257 - sometimes there's just...
...not much to report, .
I have another piece that I'm working on for next week that I hope to put a bit more time and effort into, but because of the long weekend and working on my celebrancy stuff, I haven't got around to this as much.
Instead, I'll add more colour to the recommendations and links below as penance!
Love you, chat soon :)
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✔️Real Life Recommendations
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Perfect Days - 4.5 stars - this is a film that you curl up to on a weekday when you want to switch off your brain but also watch a good movie. It's a slice-of-life of a Japanese guy who goes around cleaning toilets, and covers a few days in his life of the ups and downs and how he deals with them. It's so calming and it's just one of those little insights into the human condition that I've been enjoying recently - "next time is next time, now is now" Highly recommended!
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Acquired Podcast: Microsoft - I've been listening to this over the last week or so, and it is absolutely fascinating hearing the ins and outs of all the decisions that got Microsoft to where it is today, and why there was all this hype for them. Some really interesting insights into how Bill Gates and Paul Allen etc. got started - my most important takeaway was about how they had such conviction about personal computers being the future, and how they were able to pivot towards the Internet as soon as that came about as well. How does one actually gain this insight and conviction into the future? That's still the magic sauce that I don't think is easy to just logic your way in or out of - it's a combination of the vibe, the effort, the outsider view of the world, a shitton of confidence as well as a whole lotta luck.
🚌 Adventures on the Information Super-Highway
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The rollercoaster king: the man behind the UK’s fastest thrill-ride - I hate rollercoasters; the feeling of falling, the weightlessness, the speed, the ANXIETY OF FALLING...the fear is just too strong for me. However, this breakdown of John Burton who built one of the biggest and fastest rides is a great story - through COVID, and lockdowns, creating his own new 'twist' to the ride, and the trials of rollercoaster breakdowns was a riveting read. Another niche read on a specific build - except this build is REALLY BIG.
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Carrot Problems - I loved this breakdown of 'carrot problems' which references the WW2 lie about why the British pilots were able to hit German targets so easily - they ate lots of carrots! But this lie was made to mask the real success behind it, the invention of a new type of onboard radar. This author abstracts this to:
Essentially, any time someone achieves success in a way they don't want to admit publicly, they have to come up with an excuse for their abilities. And that means misleading a bunch of people into (potentially) wasting their time, or worse.
Examples include; steroids, dark patterns, and nepotism. I understand why keeping trade secrets is important, but it does make me a little bit more suspicious when I see people 'explain' how they've been successful - especially in business. And this article was able to much more clearly explain the value of 'expert knowledge' which I used to think was a bit bullshit even when in consulting.
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Psychological Safety vs. High Standards: A Misunderstood Dynamic - something which I wished I read a long time ago to understand the interaction between these two things:
To use one of Edmondson's analogies: psychological safety is like removing the brakes that keep a car from moving, while high standards act as the steering mechanism.
I think there's an element missing here of trust which is a necessity when creating this kind of culture, but we do love a 2x2.