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I read too much, often get sucked into Internet wormholes.
Here is what inspired me, made me think a bit deeper, and, sometimes troubled or angered me this week:
Susan Cain’s TED Talk – The idea of getting away, finding quiet, and having “your own revelations” is something that really hit home; I’ve been thinking a lot about quietude and work lately.
After trying to catch this white whale for ages, I finally finished James Joyce’s epic, Ulysses. Closing out the last few chapters 16-18, Eumaeus, Ithaca, and Penelope, this past week. Wow. If you haven’t read it, Ulysses is both a testament to the capacity of our imagination and a throwing down of the gauntlet for human creativity. It is perverse at times, you can understand why it was banned; however, it is also beautiful, profound, and an experience to read.
This Tim Ferriss podcast — Lessons and Warnings From Successful Risk Takers — led me to read Graham Duncan’s The Playing Field and to dive into The Big Five Personality Theory: The 5 Factor Model Explained.
I also listened to a fair amount of Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s AntiFragile: Things That Gain from Disorder on Audible the week while driving and running this week. I slowed down the replay so that I can take in and process all of Taleb’s logic.
One of the most troubling things that I couldn’t stop reading about was Dr. Larry Nassar who was sentenced to 175 years in prison for his abuse of young gymnasts. If you haven’t watched Aly Raisman’s statement, it is a testament to the strength and will of victims everywhere. Although painful, it is a must watch: Aly Raisman Is Ready To Burn It All Down. There is a lot to process with this story, which Deadspin has been all over: USA Gymnastics’ Larry Nassar Scandal Is About Doctors Abusing Patients, Not Just Sports.
Here’s a story on a significant moment in American music that had its anniversary this week: When Johnny Cash Went to Jail.
Uncovered this old gem from Mikael Cho at Unsplash: The future of photography and Unsplash. Here’s a great takeaway, “New platforms don’t kill industries. They change the distribution.”
Nope: See What a Nuclear Bomb Would Do to Your Hometown.
This is a BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD omen for Boston (and the Globe) if the person covering the “What the elites think” beat is going to be the one to lay out a strategy to lure Amazon: Here are three things Boston needs to do now to land Amazon.
I wrote and read about chefs and health a bit this week: Chefs and health: How to truly eat well; How Top Chefs Stay Thin; and, Does grass-fed beef make you feel better?
Going Vegan Can* Be a Huge Performance Booster via Outside. And this about Outside’s digital strategy shift: Punchier and stronger” and with way more women: How Outside Magazine got to be badass online.
I keep going back to this Medium post by Steve Schlafman, it is a lot to read, but I think worthwhile: My First Think Week: Going Off The Grid for Exploration and Reflection.
Some crypto get-togethers being tracked by Pillar: Boston Crypto Calendar and this from Jamie Goldstein You are not too early for VC
Mike Troiano has the best slideshows: StartMIT Customer Deck. Also, his tweet on Harvard/MIT and brick/concrete, made me lean in a bit: Harvard Stadium’s concrete construction changed the rules of football and List of Le Corbusier buildings.
A lot to unpack here: Social Media Is Making Us Dumber. Here’s Exhibit A via The New York Times.
Mike Moritz’s
It thought I’d enjoy this one more than I did: How the whalers of Moby-Dick could help put humans on Mars.
What a Time to Be Alive… by Bryce Roberts.
This was quick: If iPhone X demand is less than expected, analyst expects it to be ‘end of life’ when replacements ship.
And, lastly, for your own enjoyment, here is the result of my most absurd Google search this week: Should I be concerned about my temperature of 86.6 taken orally? Spoiler: My thermometer was broken, the heat was off, and I had been writing all day without socks on.
Have a great weekend.
-D
Utterly Biased 