For My Fellow Patriots
How to Add Your Participation in the January 6th Perfectly Fine Gathering to Your Resume Now That You've Been Pardoned
🫡 You're a patriot, and you deserve recognition. 🏆
Daniel Verastiqui
Author
Flashes From the Verse
The Continuing Adventures of X
Rouge data fell through the net, unassembled and out of sequence, riding the currents between the virtual things that were meant to be. The probability of any one of these bits encountering another in a world so vast as the Net was remote but possible. All it would take was
For My Fellow Job Seekers
At Least You'll Have Time to Write: Reflections on Five Months of Aggressive Unemployment
I know my friends meant well, but of all the things said to me after I was laid off in August of 2024, at least you'll have time to write was the silliest. I wanted to believe them, and I tried, at least at first, but as the
For My Political Activists
You Can't Spell Bias Without AI: Identifying the Invisible Guardrails That Shape Its Answers
I recently canceled my subscription to ChatGPT, mostly because I couldn't keep putting money (however minuscule) in the pocket of someone who would try to buy his way into Donald Trump's good graces. It's a sickening act of cowardice that I, sir, have no
For Readers
Upload Complete: Short Stories
I'm happy to report that I've finished uploading all the short stories I care to share to danielverastiqui.com/short-stories. These include selections from The Sum of Memory, Destination Okinawa, and later stories that never made it into a collection. While I'm happy to
For My Political Activists
Repost: Breaking Up With Amazon (2014)
Cool Daniel doesn't cotton to companies kowtowing, bending the knee, kissing the ring, or otherwise putting profits over morals to appease the human equivalent of a rotting Arby's roast beef sandwich.
For My Fitness Fanatics
This Workout Could Have Been a Cake
Cool Daniel believes in physical fitness and has decided to return to the only fitness option that doesn't technically promise it works: Orange Theory Fitness. Granted, it's a decent, colorful theory: spend an hour lifting, running, and rowing three times a week and just see what
Flashes From the Verse
Protector of the Faith
Cal Emerson was in bed, lightly treading the border between wake and sleep, when the call came in.
My God, It's 2025
Who would have ever thought we'd be here, am I right? We are about to enter a period of unbridled chaos that will likely not end until 2029, assuming it ever ends. The summers are too hot, the job market too volatile, and social media too soul-sucking. The
Newsletters
What to Read in 2025
Hello! It's time for another monthly newsletter, but instead of making it all about me, me, me... I'm giving you a few recommendations on what to read in 2025. Some of my friends have launched newsletters, some established tech nerds already have theirs running, and despite
For My Technical Leaders
Burning for the Ancient Heavenly Connection
"We gave everything to the machines. Our calendars. Our email. We let them listen in on our conversations with customers and take notes. They wrote marketing posts that other machines summarized for us. We all believed the lie. Nobody wanted to be left behind. The ROI was too attractive.
Consumer In Training
They built a new HEB on the edge of our neighborhood and we’ve been going every few days just for funsies. They’ve got these tiny indoctrinating shopping carts to help teach Rainbow how to be a good consumer. It was fun watching her push the cart until she