Espresso Shots 9-26-25

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 ☕️

• How to Build a Radio Station in 2025. I discovered the DO folks years ago when they published their inspiring manifesto of a doer. I've also had the fortune of getting to know the wonderful folks behind the magic, attending Do Wales in 2023, so it goes without saying that I have been thoroughly enjoying watching (err, listening?) to Do Radio come alive this year. Give it a try - it's food for the soul and mind. Check out the post on how it was built.
• Study Finds Caffeine Increases Task Persistence Under Pressure. Coffee continues to prove to be a superpower.
• Spending Time With the Material. A good read on why digital reading doesn't support the same level of engagement as physical books. Back in 2006, I wrote a bit about the iPod and Moleskine notebooks having a different vibe - 'For some bizarre reason, most people just dont get that it's about personal expression. The object is an extension of themselves just as much as their clothing or interior decoration.' And, it's the same with physical books - the tactile feel of paper, the smell of the pages, the intentionality of it — stuff to think about. (and I see that em-dash 😂)
• David Foster Wallace Tried to Warn Us About these Eight Things. 'This is a good time to revisit what Wallace tried to warn us about thirty years ago. He was ahead of his time in the worst possible way, experiencing firsthand all the debilitating symptoms that now plague millions. That’s why his writings feel so eerily contemporary. They read like commentaries on what’s happening right now.' Wow - while I've read David Foster Wallace before, I have never seen The End of the Tour (and going to remedy that), but I love this commentary on society today. 'Screen technology will cause a crisis of loneliness, especially among young people; This will lead to widespread depression; This will also happen at a larger scale. Society will grow more fragmented and disconnected.' is dead on.
• A Return to Discovery. Not only is the typography of this site something to take in, this post ponders 'I realized what that missing piece was- that feeling of discovery that I enjoyed so much when I was younger' grabbed my attention immediately. I can't wait to read where this goes as I've been feeling much of the same over the last few years. I've been deeply leaning into the curiosity I had when I was younger, and I have found that it is rekindling something inside that I've missed.
• Going Upstream. 'Most of us fixate on actions. Few go up a level to think about the beliefs that underpin those actions and how to build systems that amplify different ones. But that’s where the leverage is. It’s a simple concept. It’s much harder to do.' Systems over goals, always.
• Behind Every Successful Launch, There Are 100 Interesting Failures. A short, but important reminder that every overnight success is built on a mountain of previous failures.
• Zuckermuskian Solipsism. 'When Elon Musk disagrees with someone, he calls them an "NPC" (non-player character). In video-games, an NPC is a machine-puppeted sprite that engages in predictable movements (think of the ghosts in Pac-Man) and perhaps utters some scripted (or AI-generated) dialog... But there's another way in which people like Musk are inclined to view others as NPCs: the only way to become a billionaire is to hurt and exploit lots of people.' What a horrible, but not surprising, way that these billionaires view the world and some insight on why they think real friends or relationships can be replaced with bots.
• Large Language Muddle. 'AI-made material is a waste product: flimsy, shoddy, disposable, a single-use plastic of the mind.' There are good things and bad things from all this generative AI stuff, but most importantly, you have to remember it's just a tool. It doesn't think. It doesn't experience. Don't let it replace these things for you; instead, let it help you free up time wasted on mundane tasks, so you have more time to focus on the essential things—thinking, creating, and experiencing.
• A Bit Naive. Food for thought: 'What I wouldn’t give right now to be a bit more naive. What I wouldn’t give for all of us to be a bit more naive. A bit less social media. A bit less 24-hour news.'
• Not About Free Beer. The idea of 'The internet we were promised' was a Wikipedia fundraising campaign slogan in 2024. But I really like where this post shifts into an important distinction: 'Free as in beer vs. free as in freedom. Free as in beer means price. You get a beer handed to you for nothing. Free as in freedom means rights. Not whether the beer is free, but whether you’re allowed to brew it yourself, share it with friends, or choose how it’s made. That’s the freedom we should be fighting for.'
• Lean Into Imposter Syndrome, Don't Give In to It. A quick, but valuable, watch 'that self-doubt is usually evidence of healthy humility - not incompetence - and there's a clear contrast to the overconfidence of dark-triad personalities.'
• Remote Work Isn't the Problem. Mediocre Leadership Is. 'I’ve seen remote models that thrive, and ones that fail. And when they’re being undone I can tell you: Remote work is not the problem. The problem is leaders who don’t know how to lead, especially without looking over someone’s shoulder.' I've been primarily remote since 2010 (except for a short one-and-a-half-year period), and have seen various factors for success and failures. The most significant population that seems to struggle with fully remote is those fresh into the workforce - it's hard to build bonds with co-workers. For myself, I have seen incredible value in the ability to work where I can be my best self.

Amor Fati ✌🏻