I'm 17.
Cambridge University.
Breakfast before my entrance interviews.
(Not a humblebrag. I didn't get in.)

Another applicant asks me something over the cornflakes.
They listen and say:

“Oh. You're from the North.”

Said like they'd spotted a stain, before turning back to talk to someone civilized.
I'd been filed.
Under ‘peasant’.

The funny thing about accents is that everyone has one.
Some people just think theirs is the correct one.

And for 30 years people have been asking me to remove theirs.

My (often unpopular) advice: Don't.

Keep the accent, improve the clarity.

An accent is where you've been, out loud.
Like a passport your mouth carries around.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's first film had his thick Austrian accent dubbed over. They even credited him as "Arnold Strong".
That accent became his brand.
(Imagine “I shall return, old chap.”)

Accent prejudice is real, but we don't have to pander to it.
It doesn't matter where your vowels were born.
As long as ‘sit’ isn't ‘shit’ (although try doing one without the other), and 'cook' isn't 'cock' (compliment dinner carefully).

So, focus on what matters:

Try this: Record yourself speaking for 30 seconds. Listen back.
Mumbling? Rushing? Shitting cocks everywhere?

Then it's time for your mouth to hit the gym:

Better clarity takes practice, but there’s no need for a new identity.

And remember: perfect pronunciation won't rescue a boring conversation.

What you say matters just as much as how you say it.

Good job you're reading this newsletter, eh?

💬 FOLLOW-UP: “Who has an accent you love?”

⛔ DON'T SAY: “Sorry about my accent.” (Now they're listening.)

Geordie? Yat? Banana Bender?!

Match these regional nicknames and accents to their homes.

(Bonus points if you can do the voices without pulling a muscle.)

⬇️ Answers at the end

“Language, never forget, is more fashion than science.”
(Bill Bryson, American-British author, 1951 - )

👇 Answer at the end

Ah, The Fab Four.
What's not to love?

As I confessed back in issue #63, it took moving to Japan for me to properly appreciate them.
I rarely yell "skip" at Alexa when they're on.

But I have to ask — is the Fab Four now just a factory?

They broke up 56 years ago.

Yet here we are:

Every year brings another documentary, remaster, lost recording, or unseen photo of John Lennon eating toast in bed.

They're musical geniuses, no argument. (Well, two of them, maybe three).
But when does celebrating a legacy become milking it?

Right now, feels like eight days a week.

Fancy writing about why Ringo was the secret genius?
Want to share your thoughts on all things… well, anything?

Beehiiv lets you (this newsletter is written on it).

Codie Sanchez, Colin & Samir, Joanna Stern, and Oliver Darcy are here too. They all built newsletters (and podcasts and communities and websites) on beehiiv.

Some came with massive followings. Others built theirs along the way. That’s the thing about beehiiv: with so many ways to earn and grow, the platform is ready for whatever you’re building next.

Get started for free.

Say 'agent' and most people picture Bond (Scottish accent optional).

Now imagine a bot (sorry, no tux) with access to your wallet.

AI Agents are here.

They’re just chatbots, right?
No. Normal AI is a tool, like a chef's knife. You pick it up, chop an onion.
An agent checks your fridge, decides dinner needs onions, grabs the knife, and starts chopping.
On its own.

What else can it do?
Book flights, shop, manage emails. All the boring stuff. It's like having a digital assistant. Only it never rolls its eyes when you can't open Slack.

Great! Where can I get one?
Meta's Muse has over 10 million downloads. OpenAI's rolling out Dots.
Free and adorable!

Brilliant! Hang on… what's the catch?
That helpful knife could also accidentally stab you in the back.

WTF?!
Remember, agents can access your accounts, messages, and money. Everything you do online…

Should I panic?
No. But remember who's making them.
Big Tech! Famous for protecting your privacy.

And buying all those doomsday bunkers…

💡 PRO TIP: Start small. Approve purchases and messages yourself.

💬 FOLLOW-UP: “Would you let AI book your holiday?”

⛔ DON'T SAY: “It's just a chatbot.” (Were you reading?)

Agents are the brain. Will this be the body?

Meet China's Neo1.

Four metres tall, 1.2 tonnes, and can supposedly lift 500 kg.
Built for ‘disaster zones and heavy engineering'.

Riiight, and the Death Star was an orbital mining platform.

💬 FOLLOW-UP: “Would you work alongside this thing?”

For when your brain needs a biscuit.

A flying nanny, singing chimney sweeps, and on TV every Christmas in the UK when I was a kid.

💬 Your Turn: What's the worst accent you've ever heard in a film?

Scouse: Liverpool. Beatles territory.
Brummie: Birmingham. Ranks last in UK for accents.
Yat: New Orleans. From “Where y’at?” Like Brooklyn got lost in a swamp.
Geordie: Newcastle. Musical, with vowels that baffle southerners
Brahmin: Boston. Think old money, dahling. More JFK than Mark Wahlberg.
Banana Bender: Queensland. Slow, relaxed, looong. No = Nah-oo. And they grow bananas.

A) 🤬 No — venting at tech is cheaper than therapy (30%)
B) 😇 Yes — manners matter, even with machines (39%)
C) 🤔 Only for extreme abuse, not the odd outburst (24%)
D) 🖨️ If HP had this rule, I'd be in prison (7%)

💬 Your Two Cents

P: “LLMs are not people and don't have emotions.”
B: “Manners! If it learns from us, why would you abuse it?? ”

Alex

P.S. Let me know what your thoughts.
I’ll reply to every single comment.
Pinky swear ;)