Espresso Shots 5-10-26

It's that time again for my weekly update, which includes a short collection of noteworthy finds, posts that inspire, as well as a few reflections from the past week or two. I'll aim to land these in your inbox by the weekend, in time to pair with your morning coffee (or your preferred cup of inspiration).

The Latest Drippings ☕️

• The Boring Internet. As usual, Terry's posts cause a stir across the Internet, and this new post on the Boring Internet isn't any different - and the must-read of the week. 'The layer where every human activity became a venture-backed destination, every destination became a feed, every feed became ad inventory, and every ad market became a machine for producing more things to interrupt you with. Underneath that layer is another internet: older, slower, less polished, harder to monetize, and much harder to kill.' The protocol layer, is the foundation on which things we experience today are built upon, and as he rightly calls out, they 'can't be acquired. they can't be taken public.' The problem is that people like the convenience. It's hard to pull them from that. I saw this firsthand when trying to help grow a small social network on the island where I live, away from these big platforms. But I love where this goes: 'Communities still gather in places too small to be interesting to investors.'
• All Those Empty Calories. Reflecting on a post I wrote in 2023, 'I've been trying to become acutely aware of time wasters. And if you equate wasting time as empty calories in the day, holy shit, I consume way too many junk calories every week.' I've been thinking more and more about this lately on where you burn time. 'You have 10,080 minutes a week. Minus 3,360 minutes for sleep (8 hours a night, 7 days), you have 6,720 minutes to fill yourself with stuff—work, exercise, mindfulness, reading, play, joy, etc.' 2026 has felt like an overwhelming amount of these empty calories again, and I am starting to figure out what I want to do about them.
• RIP Social Media. What Comes Next Is Messy. Speaking of empty calories, social media finally seems to be edging towards the cliff. 'My sense is that the number of posts on Twitter and Facebook has probably not really declined despite the fact that the number of people posting—humans who are alive and have a pulse—has dropped by 50 percent, because of the rise of AI and LLMs and the botification of those platforms.' The question that keeps bothering me: if you don't need humans to generate content, what we are consuming is nothing more than AI-generated soylent green.
• The Dark Real-Life Inspirations Behind Lord of the Flies. 'Unsurprisingly, its author William Golding did not have a rosy outlook on life. Ultimately, a combination of historical tragedy, personal struggles, and frustration with an optimistic children’s book led him to craft one of the most famously grim novels ever written.' A lot of this makes sense, but remember when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months, the complete opposite happened. 'The boys had set up a commune with food garden, gym, a badminton court, chicken pens and a permanent fire.'
• Think That Conversation Will Be Boring? Science Says Think Again. As a self-proclaimed extroverted introvert, I tend to shy away from idle conversations. But over the last 2 years (since I kicked off Life 2.0), I've found something unexpected that this research backs up. 'In nine experiments involving 1,800 participants, researchers found that people consistently underestimated how interesting and enjoyable conversations about boring topics would be... Feeling heard, responding to each other, and discovering unexpected details about someone’s life can make even a mundane topic meaningful.'
• It's Never Been Easier to Do Too Much. 'The team set up a weekly meeting at the funnel wall and started canceling lower-priority work. They added a hopper before the funnel that held ideas which could move forward only when space opened up. That is, nothing could go in the top of the funnel until something else came out the bottom. In two years, they cut the number of ongoing projects by more than half, which increased the number of projects they actually got done.' David's new book, Inside the Box, is now available.
• People Are Stressed Out by Most News That Isn't Local News. One of the best shifts that I made was to limit my intake of the news; I just keep up to date with world events by following What The Fuck Just Happened Today?. Focusing more on local things is the right call. 'The way people of different age groups in the United States get their news is different, but no matter how old they are, everyone is pretty stressed about all news that isn't local news.'
• This Is the Most Important Skill You Can Have in Life. Writing is thinking. 'As I write this line, not only does software make suggestions on spelling and help me eliminate errors, it suggests how I might finish sentences or word them better. If I want, I could simply click over to other software and ask it to write the draft for me. But these fast, easy ways to produce what resembles a finished piece of writing would defeat the purpose. Which is to engage and struggle with the material for an extended period of time. To take my time. To go over things again and again. To be immersed. To be focused, patient, and disciplined. To come to understand things deeply.'
• Why Rest Alone Doesn't Restore Energy. 'Your energy doesn’t work like a battery - and treating it that way may be why you still feel tired even after a break.' Some great ideas by Anne-Laure Le Cunff on how 'energy depends on multiple systems working together: metabolic, neurological, psychological, and autonomic.'
• What's Changed Since Jon Krakauer Climbed Everest (gift link). When I read Into Thin Air in 1997, one of the first things I did was start planning a multi-week trek into the Himalayas to see Everest with my own eyes. There, I learned a lot, so it was amazing to read what's changed since I was there in 2001. 'No longer do Nepalis primarily function as kitchen workers and load carriers. They are now frequently the most skilled and accomplished guides on the mountain. For all intents and purposes, climbing activity on the Nepali side of Everest—where most ascents take place—is controlled by Sherpas. They install and maintain the dozens of ladders and miles of fixed rope on the mountain. They call the shots. They're the gatekeepers. This is entirely appropriate, given that the mountain rises from the homeland of the Sherpas, a native ethnic group, and they have been a crucial presence on Everest expeditions since the earliest attempts to climb it.'
• Tony Trailer: Dominic Sessa Plays Anthony Bourdain in A24 Movie. I've been a long-time fan of Anthony Bourdain. His philosophy has inspired me as he 'traveled the world, experienced people, customs, and culture through cuisine, and explored the human condition by having an open mind.' This film is going to be a must-watch for me. Trailer here.
• Interstellar Is Now Letterboxd's Most-Watched Film Ever. One of my favorite films. 'Nolan said it was an incredible relief and a humbling experience when he started noticing the film seemed to touch people more and more each year and continues to grow in its impact.'
• The World Reveals Itself to Those Who Travel by Foot. I've been a long-time fan of Craig Mod and his epic long walks through Japan, but this piece really puts the finger on the pulse about why it's so important to get out into the world if you want to experience it. 'I learned that it wasn't dangerous to reach out to and talk with people and make stuff happen.' Pure gold.
• It Was Never About AI (We Are Not Our Tools). Wrapping up this week with a post that I need to re-read a few more times, it's that good. 'This is about our relationship with tools. It always has been. Tools are extraordinary. They extend what we can do, what we can reach, what we can build. But somewhere along the way, we started to confuse what a tool can do with what a tool should do.'

Amor Fati ✌🏻