Espresso Shots 9-7-25

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 ☕️

• Pentagon Pizza Index. WILD! I had heard of this theory before, and this website brings it to life! Learn the history of PIZZINT and how it has predicted 21 crises. Apparently, back in the 70s, 'Soviet intelligence operatives develop unconventional surveillance methodology targeting Washington D.C.'s late-night food delivery patterns. When U.S. military and intelligence staff worked late into the night during emergencies, they would order large quantities of food—especially pizza—since it is quick and convenient. A spike in pizza orders could signal that something significant was happening behind closed doors.'
• Knowing and Doing Are Not the Same. One thing that I have always leaned into is trying to focus on having experiences over just reading about something. This is probably why all these GenAI summarization tools leave a bad taste in my mouth; there's nothing quite like experiencing something firsthand, whether it's reading a book, taking a trip, climbing a mountain, or tasting local foods. You have to experience the thing to understand it truly. 'Wisdom doesn’t come merely from acquiring new knowledge. That’s not enough. You have to go through something that humbles or excites you enough to motivate change.'
• Summarization is Sugar. See previous link. 'Summarization isn't knowledge, it's sugar. It's the delicious, delectable bits of the work that are essential to the piece. Summarization gives you the impression that you understand the piece, but it does not give you understanding. To understand a piece, you need to experience the content as the creator intended: typos, boring parts, and inessential digressions included.'
• You Have to Feel It. Noticing a pattern this week on experiencing things, and that 'you can't stop at checking the boxes on paper. You have to sit with it, use it, live with it.'
• The Sensory Experience of Making Coffee. You had me at coffee. And yes, for me, the morning ritual is a total sensory experience that I need to start each day.
• Why Are We Organized Like This?. This article was a fun read - The nine patterns that can help you understand why your company is organized and designed the way it is. And, more importantly, how to survive, thrive, and hack your way through them.
• The Thousands of Atomic Bombs Exploded on Earth. Yikes! I never realized that there has been this much nuclear testing since 1945. The number? 2153 nuclear blasts.
• An E-bike For The Mind. I really liked this piece for its altered take on how today's AI should be really viewed as 'Augmented Intelligence' instead of artificial intelligence. 'Steve Jobs famously imagined the computer as a bicycle for the mind. If the computer is a bicycle, perhaps AI is an e-bike.' Also important to note: there are considerable trade-offs when choosing any technology, so be aware of them before just jumping in because of some fake FOMO.
• How to Turn Anxiety Into Adventure. 'The secret is to turn your feeling of dread into the excitement of opportunity.' A good reminder that not all adventures need to be epic, there are plenty of exciting places to explore in your backyard (and in your own mind). Check out this lecture from Alastair Humphrey, How to Live Adventurously Every Day.
• Why 'No Is a Complete Sentence' Is Dangerous Advice. 'Nope' is one of the best-selling t-shirts I've made, but I've also found that just saying 'nope' often comes across just too harsh, and saying 'no' without explanation can seem uncooperative, even if the request is unreasonable. Here's a great guide to providing additional context to the message, and how it changes the feeling around protecting your time or sanity.
• Aggregation Theory After Aggregation. 'Aggregators succeeded by controlling demand and leveraging marginal costs near zero. The dynamic was straightforward: control user attention, drive distribution, and extract value from suppliers forced to play by the aggregators rules. The result: a world where distribution no longer meant shelf space or cable channels; it was algorithmic feeds and app stores all the way down.' I'd argue, the Internet was a much better place when it was dominated by decentralized blogs (via RSS) and can still be seen in the shadows with the Fediverse. Shifting away from large tech conglomerates and platforms and focusing more on local social and local mesh is something that I plan on spending more time with in 2025/2026.
• Bringing Goodwill to the Conversation. An excellent manifesto for 2025; 'Understand the systems and mechanics at work, don’t simply quote them. Assume goodwill on the part of others.'
• Letter Club. In a similar vibe to the Fax Club Experiment, the Letter Club is an 'ode to slow tech'. Read more about its origins: 'digital letters that arrive with traditional mail's rhythm. It's a private group newsletter that everyone contributes to and receives. It's intentionally slow, purposeful, and deeply gratifying — a low-stress, high-signal way to stay connected that creates meaningful moments in a social world dominated by drive-by likes and fleeting attention.' Or, even better - start your own!
• Clutter Can Be Useful. An alternative view on why minimalism isn't the answer, in fact, the 'clutter was a savior and a practical response to uncertainty.'

Amor Fati ✌🏻