If you are not falling down occasionally, you are just coasting.
1. 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice - Kevin Kelly, the founding Editor of Wired Magazine turns 68, and takes a moment to share 68 pieces of his pithy wisdom.
Iāve never stayed anywhere that was so wonderfully and unintrusively peaceful, a place where people paid so much attention to every detail. Someone there had somehow figured out exactly what people needed to stay calm and provided it.
2. Why Is This Interesting? - The Japan Edition - WITI is one of my favourite newsletters, and this edition captures perfectly the feeling of jetlag, Tokyo, and nice hotels:
3. A Brain Implant Restored This Man's Motion and Sense of Touch - Implanting chips in brains is the stuff of science fiction no longer. Related: Australian Dr. Thomas Oxley is a world leader in this field:
It is important that all of you know I personally reviewed every list and every person. If you are one of those affected it is because I decided it. Your manager did not. For the majority of you it was quite the contrary. Your manager fought to keep you and I overrode them. They are blameless. If today is your last day, there is only one person to blame and it is me.
4. Carta CEO Henry Ward shares his internal layoff announcement.
I am going to attempt to present a succinct, yet comprehensive summary of what Enron was and how it fell.
5. An Attempt at Explaining, Blaming, and Being Very Slightly Sympathetic TowardĀ Enron
He shared a personal example about himself. He is not particularly well organized. But perhaps his day-to-day chaos partially enables his creativity. Creativity involves connecting disparate ideas. The man is a non-stop generator of ideas ā perhaps the unstructured tempo of his life is a positive enabling force. How intensely organized you are and how creative you are may be two opposite sides of the same coin.
6. 10,000 Hours with Reid Hoffman: What I Learned
"I am the Lord your God.ā ā 1st Commandment
Where do you live?
The answer to this question defines your lifestyle, the people you surround yourself with, your career trajectory and future opportunities, the problems you will face, and even your life partner.ĀAnd increasingly, the answer to that question is a city.Ā
8. Walt Disney - The City Architect
When the virusĀ came here, it found a country with serious underlying conditions, and it exploited them ruthlessly. Chronic illsāa corrupt political class, a sclerotic bureaucracy, a heartless economy, a divided and distracted publicāhad gone untreated for years. We had learned to live, uncomfortably, with the symptoms. It took the scale and intimacy of a pandemic to expose their severityāto shock Americans with the recognition that we are in the high-risk category.
9. We Are Living In A Failed State
So, if a mud room, or a crying toddler, or a CPR class, or even a short note from an old friend turns up on your radar screen today, don't ask yourself whether it's a "priority." Ask yourself what you must not do in order to make sure it gets taken care of.
10. From an old favourite: Mud Rooms, Red Letters, and Real Priorities
Real Quick:
- The Ten things I'm reading this weekend format of Branches has been really enjoyable to compile for the past few weeks. Todayās edition has some (what I think are) upgrades to the formatting. Please tell me if you disagree.
- I went on Rohitās podcast this weekend to talk about founder mental health, support teams, and executive coaching, among other things:
- I got an email response to But Thereās Music Falling From The Sky a few weeks ago from Tom Nijam saying āwe have the same music taste, now try theseā and he was very, very right. The three best musical links he shared: Juno Mambaās Mix Up (feat. Sigur Ros, Against All Logic, Floating Points), fabric presents Maribou State, and Four Tetās Isolation Boiler Room mix. Goes without saying, if you think Iāll like something, send it my way!
- Finally, if youāre going on a run this weekend, try this pre-run warmup. Fired up glutes are a superpower.
Iām going running now.