# The Hash Key (Week of Jan 6)

*Your Weekly Digest to Hard Mode First (January 6-10, 2025)*

By [Hard Mode First](https://hardmodefirst.xyz) · 2025-01-11

hashkey, weekly, digest

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Welcome to The Hash Key, your weekly digest to _Hard Mode First_.

It's been a tough week, so I'll keep it brief. If you need a break from the news cycle this weekend, hope you can catch a post or two over a cup of coffee or in between museum-hopping with the kids.

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![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/4f738e068d25ba8fdfb5d875266f5c24.webp)

**Openings and Closings**
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_January 6, 2025_  
**Celebrating the end of an era: Lessons from Broadway's Suffs and the power of closure**

\-Reflections on the ritualization of beginnings and endings in theatre

\-The importance of celebrating milestones as a team

\-What tech can learn from theatre's approach to transitions

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![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/f777a4d0b05cef3bfc5019f00b0f5a54.webp)

[**The Power of a Good Rejection**](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/the-power-of-a-good-rejection)
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_January 7, 2025_  
**Reframing rejection as a catalyst for a creative breakthrough**

\-A six-year journey from book proposal rejection to AI-powered publishing

\-How rejection can redirect you to more innovative solutions

\-Finding relief instead of disappointment in traditional publishing limitations

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![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/c70c5ad66aef028bb52bf608bede3a31.webp)

[**Some Novels I've Read Recently About the AI x Human Experience**](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/some-novels-ive-read-recently-about-the-ai-x-human-experience)
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_January 8, 2025_  
**A curated reading list exploring AI's impact on society through fiction**

\-Reviews of thought-provoking AI-themed novels like 'Hum' and 'Network Effect'

\-Exploration of themes like human-AI relationships and technological displacement

\-Recommendations for understanding AI's societal impact through storytelling

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![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/13953458d0565932bc20c60880e70acd.webp)

[**When Real Life Feels Like Science Fiction**](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/when-real-life-feels-like-science-fiction)
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_January 9, 2025_  
**The surreal experience of watching disasters unfold through digital screens**

\-How technology is reshaping our experience of real-world events

\-The blurring lines between reality and AI-generated content

\-Social media's role in crisis documentation and communication

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![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/0be1e9a61986fd6abc5e49e24b48ecce.webp)

[**How I Built an OOO AI Helper Bot with ChatGPT**](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/how-i-built-an-ooo-ai-helper-bot-with-chatgpt)
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_January 10, 2025_  
**Lessons learned from creating an out-of-office chatbot for the holidays**

\-Step-by-step process of building a custom GPT assistant

\-Insights on training AI with personal and professional context

\-Practical learning about user engagement with chatbots

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*Originally published on [Hard Mode First](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/the-hash-key-week-of-jan-6)*