Espresso Shots 9-14-24

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 ☕️

• Oh, this one hit home, especially to a self-described change agent. 'Avoiding unforced errors - mistakes that are not necessary for achieving your goals - is important to conserve energy and focus on what matters most; Sometimes the best strategy is to let a bad situation play out, rather than trying to intervene.' No Unforced Errors
• I probably spend way too much time thinking about how Generative AI is going to change things, and while these tools can be useful in certain limited ways, there's so much hype about the 'magic trick' right now it's hard to tell if the promises are going to even pay off in the long run. I still view these things as (useful?) tools, but they just can't, and shouldn't, replace thinking. AI isn't useless. But is it worth it?
• In a similar vein, this piece compares the current AI rhetoric to the once-thought value of asbestos, where it prioritized potential benefits over mitigating societal and environmental harm. A thoughtful read. What price?
• I've been looking forward to Brad and Kristi Montague 's new book, Fail-a-bration, since I saw a YouTube clip a few months ago. The book's premise is that failure is not celebrated enough - and he's not wrong; in fact, 'failure can be a catalyst—catalyst for creativity, innovation, learning, and beyond.' I've been trying to acknowledge failure more prominently lately, talking about it, normalizing it even - and I've seen a real benefit in that with my mental health. In Our Fail-a-Bration Era
• I enjoyed this one in the book Corporate Bullshit. 'The author's thesis is that the business world has a well-worn playbook that they roll out whenever anything that might cause industry to behave even slightly less destructively is proposed. What's more, we keep falling for it.'. Corporate Bullshit
• Another 2024/2025 theme for me has been on the idea of friction, and this article dives into some of the good friction you can inject into the system to 'force pockets of focus and intentionality when you can think about how (or if) you must use it.' The Art of Deliberate Friction-Building
• 'What work looks like when you're invited into the mess.' is how this one starts, but it's a compelling view on the role of advisors versus employees. 'Advisors operate at a higher level of abstraction compared to employees, focusing on outcomes rather than just activities.' Being Hired to Care
• I'm too scared ever to try anything like bio-hacking, but this group has 'spent the last few years teaching people how to make DIY versions of expensive pharmaceuticals at a tiny fraction of the cost.' Interesting view on open-source medicine. Right to Repair for Your Body: The Rise of DIY, Pirated Medicine
• We all face problems, both in the present and in the future. However, it's impossible to solve all problems at once. This article suggests that the key is to prioritize and focus on solving the actual, specific problems you face today in order to earn the right to have problems tomorrow. Problems Today, Problems Tomorrow
• I've talked a lot about Life 2.0 (and am currently thinking about Life 2.5), so I appreciated this one where the author argues that 'people need to be willing to take risks, leave their comfortable jobs, and freely explore novel ideas and problems in order to drive societal progress.' Quit Your Job
• We can all agree that doing too many things simultaneously is a good recipe for disaster. The Big Multitasking Lie
• The last few months, I've been deep-diving into behavioral sciences to understand better why things happen (especially in teams), so I enjoyed this post on 'nudge blueprints.' Insuring Behavior Change
• Star Trek DS9's episode 'Past Tense', sent the crew to a fictional 2024 where the 'Bell Riots' grim future unfolded. It imagined a world where 'global inequality and a growing climate crisis,' 'the United States has established a series of Sanctuary Districts to combat a growing economic and homelessness crisis.' It's a fascinating article that goes through some of the parallels they had predicted 30 years ago. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Most Prescient View of Our Future Is Already Getting Here
• While I've written about the anti-library, I have only really stopped thinking about the actual bookshelf now. 'Bookshelves are such a transparent expression of personality.' The Bookshelf Tells All
• 'A blog's purpose is personal. Every person (or entity in the case of corporate or company blogs) has their own reasons for making a blog. Every blog seeks to do something different. Blogs are unique, even those that seek to copy other blogs, because the meaning behind them is always specific and different.' What an excellent read. What a Blog Is For
• I've been wearing an Apple Watch to track sleep for many years, but what if wearing sleep trackers is bad for your nighttime rest? What is Orthosomnia? The Dark Side of Sleep Trackers
• Back in 2022, I wrote a piece on boredom, so this was a good reminder of how important being 'bored' can be for you. Boredom: The Superpower You're Still Afraid to Use
• I've been to the top of the PKM mountain and have gone into the camp where most 'knowledge management' processes are unnecessary. 'Productivity tools are designed to help us streamline tasks, organize information, and ultimately get more done. However, if not used wisely, they can quickly become productivity traps.' Amen. Are Your Productivity Tools Just Cleverly Disguised Procrastination?

Amor Fati (translated from the Latin as 'love of fate'). ✌🏻