Espresso Shots 4-13-25

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 📺

I was shared a video this week from the Today show from 1988, in which Jane Pauley talks about the risks of not being able to trust your eyes anymore with the advent of Adobe Photoshop.

Close your eyes for a minute, replace the word 'Photoshop' with 'Generative AI image creation', and listen to how well it fits with today's technology.

The Latest Drippings ☕️

• We are all goofballs. Everything has been so serious lately, and I love this: 'Starting from the place where we're all imperfect makes it easy to find empathy for others and ourselves.'
• Rigorous thinking: No lazy thinking. I enjoyed this take on 'rigorous thinking' and the lens on the importance of having 'critical questions about tactics, and having a systematic way of making decisions.' I'll keep saying it over and over, in 2025 (between the world in general, overhyped AI, etc.), that continuously educating yourself (and others) on importance of critical thinking is as a life skill.
• The Rules of Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote Cartoons. It's a common practice among film/TV creators, but I found animator Chuck Jones 'rule book' for Road Runner cartoons humorously fascinating. 'Whenever possible, make gravity the Coyote's greatest enemy.'
• Where Does Astronaut Poop End Up?. I've always enjoyed watching the Perseid meteor shower in August - there's something just magical about watching things fly through space in the night sky. It makes you feel at one with the universe. Just remember that next time you see a shooting star, just know: It could be astronaut poop.
• Fewer beans = great coffee if you get the pour height right. Getting the perfect cup of coffee, or your espresso not to channel during the extraction process, is sometimes more art than science. However, a recent physics study shows that when doing a pour-over, the 'trick is to pour the water from as high as possible without letting the jet of water break up upon impact with the grounds.'
• Use "but" strategically. The vilification of the word 'but' and how saying 'the positive thing, but the negative thing, accidentally cancels out all the positive stuff.'. A look at how a simple change is 'swapping the order of what comes before vs after' can make all the difference.
• You Might Think of Shrimp as Bugs of the Sea. But a Remarkable Discovery Shows the Opposite: Bugs Are Actually Shrimp of the Land. Ever think that a shrimp kinda looks like a bug? Recent research suggests that insects are closely related to crustaceans, but how they evolved is not precisely what you'd think.
• Vibe Coding and Kodak Cameras. I'm not going to get into my personal views on the latest trend of 'vibe coding,' but I enjoyed this piece, which correlates it to what Kodak did with cameras in the 1900s. The 'introduction of the Brownie camera allowed anyone to take photos, leading to a surge in amateur photography and concerns from traditional photographers about the dilution of the art form.'
• Did Reagan really coin the term Trust But Verify?. 'Trust But Verify' is a term that I find myself saying more and more lately, and the common thinking is that it comes from President Ronald Regan, who used it in his negotiations with the Soviet Union in 1987 nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia. But it turns out, the origins lie in an old Russian proverb, 'Doveryai, no proveryai', is often attributed to Lenin.
• The poison fruit from 'The White Lotus' is real and attacks the heart. I'm not sure if people pick up a blender that has a bunch of gunk in it and use it without washing, but the 'suicide tree,' also known as the pong pong tree is real, and it's widespread in places like India, Thailand, and the Pacific Islands.
• To Be Happier, Stop Resisting Change (gift link). I've quoted Bruce Lee's 'be like water' probably a thousand times. Still, I enjoyed this piece's view on how 'zen archery illustrates the importance of letting go of control and expectations.' Knowing how (and when) to stop resisting change and simply let it occur seems like great advice most people need to overcome.
• Dopamine Detox: Sleep Savior or Overhyped Trend?. I'm a terrible sleeper - I average (on a good night) about 6 1/2 hours, which is not enough. Put aside my sleep apnea, the science between dopamine and sleep disruption is real. 'By taking a break from high-dopamine activities, you allow your brain's reward system to recalibrate. This can restore balance, boost your appreciation for simpler things, and curb those compulsive behaviors. The result? Better sleep.'
• Meet 'cognitive shuffling'. More on sleep hacks: 'Cognitive shuffling is when you purposely focus on words that do not correlate to one another, introducing a randomness that can distract you and not emotionally engage you enough to keep you awake.'

Amor Fati ✌🏻