> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://makoism.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Moth - URL: https://makoism.com/the-moth/ - Published: 2021-09-18T10:17:11.000Z - Updated: 2021-09-18T10:17:11.000Z - Description: "Moths don't need to explain why they're attracted to the light." - Marty Rubin - Author: Steve Makofsky - Tags: makoism, #newsletter-makoism, #substack ![lightbulb](https://storage.ghost.io/c/61/8f/618f2076-e6a0-40dc-8037-06080661dee7/content/images/public/images/b4c0e5d0-027c-4f35-8d73-bc9e857ffbba_5184x3456.jpeg "lightbulb") lightbulb This week we saw the [passing of Norm Macdonald](https://deadline.com/2021/09/norm-macdonald-dead-obituary-comedian-saturday-night-live-weekend-update-anchor-was-61-1234833212/) to cancer at the age of 61. [Fuck cancer](https://www.letsfcancer.com/). It just keeps taking - [Alex Trebek](https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2020/11/08/alex-trebek-dead-80-why-pancreatic-cancer-so-deadly/6215281002/), [Eddie Van Halen](https://people.com/music/eddie-van-halen-son-wolf-posts-childhood-photo/), [Chadwick Boseman](https://www.biography.com/news/chadwick-boseman-colon-cancer-battle), [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://www.npr.org/2020/09/18/100306972/justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-champion-of-gender-equality-dies-at-87) and on and on. One of my favorite memories is this clip of Norm Macdonald is when he was on Conan telling a "moth" joke. We're all victims in getting wrapped up in the day-to-day BS; sometimes, it is super helpful to ask yourself, "how much of it really matters" and "am I happy"? It's (once again) a reminder of how important every day should be ([memento Mori](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memento%5Fmori)). > *"I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." - Steve Jobs* It shouldn't take a health incident, some scare, or someone you admire passing to wake up to the things we actually **accept** every day. What's stopping you from making a change? The first step, is always the hardest one. If you enjoy these posts, you can [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/makoism) ☕️, or if you'd rather keep up with my daily ramblings, follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/smakofsky) or keep reading [my posts on this blog](https://makoism.com/). ## **Forward Thinking** I've always enjoyed [Mark Manson](https://markmanson.net/)'s books and blog; this week he tackles "**How to Build Confidence**", and the relationship between confidence and failure. ## **Thought(s) of the week** > [](https://twitter.com/bob%5Fburrough/status/906961509892288512) > [](https://twitter.com/waitbutwhy/status/1438120202038829063) ## **This weeks "Deep Links"** Here are a few of the articles and videos that resonated with me over the last week: - Some wild advancements with sensors and wellness. This one comes from a National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University team, which developed a "**Foot pressure sensors detect Parkinson's disease**." The primary tech for this was a $25 Raspberry Pi along with a bunch of [FlexiForce](https://www.tekscan.com/products-solutions/force-sensors/a301) sensors to measure gait - [More](https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/foot-pressure-sensors-detect-parkinsons-disease/) - Several leaked reports this week in the Wall Street Journal on Facebook. '[Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls](https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-instagram-is-toxic-for-teen-girls-company-documents-show-11631620739)', '[Facebook Employees Flag Drug Cartels and Human Traffickers](https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-drug-cartels-human-traffickers-response-is-weak-documents-11631812953)' and '[Facebook Tried to Make Its Platform a Healthier Place. It Got Angrier Instead.](https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-algorithm-change-zuckerberg-11631654215)'. A good summary is in "**Facebook keeps researching its own harms — and burying the findings**." - [More](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/09/16/facebook-files-internal-research-harms/) - I had never heard of **ultradian rhythms** before reading this article on "**Avoid Burnout and Increase Awareness Using Ultradian Rhythms**." From the text, "circadian rhythms have lesser known cousins that can help us optimize our internal body clocks for maximum efficiency and well being. These are **ultradian** rhythms, or rhythms that play out in increments shorter than a day" - fascinating stuff - [More](https://betterhumans.pub/avoid-burnout-and-increase-awareness-using-ultradian-rhythms-5e64158e7e19) - If you're in the security field, a great read about "**Thoughts on the OWASP Top 10 2021**". The problem lies in that the issues presented don't have a "clear identity" - [More](https://danielmiessler.com/blog/thoughts-on-the-owasp-top-10-2021/) - "**Why Convictional Shuns Slack**" is an interesting read on the rise of asynchronous communication at companies - [More](https://www.protocol.com/workplace/why-convictional-shuns-slack) - Edward Snowden has another great read (which is an excerpt from his book [Permanent Record](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250237231)). "**9/12**" explores his decision making process on why he joined the army and how it was "*born not only in the executive branch and the intelligence agencies, but also in the hearts and minds of all Americans, myself included*" - [More](https://edwardsnowden.substack.com/p/9-12) - "**HR Answers Your Questions About Returning to the Office**" is McSweeney's at its finest - [More](https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/hr-answers-your-questions-about-returning-to-the-office) - I've had the fortune of eating at Club 33 twice; here's an "**Inside Disneyland's VIP Club 33, the Holy Grail of Luxury for Disney Fans**" (which now looks to have several pictures removed) - [More](https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/disney-club-33-disneyland-restaurant) - "**How Work Became an Inescapable Hellhole**" explores how '*technology has created a nonstop barrage of notifications and interactions*.' My simple advice for anyone: **create boundaries** \- [More](https://www.wired.com/story/how-work-became-an-inescapable-hellhole/) - I didn't know the history here, but "**How Ice Cream Became the Ultimate American Comfort Food**" is a fun read on the role that Ice Cream has played throughout the years - [More](https://www.eater.com/22639428/the-secret-history-of-food-excerpt-ice-cream-history) - "**Remember the creepy house from 'The Silence of the Lambs'? Now it's a vacation rental.**". No thank you, I'll pass - [More](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/silence-lambs-house-vacation-rental/2021/09/09/b59e3e34-0c2b-11ec-aea1-42a8138f132a%5Fstory.html) - I love this post: "**Unlearning**." Simplification comes "*you start crystallizing knowledge into those simple core principles from which everything else stems*" - [More](https://www.fabrizio.so/notes/unlearning) ## **Fin** Closing out this week with additional memories of Norm this week from Howard Stern. Be well.