes from the Panda, philosophy is strong with this movie.

Finding a spark.

The cartography is important in certain novels.

  • Maps
    Published: January 27, 2016

Walt Disney was the real-life Tony Stark, inventing the future one dream at a time.

The Princess Bride might be one of the greatest flicks of all time.

Sometimes the little things we don't notice catch up with us.

Writing a novel, really doing it, is hard.

Does the opening line of a book matter?

The world is changing. It always is.

Clearing your head and life long learning, a book review.

A.J. Fikry stands tall; one of the best ever written. I cried.

Some children's stories are worth reading, no matter your age.

Choosing Hollywood hope over hardball realism.

The power of a good story, pictures included.

A remarkeable book; stays with you longer after the last page is turned.

cinderella

Bloviate all you want but policy details do matter.

In pursuit of mastery and control, even in small things.

Momentum matters more than the stats say it should.

Planning for life moments, years in advance.

Tools that stand a decade-long test.

Honoring the father who stayed behind the lens.

My video game reflext remain impressive.

Reflections on the insurrection attempt in Washington, DC.

Applying Adler's freedom to modern life.

Live music creates moments that stick with us forever.

Notes from Anything You Want, a book written by Derek Sivers.

My nostalgia for classic rock never ends, the rasp and the wail.

Books told in the second person are rare.

Perfect scripts do exist. La La Land is timeless.

Questioning the quotes we love.

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.

Pricing's deceptively easy lever.

Plays can be magical too.

The ask now sppeech; we lived in a different age then.

Another rough draft.

The philosophy of Better Done Than Good beats well-thought-out business strategy

Craft and tools, the importance of moveable type.

Embracing the revisions you can't see coming.

Is home field advantage a thing?

Crowning Zion and Kolob Canyon; the reigning National Park Chamption.

The cycle of rediscovering what our parents already knew.

Hope against history, dare to believe anyway even if you're certain of the outcome.

Weighing a grim sequel against its promise.

Five takeaways from election night.

We need big ideas in politics.

Empathy in motion, Ferdinand the Bull is about greatness and acceptance.

icarus

It's hard paying attention in a world filled with distraction.

Deep knowledge and expertise matter more than pedigree.

Beyond labels and first impressions, what can you find?

Standing firm against 9/11 conspiracy noise.

Hope persists even in the bleakest of circumstances.

Why the simple song wins out.

The future of search feels like magic, but it's just math.

Breaking free from dependency to find true happiness and purpose.

Listening anew to the mountaintop sermon.

Believing the American chestnut can rise again.

Notes and thoughts on Ryan Holiday's book describing the events from Bollea v. Gawker. A conspiracy theory.

Negotiation Class Notes, there are some gems here worth remembering.

Framing wealth beyond the balance sheet.

Sometimes you need to switch back to music and let it carry you.

Protecting your work and defending your rights.

Agonizing over deleting work.

Playing the long game.

Price on value to the customer, not just your costs.

Remembering Carrie Fisher, may the force be with you. Always.

Holiday marathons at home base.

The greatest single thing: a desire to excel that transcends all else.

Writing for an audience of one can create something more meaningful than writing for millions.

Just keep moving.

rags-to-riches

Are all those corporate handouts, really perks?

Finding structure in chaos: The messy reality of productivity systems.

How a galaxy far away reshaped every creative sprint.

Cardboard memories from the junk wax era.

Baseball legends colliding at Knight Field.

The dangers of omnibus legislation and centralization of power. Laws cut both ways.

Document your failures, the journey matters more than perfection.

When anonymity removes consequences, garbage spreads.

The tragedy of Notre Dame.

Chasing inspiration from Rome to Michigan dunes.

Treating every purchase like there's a moving bill attached.

Engineering for longevity and music that lasts forever.

Returning to your childhood, there is always something to write if you think back in time.

Yes, we did go to the moon.

Time and risk balance one another, make your bucket list count.

Notes on living longer from the book, Blue Zones.

Electromagnetic experimentation, things can go wrong.

Celebrating mysteries that land the perfect twist.

The power of writing goals down.

More thoughts on coffee and gear.

Chasing seemingly impossible goals and the flawed simplicity of BMI.

Embracing the heartbreak that comes with Tiger fandom.

Great lyrics matter; they are worth agonizing over.

Remembering the crews who kept Titan II's power in check.

Holding on to the audacity of the space age.

Some days are treasure, and the best stories remind us life isn't always cruel.

Guarding the truth about honest olive oil.

riches-to-rags

Practical wisdom from New York's acclaimed creative writing school.

When passion and will defy the statistics.

Rereading Gatsby with ink-stained nostalgia.

The best places on earth deserve to stay undiscovered and unspoiled.

A guide to Acadia National Park.

Is anything ever finished, or should we always be improving?

Twenty-four hours in Paris, what would you do?

Small, incremental improvements compound into extraordinary results over time.

Finding fun in Hollywood's tangled web.

Chasing the workspace where stories start.

A Hemingway writing spot in Michigan.

Experimenting with illusions.

Chasing every edge, one string at a time.

  • Strings
    Published: February 28, 2017

Sometimes the most subtle works of genius are the ones we walk past every day.

Words that endure, always fall back to courage.

Chasing the sweetest finish line.

How often do you really look at the details everyone else misses?

How painting led to a novel.

Letting the canyon change the itinerary.

Building a blog with Ghost and Azure Web Services.

Diet changes, high-protein changes.

Tying the knot that still makes you stand taller.

oedipus

Being relentless in sport, or anything for that matter.

Luck isn't a strategy, but you can set yourself up to be lucky.

Belting along with Jakob Dylan's new chapter.

History does have a ledger; let us not look away.

Celebrating analog rituals in a digital world.

Curiosity and connection. It's just math.

Thanking Jayson Stark.

Creative sparks, even vengeful writers can have them.

Channeling Shackleton's relentless call to adventure.

The future is wearables.

Find your flow state, clear the mechanism, and let the music carry you.

The oldest Hawaiian Island, a travel guide.

Learn from great children's books, they endure for a reason.

Holding on to first-time awe.

  • Wonder
    Published: August 04, 2014

Can Mystic River ever be topped?

Doing what you love and working hard to achieve excellence.

Underwood 5 Stories
COPYRIGHT © J. SCOTT BRADLEY CODEX BEGIN AGAIN