Espresso Shots 5-18-25

Here's my weekly update with a few interesting random findings that I came across the last week or two. I am going to try to make sure they're here in time for you to enjoy with your morning coffee (or beverage of choice) every Saturday or Sunday, and include some of my thoughts around them.

Video of the Week 📺

Andor, Season 2 just wrapped up, and was easily the best Star Wars in years.

I figure it's been a few days, so skip to the next section if you don't want any spoilers, but Mon Mothma's Speech is worth highlighting. 2025 is wacky and insane, and this was a powerful reflection on society today.

"The distance between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous. The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands, we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest."

The Latest Drippings ☕️

• Craig Mod on the Creative Power of Walking. Long-time fan of the writing (and binaural walking recordings) of Craig Mod. This post, on the Creative Power of Walking, has some wonderful inspiration on the power of boredom: 'I try to cultivate the most bored state of mind imaginable. A total void of stimulation beyond the immediate environment. My rules: No news, no social media, no podcasts, no music. No teleporting - you could say. The phone, the great teleportation device, the great murderer of boredom. And yet, boredom: the great engine of creativity. I now believe with all my heart that it's only in the crushing silences of boredom — without all that black-mirror dopamine — that you can access your deepest creative wells. And for so many people these days, they've never so much as attempted to dip in a ladle, let alone dive down into those uncomfortable waters made accessible through boredom. For me, from this boredom—this blankness of mind as I walk past sometimes fields and sometimes giant gambling pachinko parlors—words flow. I can't stop them.' Easily my read of the week.
• How Video Game Sex Scenes Are Made. Well, now you know.
• Nine Rules for Evaluating New Technology. A fun look at a set of rules from 1987 on the nine standards for technological innovation. Lots of good nuggets in here to draw some inspiration from.
• Foggy Feeds: The Decline In My Feed Reader Subscriptions. 'I've noticed a decline in the thinking across the websites I follow.' An interesting read, and in a similar vibe, it feels like many of the folks I talk with regularly are reading many of the same sites (one reason I'm partially against sharing blogrolls). Too much 'group think'. I haven't gone as far as just nuking my entire reading list and adding things back in as I rediscover things, but I'm quickly getting there. I purged about 30 (out of 250) this morning, but it may be time to burn the ships and start over.
• Not All Growth is Created Equal. An excellent example of how systems are more important than goals; from the lens around startups should focus on building long-term, defensible value rather than just achieving rapid early growth. 'There is a sickness, a striving, that pollutes the purity of what building a business should be. Because growth attracts headlines and seduces investors, companies over-optimize on growth metrics in their early years. In the end, it ruins them.'
• The Pac-Man Rule at Conferences. Kinda of a fun rule, which I had never heard of before reading this; called the Pac-Man rule (you'll have to check out the link for the visual): 'When standing as a group of people, always leave room for 1 person to join your group.'
• Why Does Every Film and TV Series Seem to Have the Same Plot?. I've seen this film before - most movies and TV follow a typical plot structure known as the Hero's Journey. It's broken down to a protagonist facing an incident that disrupts their ordinary life, leading to a quest and eventual transformation. This post asks the fundamental question: What other tales are there to tell?
• A Trick for Prioritization.. One of the tricks I have tried to employ when making quick decisions on buying something irrationally is to ask myself three questions: Do I want it? Do I need it? Do I have to have it? Often, I fail the third question. Similarly, I like the prioritization framework presented here: 'What do you NEED to do this quarter? What you WANT to do this quarter? What you'd LIKE to do this quarter? The NEED is the stuff that 100% absolutely must get done. WANT is the next bucket of tasks you're most excited about. LIKE are things you're interested in… but you can't quite make a priority.' Smart.
• I Am Not Who You Think I Am: How a Deep-Cover KGB Spy Recruited His Own Son. OOOF - This post reads like a movie plot; A KGB agent, raising a family in the US who's goal was the recruitment of his son, and how it was part of a KGB strategy to create second-generation illegals who could more easily integrate into American society and evade security checks — wild stuff.
• Remarks on AI from NZ. Author Neal Stephenson (Snowcrash, Cryptonomicon, etc) recently did a panel discussion on AI. I enjoyed reading his perspective that introducing AI can be compared to the unexpected emergence of nuclear weapons. Looking at how we now have to co-exist with AI, he presented an interesting ' framework for understanding coexistence with AI by comparing it to our interactions with various animal intelligences and focuses on the dangers of AI dependency, likening it to the risks of becoming mentally weak due to over-reliance on technology' — a good read.
• New Paradigm for Psychology Just Dropped. I majored in psychology for 1 semester, but I'm still fascinated by what drives behavior. This piece introduces the concept of control systems as the fundamental units of the mind. 'They're basically like thermostats, they operate by monitoring variables, comparing them to target levels, and reducing errors, which manifest as emotions.' Huh - I think I need to take some time and read this piece on neuroscience very slowly and carefully.
• To Grow Faster, Think Smaller. A great reminder on why it's essential to focus on foundations for any growth strategy.
• Why Writing Letters Can Change Your Life and Your Business. Several friends sent me this wonderful video on the powerful nature of writing letters. And yes, I now am the proud owner of a blue toolbox. :)

Amor Fati ✌🏻