Rad Reads, Volume 50

Happy New Year, Rad Readers!

From our Rad family to yours, we wish you happiness, health, laughter, and lots of reading for 2016 and beyond. I’m really excited about this week’s reads, a unique mix of history, climate, business introspection, 2016 goals… and Ryan Seacrest. I added a sixth article after learning more about his story and how he shares the Rad Reads Ethos. And please,subscribe a friend (or two)!

Patient Geoengineering, The Long Now — After COP21, one of our Rad Reads reflected upon the aggressiveness of the 1.5˚C degree target, comparing its ambition to an amateur (average time 5 hours 15 minutes) running a marathon in sub 3 hours. This talk looks at Geoengineering, putting small particles into the air to slightly cool the earth’s temperature (like those aluminum tarps they put on car windshields) an approach long neglected in the scientific community. While this approach would not remove the existing carbon in the atmosphere (sadly neither will the stretch goal of zero emissions, as it’s the cumulative impact we are faced with) it could temper some of the weather effects (melting of the ice caps, monsoons) and provide us with a “soft landing” to come up with alternative solutions. It’s also extremely cheap, providing amplified leverage. But how do you get all governments (and their differing incentive/policy schemes) to experiment with a solution whose success would be measured over a 100 year period? Is there a backup plan to course correct if the “unknown unknowns” prove to have a devastating effect? Are there ethical questions about action vs. inaction (like the Trolley Problem, also relevant with driverless cars)? Is mankind ready for the End of Nature? (Podcast and Video Link, 88 mins)

My Complicated Relationship with No Longer Being the CEO — Very rarely does a CEO (Rand Fishkin) relinquish this post, only to stay with the firm as an Individual Contributor (i.e. an employee with no direct reports). And less frequently does one candidly blog about it. How does one balance the lack of authority with the joy of not having endless meetings, direct reports, and investor interactions? As Rand states, “I wanted Moz to be the kind of place I wanted to work, (…) my own little creation where things were weird and different and Rand-like” while his best self (“the version that can be reflective and patient”) knows that the CEO is doing what is best for the company and all of its employees. (Link, 10 mins)

The East India Company: The original corporate raiders, The Guardian — When I think corporate raider, my mind goes straight to Carl Icahn or KKR in Barbarians at the Gate — definitely not Robert Clive. The parallels to today are striking: an unregulated 25 person private company (EIC) uses its influence with the political regime to circumvent regulation when convenient while leveraging the relationship to the crown through army and foreign policy. This is a gem of an article. (Link, 24 mins h/t @Salimah)

The Multitasking Virus and the End of Learning, Tim Ferriss Blog — Josh Waitzkin was a young chess prodigy and the author of the Art of Learning (on our Rad Book list). Here, he talks about perils of multi-tasking and the way in which we are bombarded with information. This prevents us from going deep in our learning, which requires us to engage the subconscious, encouraging creativity and triggering a state of neuroplasticity. He goes further adding that “frenetic skipping leaves little room for relaxation, and thus our reservoir for energetic presence is constantly depleted.” He also encourages parents to nurture their natural curiosity and help them understand their minds. Finally, I’ve been fighting this iPhone compulsion by employing the Pomodoro Technique. (Link, 7 mins h/t @Kajal)

Five Goals to Define the New Year, Stanford GSB Blog — At Rad Reads, we tend to shy from the clickbait-worthy-listicle, but I found some great short pieces. I particularly enjoyed the piece on generating new ideas and the shout-out to the “Rule of 3” in communicating. (Link, 2 mins)

Ryan Seacrest: The Mogul Next Door, NY Times — Who knew that the host of American Idol and producer of the Kardashian series lived the Rad Reads ethos so fervently! He is a natural learner, using his perspective to connect dots across disparate parts of his media empire, always strategizing about back-house opportunities and creating the next annuity. At the minimum, click on the link to see his childhood picture. Seacrest, out! (Link, 7 mins)

Rad Follow-Ups:

• Lara Croft Has Company: More Female Heroes Appear in Big-Budget Games, NY Times (Link)

A Sidebar
I recently read a tweet about the “Third shift” — the practice of “logging on” after putting the kid(s) to sleep. While I recognize that it’s oftentimes necessary to use that time (I mean, those e-mails aren’t going to delete themselves) from experience, I know personally it has felt like “mandatory work hours.” I think this is a dangerous narrative and one that we need to get away from. The same way that being “connected 24/7” doesn’t mean that we need to respond with that frequency. I think that naming this behavior will help us all notice its fixture in our lives — and that we actually have a say in how we choose to respond.

And finally, this piece was one of the links in last issue’s “and finally” section — but I spent a good chunk of Christmas day going through each one of these beautiful visualizations. It’s a Postsecret meets Postal Service piece of artistic genius called Dear Data.

May you all fly to such great heights in 2016 and beyond,

Khe

@khemaridh
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