Intro / Preface / Extra Words
An important programming question for y'all: which of our various formats do you like best?
So far we've done:
- lots of categories with a few links in each one
- lots of links loosely organized around a central topic or theme
- lots of links with zero context dumped into your inbox aka our Trash Fire issues
One thing we haven't tried–at least not that we remember–is lots of links in one category. For example, what if there was a "You Fancy, Huh" issue...
Reply back to this email and let us know your favorite format. We will assume that readers who don't reply are voting for the Trash Fire format.
Heavy Rotation
Listening Through
How many recordings are you missing from your favorite artists simply because you haven't looked? The writer mentions something about assuming an artist didn't record much before we 'discovered' them, and I'm guilty of making that assumption for sure. My most recent example is Spotify presenting me a collaboration by Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia that made me smile real big. So pick an artist you like, then go listen to everything they've ever made. Also, tip o the cap to Patrick M. for the link. -C
Food
The Single Most Important Bottle In Your Home Bar
Not gonna bury the lede here: what you need to know is this is a link to a newsletter about home bartending. Go ahead and subscribe to it.
Additionally, this particular issue details the history of rye and gives us some fun ideas for enjoying it other ways than straight. - C
Everything you need to know about Singapore's street food scene
I've been to several hawker markets in the big SG. They are really fantastic. You choose your own adventure by ordering a number of dishes from different stalls that all specialize in one little thing. One is the crab stall ("Chili or Black Pepper?"... Chili is 100% the correct answer), another is the chicken satay skewer stall, one is the rice noodles stall, etc. etc. And there are more than a hundred of these markets all around the city, each with a dozen or two dozen stalls. I want to go to all of them. -B
Business Time
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
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.
You Fancy, Huh
Mercedes AVTR Test Drive
Just a quick little test drive of a car that will never be available to any of us. But sheesh what a future that would be. -C
The things on the back kind of give me the creeps actually. Too much like scales maybe. -B
Minimalist beach house perched on a cliff in Laguna Beach
I mean cool house and all but the word "minimalist" is doing a lot of work here that I'm not sure is deserved. -B
Follytics
Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid
This has been making the rounds in several newsletters the past week or so, it seemed only right to include it in this one too. I haven't read much of Jonathan Haidt's stuff, but this made me want to go find more. "Uniquely Stupid" is going to be the name of the first restaurant I open. -C
The Coddling of the American Mind co-written by Haidt is a seminal classic must-read. It explains EVERYTHING. All the things. Explained. -B
Political Disney World
Extremely long read (full of fun pictures and comics!) with one dude's thoughts on why politics become religion for so many people. -Brian
Trapped Priors As A Basic Problem Of Rationality
It's been a hot minute since we included an ACX link up in here. If you were scanning this newsletter for a link to a quick read, keep on scanning. We try to make sure our Follytics category is very meaty.
This essay details a concept I'm really trying to be more aware of when I'm listening to viewpoints different than my own. Basically: where are my assumptions that keep me from updating my brain despite the presence of new information? -C
WOW. What a great article. How does Scott explain complicated things so simply and clearly? I learned like 4.5 new things just now. -B
I love technology (and science)
Telstar 1 - Nokia Bell Labs
I'm low key fascinated by pre-transistor technology. I mean mankind figured out how to do some STUFF man with electricity and levers and ladder logic and bits of tin. I mean look at this thing. This was the first satellite tv antenna and it looks like Dr. Emmett Brown made it in his hoarder garage. -B
_______ is not real life
Crypto: The Giant Ponzi Scam
I'm only 85% this negative on crypto.
But the idea of digging up dead dinosaurs, burning them, releasing carbon into the air, generating electricity at some efficiency <100%, then using that electricity to run megawatts of computing to solve math problems that don't actually generate any productive value for humanity as a whole so some people can claim to own a website that has a link to a jpg of a bad andy warhol knockoff of a primate seems like a bad deal man. Why would we do that? I guess I just don't love using multiple slurp juices on a single space ape enough. -B
Outro
The weather is getting pretty great outside. We hope you're getting plenty of vitamin D and fresh air. We're getting the former but not the latter as here in the south the pine trees have exfoliated particulate matter to a parts per million level beyond that which our facial drainage systems can be reasonably expected to handle. I'm not sure preventing global warming is worth all this eye watering and sneezing.
We should quit planting a million trees and start cutting down a million trees and invest in personal air conditioner suits we can all walk around in to stay cool but enjoy the clean (if scalding) air. Something for us to think about.
Anyways, see you soon!