We chat with author Kate Crow about the economics and illusions of the self-publishing industry, how Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program has changed both traditional publishing and book culture, and which art form is the polar opposite of AI slop. In Falcon Mode, we tell you how to avoid paying for subscriptions when you inevitably forget to cancel during the free trial period.Links:Til Death Do We Start on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FVJQCDF4">Amazon</a> or <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/til-death-do-we-start-kate-crow">Bookshop.org</a>Kate Crow on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/katecrowauthor/">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@katecrowauthor">TikTok</a><a href="https://katecrowauthor.com/">Kate’s website</a><a href="https://fortune.com/2026/04/17/teen-boys-dating-ai-chatbot-girlfriend-experts-warn-kill-social-skills-gen-alpha-network-promotions/">That terrible Fortune article Josh mentioned</a><a href="https://draft2digital.com/">Draft2Digital</a><a href="https://us.kobobooks.com/">Kobo</a> We’d love to hear from you. Email us at <a href="mailto:heyactuallyuseful@gmail.com">heyactuallyuseful@gmail.com</a> or find us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/actuallyusefulpod">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@actuallyusefulpod">TikTok</a> (reluctantly).

The Sci-Fi to Silicon Valley Pipeline

Why do so many once-beloved internet platforms end up toxic, predatory, and unusable? In an age where tech giants have monopolized our attention, privacy, and livelihoods, how can individuals claw back some agency? 

Every other Thursday, Actually Useful co-hosts Ariel and Josh talk with creators of radically useful consumer tech to explore what it takes to build and protect the loveliest parts of the internet. If you’re exhausted by parasitic products and feel trapped in an ecosystem of unethical, undelightful tech, this one’s for you.