iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

I know I'm lucky that my contracting/freelancing plate is full, and that I have options for health insurance that most self-employed folks don't have, especially in Arizona.

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I'm also entirely unconvinced that the process predicts fit or success in the role. (I've already seen people who were hired into roles I applied for leave for other opportunities.)

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My conclusion: consulting, freelancing, and public speaking are so much more fulfilling than the interview gauntlet, and the job application process mostly feels like unpaid labor.

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Taking a Chance on Self-Employment Over a Corporate 9-to-5

I've spent the past six months juggling freelance and contract work while also applying for jobs. 77 of them, to be exact. This led to 13 screenings, three interviews, and no offers. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/b...

nytimes.com

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Yael Grauer @yaelwrites.com · 29/09/2026

It's weird reading complaints about AI-generated resumes and cover letters, for two reasons: 1) They're using ATSes and AI, which are surfacing these AI-generated applications they're complaining about. They're getting paid to review these, which is not true for the people writing them.

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Yael Grauer @yaelwrites.com · 29/09/2026

Claude was blocking every single request I made. Took me a few days to realize it was because I had instructions asking it to explain its thought process.

The message says "test" and it says "Paused. Edit and retry with Sonnet 5.5. Sonnet 5.5 sageguards flagged this message. This sometimes happens with normal conversations. Send feedback or learn more. Details [reasoning_extraction]

Manual. Claude is AI and can make mistakes.

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Yael Grauer @yaelwrites.com · 29/09/2026

I don't want that, either. I want to trade services for money.

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I'm reviewing my posts from the past few months for my #antisocial post and while this one didn't make the cut, it is v underrated

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Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons @firewalldragons.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Every week or so I get an AI-generated email from someone who spent an afternoon vibe coding some app to solve some big problem, and they want me to review it for them. But the thing is that I value my time and am not going to do unpaid consulting/beta testing unless something blows my mind. 🤷‍♀️

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Reposted by Yael Grauer

Today is the day!! EPISODE 500!! 🔥🐉 🎙️ My guest is Bruce Schneier who has been here for every 100th show. We discuss AI and how we avoid an AI dystopia. Also, I have several shoutouts, fun FDSD history and stats, and more! #FDSD500 podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2026/09/28/h...

podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com

Here's to 500!! - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

Today marks an incredible milestone for this podcast: 500 episodes! Not only is that a crazy long run for any podcast, but I’ve also...

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Reposted by Yael Grauer

Yael Grauer @yaelwrites.com · 25/09/2026

Companies continue to put all of the responsibility for scams on individuals, even while they're financially profiting off of this scam... but end users have the least amount of power, control, time and data. From the @nationalconsumers.bsky.social Future of Trust conference panel on AI scams.

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Become a supporter of yaelwrites today!

I didn't have any snacks this time because my chiweenie had my trapped, but I have been enjoying mooncakes and tea 🥮 🫖 funded by my Ko-Fi supporters. BADBOOL is and will always be free, but you're welcome to help replenish my snack fund! ko-fi.com/kofisupporte...

ko-fi.com

Buy yaelwrites a Coffee

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💥 updated United4Heritage’s name and links–it’s now United Nations Public Administration Network (lol it is not affiliated with the UN but) 💥added EveryJoe 💥added a link to an app to freeze credit on behalf of minors and adults under guardianship or power of attorney.

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Yael Grauer @yaelwrites.com · 25/09/2026

💥 removed Radaris and Rehold (down due to a court order) 💥 removed OpenDataUSA (whose registration expired) 💥 removed Advanced Background Check (which no longer works in all states). Curious on people's thoughts on that

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Better Things Are Possible @internethippo.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

What's hard about public policy is weighing the trade offs. For example, something sucks really bad and everyone hates it, but on the other hand several evil trillionaires think it's good. What are you supposed to do in that situation

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Reposted by Yael Grauer

whet moser @whetmoser.com · 25/09/2026

i want nathan fielder to do undecided voter focus groups

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Ian Coldwater 🧊🚫 @lookitup.baby · 24/09/2026

if you quit corporate to become a beekeeper, does that mean you broke out in hives

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National Consumers League @nationalconsumers.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Yael started us off strong yesterday, sharing what she's learned about AI fraud in the last 12 months as a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative tech reporter covering privacy and security, digital freedom, hacking, and mass surveillance. More of her work here: yaelwrites.com

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Matt Blaze @mattblaze.org · 24/09/2026

Heathrow airport has special corridors reserved for passengers with antlers, which seems very thoughtful of them but also oddly specific.

Sign reading: “→
Flight Connections
All terminals”

with a pictograph of a person walking and two pictographs of airplanes that appear to be radiating out of their head, resembling antlers.

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Let's work to fight scams and fraud with the urgency it deserves, and track real metrics so we can measure improvement in a way that moves the needle for the people most impacted. ❤️

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Jacana — Scam Protection for You and Yours

And for those of you asking about the anti-scam app I mentioned, it's Jacana (hellojacana.com). And I also cited AARP's resources, such as www.aarp.org/money/scams-...

hellojacana.com

AI-powered scam protection that flags scams before you click, reply, or pay — for you and the people you care about.

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Someone said I reminded them of Michelle Wolf, which made me insanely happy. And I've always wanted to do magic on stage—a wild mic appeared. But mostly it's great to be in a room with policymakers, consumer advocates, innovators, & industry leaders work to advance policies that protect consumers.

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