Espresso Shots 11-3-24

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.

The Latest Drippings ☕️

• It was interesting to read about your IFS. The therapeutic idea is that it views individuals as having multiple sub-personalities, each with its perspective and role. Talking to it more frequently can help with your 'emotional well-being and relationships, experiencing greater clarity, creativity, and calm.' Ever felt so stressed you didn't know what to do next? Try talking to your 'parts'
• The dreaded 'algorithm' - it seems like most, if not all, of social media, has gone the way of enshittification. But, this post asks an important question (and why I don't usually put out my 'blogroll'): 'It's interesting to question how much nutritional value your feed may be providing you with, in a creative sense. Especially as, chances are, you're gorging on the same meal as everybody else.' POV: How creatively nutritious is your internet feed?
• I will be 54 next year. Fifty-freaking-four. This one is packed with great advice, similar to 'be the person you needed when you were younger,' such as 'envision how you want to be in your older years. Empowered, compassionate, creative, adventurous, learning, expanding. Gentle, kind, and curious.' Overcoming the Fear of Aging
• It's a little late for Halloween, but this was a great one in the spirit of Agatha All Along. And given the state of the world, it offers some sound advice: 'because the difference between being treated like a person and not a person is being burned at the stake or being allowed to have opinions in public.' 10 Ways to Deal with a Witch
• I loved this one, but I don't know how to describe it outside of 'mission, values, and an identity.' Minimum Viable Personality
• I am often accused of talking too much, but others probably don't recognize that I am actually 'talking as a way for me to think.' This post presents a similar concept around the importance of writing. 'If you're thinking without writing, you only think you're thinking.' Writing as a Way of Thinking
• I just learned about The Holstee Manifesto; if you haven't seen it before, what a wonderful watch. And, of course, I ordered the poster for my office. Check it out if you're interested in 'living with intention is an ongoing practice, not a destination.' Tools and inspiration for a more meaningful life.
• Author Alan Moore is the creator of some of my all-time favorite comics: V for Vendetta, Watchmen, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Killing Joke, wrote a fascinating article on the toxicification of the world due to obsessive fandom. 'I believe that fandom is a wonderful and vital organ of contemporary culture, without which that culture ultimately stagnates, atrophies, and dies. At the same time, I'm sure that fandom is sometimes a grotesque blight that poisons the society surrounding it with its mean-spirited obsessions and ridiculous, unearned sense of entitlement.' 'Fandom has toxified the world': Watchmen author Alan Moore on superheroes, Comicsgate and Trump
• Known as one of the 'greatest commencement speeches of all time', David Foster Wallace's 'This is Water', has so many great takeaways. My favorite is Don't live life by default. Now that it's been animated, it's worth the time to go and spend a few minutes and give it a watch. David Foster Wallace's Famous Commencement Speech, 'This is Water,' Gets Animated on a Whiteboard
• Important lesson on the snowball effect of choices. Two Ways to Change Your Momentum
• The Marginalian is one of my favorite websites. I like to visit it when I want to rethink something; I stumbled upon a great list of life lessons there. 18 Life-Learnings from 18 Years of The Marginalian
• This year, it's not just engineers suffering from cognitive load; the entire universe is. Cognitive load is what matters
• The value of prototyping is 'starting with an idea and acting it out, even without knowing the specifics; it can lead to valuable discoveries in the design.' Prototyping Magic Tricks and Software

Amor Fati ✌🏻