A racing mind
Hey,
I’m writing you at the last minute from our Sonder in Toronto, have you heard of them? It’s kind of like Airbnb meets hotel - I think they just buy up old hotels, modernize them + technology, and then rent them out online. There are no staff here and everything is digital (checking in, booking, etc). It’s kind of cool.
Like I mentioned last week, my mind has been racing a mile a minute. I have been bouncing between far too many different ideas but I love the unfocused nature of it.
- I released the app Stumble I was talking about last week and even shared it on Twitter and LinkedIn, something I’m normally too scared to do.
- I built another app prototype on Friday + the flight and it’s feeling pretty good.
- Liz and I have been working on a little project together which is coming together.
- I’ve been trying (very slowly) to turn some past work into an eBook, but mostly procrastinating.
And there’s more! I’m heading back to work on Monday so I’ll need to start actually prioritizing my time again. One thing that may help (or hurt) is joining the next cohort of Write of Passage. I took the course earlier this year and had a great but intense time, so I’ll be putting myself through it again.
What I’m Reading
I’ve been reading The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp and Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. For some reason reading fiction on my Kindle is nigh impossible for me, but I’m trying to power through with Ninth House. I prefer physical books for stories.
Despite reading two books at once, I picked up three new ones while in Toronto. I’ve been flipping through Show Your Work and Everyday Chaos.
Things worth sharing
THE STREET DOES NOT REALLY EXIST - The Hundreds - I’ve been lost in the NFT craze lately, mostly observing from the sidelines, but trying to make a bit bet later this week. As such, one of the things I read this week is this excellent piece from The Hundreds. Bobby Hundreds writes about the future of NFTs, fashion, and bridging the gap of brands & technology.
Letters to a Young Technologist - This site is a beautiful little project of essays written about technology to young technologists, for young technologists. I particularly liked the essay Value Beyond Instrumentalization. I’ll leave you a quote that hooked me.
This tendency to instrumentalize, or to treat something as a means or resource for achieving some end goal, shows up in the personal lives of many technologists. Many types of “fun” are made telic . Books must be read with a note-taking system; exercise must be quantified and tracked; friendships are managed in personal CRMs; casual hangouts and dating apps are covert recruitment missions.
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I hope the end of your summer is rounding out nicely. The final thing I will share is that the Pumpkin Spice Latte is officially back at Starbucks. You should definitely go grab one. Tell them Steven sent you.