Essays, by post. Slowly.
Three honest promises.
One essay at a time
Each letter is one finished essay, sent in full. No teasers. No "click to read more." If it is in your inbox, it is done.
No schedule, ever
I publish when the work is finished and not before. Sometimes that is twice a month. Sometimes it is once in three. The pace is the point.
No noise, none
No promotions. No reading lists I haven't read. No "what I am doing this week." Just essays. Unsubscribe at any time, with my blessing.
Free, always · Unsubscribe with one click
The newsletter is not a marketing channel. It is the work, sent.From the colophon
The recent letters.
Last 6 issues-
On inheriting a name
My name is Hanh Dang. I am Hanh D. Brown now. The D is what survived.
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On reading what I cannot finish
Fifteen books I have started multiple times. None of them is the book's fault. The architect in me is still reading them.
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A short defense of changing your mind
Most writers write to appease readers. That is not expression. Changing your mind in public is what expression looks like when it has stopped appeasing.
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What revision is for
Revision is the architect's move. Five things it is for. One thing it is not.
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Transparent Battlefield: The Frozen Front and the Lost Inventory
A frozen front line in Ukraine teaches the future of warfare. Big, slow, heat-emitting platforms lose. The fix is procurement, not budget.
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AI Cost Per Token: Why GPU Hour Is the Wrong Bill
AI bills come in confusing units. The fix is to budget for the product the business sells: tokens. Cost per token is the only metric that compares two quotes.
I would rather send less.
I have been a subscriber to too many newsletters that arrive on Tuesdays whether or not the writer had something to say. I do not want to be that newsletter.
The cadence here is roughly once a month, but sometimes it is faster, and sometimes it is much slower. The only rule is that the essay is finished. If you do not hear from me for six weeks, it is because the essay is not ready yet.
And if you decide this is not for you, the unsubscribe link is at the bottom of every letter. I will not take it personally. The right reader is the one who reads.
Hanh