The Zero-Sum Games You Don’t See
No idea if it is right but this article is a well written and intellectually fascinating analysis of Europe vs Japan vs China vs America in terms of economic development over the last 30-40 years. Basically the US is a GDP-generating machine unequaled by anyone else in the world. I really enjoyed this read. -B
Sports Night – Episode 3 -- Isaac's Trust Monologue
I was not the most independent thinker while growing up. I was impressionable and naïve. I gravitated towards the ideologies and outlooks of either those in positions of authority or those whose lives I was envious of.
I am still very impressionable. But I like to think I am more judicious about whom and what I let influence me.
The one place I keep going back to is the collected work of a TV and movie writer that has molded my world view on both a professional and personal level. I am not proud of that. This particular writer has been fired for doing cocaine and being constantly late on submitting scripts. I do not necessarily agree with how he sees the world or the views of the characters he brings to life. But he delivers moments that have stuck with me for a very long time.
And these are those moments.
1) Sports Night - The Hungry and the Hunted
Ignore the fact that the lead up to this was a conversation around hunting.
“My instincts told me to shut the hell up and do what I was told” is Jeremy’s comment when pushed on why he did something he was uncomfortable with. The response from his boss is something I desperately wish to hear from someone in a leadership position for a company I work for.
The best line from this entire series is in this clip: “If you’re dumb, surround yourself with smart people. If you’re smart, surround yourself with smart people that disagree with you.”
I just can’t overstate how much I agree with that sentiment.
On a side note, if you are not a big hunting fan, I strongly encourage you to watch the episode and the build up to this conversation. If you are a fan of hunting, well, don’t.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj10ik_mfC4
-Michael H.
The Wetware Crisis: the Dead Sea effect
I'm just gonna drop a long quote from this highly explanatory article below and also bring to your attention the fact that this phenomenon is in no way limited to IT. -B
All things being equal, the general competency of the IT department should have roughly the same distribution as the incoming hires.
But in my experience, that’s not what happens. Instead, what happens is that the more talented and effective IT engineers are the ones most likely to leave — to evaporate, if you will. They are the ones least likely to put up with the frequent stupidities and workplace problems that plague large organizations; they are also the ones most likely to have other opportunities that they can readily move to.
What tends to remain behind is the ‘residue’ — the least talented and effective IT engineers. They tend to be grateful they have a job and make fewer demands on management; even if they find the workplace unpleasant, they are the least likely to be able to find a job elsewhere. They tend to entrench themselves, becoming maintenance experts on critical systems, assuming responsibilities that no one else wants so that the organization can’t afford to let them go.
If Only Blockbuster had Listened to Enron
You know... forget blockbuster. Sure it was fun to go browse for movies with friends or dates or whoever. But back when blockbuster was around we had no money and they were gigging us for $12 in late fees every single time. I'm glad they're gone and I feel zero nostalgia thinking about them. A pox on their yellow and blue houses -B
Whenever a new entry into the lexicon of social media begins to transform into a mantra–or is it a meme?–I get curious. Mainly because things are not usually simple, or not usually the fault of one person or type of person, or not political and yet the simple, the damning, and the overtly political explanations are always most popular.
So AnYwAyZ the fav phrase of 2021 was some version of 'no one wants to work anymore' and depending on your political leanings that was either because working conditions are sooo horrible or because our government was giving people too much money. Here's a different reason, offered from the perspective of a publication about restaurants and based on a recent study done by a bank. -C
Brian has a brilliant mind for business. The one common theme he always goes back to is value. If you don't do anything else, add value for your customer.
Waffle House has added immense value to my life. I have sheltered there during a tornado. I've spent more hours studying for exams at a Waffle House than I did at any library or apartment I lived in. And I've cured so many hangovers at a Waffle House that I now feel guilty about the paltry value of tips I have provided in return. A sin I will rectify soon.
But beyond a 24/7 restaurant with a limitless supply of hashbrowns and maple syrup stands a 2,000+ location franchise that provides value well beyond the things that are apparent. Waffle House is so good at staying open 24/7/365, that they have become a key metric for the severity of a storm or natural disaster. If the Waffle House near you is open, everything is okay. If it's not, well things are probably not good.
Not too many places can provide equal value to a drunk college student as it can FEMA. -Michael H.
The big sanctions: A quick explainer - by Noah Smith
A great intro into the impact of the recent SWIFT exilations and other sanctions being thrown at Russia right now. -B
Could housing be cheaper and better if we stop building so many damn staircases?
A hundred years ago lots of people died in fires. Unlike my parents, who were raised convinced they would die in nuclear armaggedon, I was raised in the early '80's convinced that at any moment my house would catch on fire and I would need to grab as many stuffed animals as possible and jump out the window. And yet really by that time house fires and apartment fires and building fires in general had become a thing that wasn't really a thing. That's not to say that from time to time they don't happen (usually from a Christmas tree or space heater mishap). But when they happen you hear about them because they are so rare.
This progress is due to the NFPA and strict codes and regulations governing all new construction from the design start point through construction. This is a problem, like Polio, that modern America has basically eliminated. But America's particular approach combined with American's general desire to all live next to each other, is causing a set of problems in building design that just don't exist in other parts of the developed world. Should we change that? -B
I wish I had a cheat sheet of principles for my first job.
This is pretty dang good! Be patient AND be ambitious. Ambituous does not mean just a desire for more money. It means wanting to be able to DO more. And the patience part recognizes you don't know anything yet. Every decade of my life I've looked back at my ten year younger self and realized I was a complete idiot who thought he knew everything. Learning is such a fun journey though so have the patience to invest in it long term. -B
The Great American Story of Waffle House
Waffle House is DEFINITLEY infrastructure. Critical infrastructure. A place of safety and nourishment-B