AN OUTSIDER’S PERSPECTIVE
Hey Friends,
I’ve been thinking a lot about the third-person’s perspective — being able to bear witness to events unfolding as if it were from an outside vantage point. What amazing revelations would seem obvious if only we could see this from afar?
Klosterman’s book has been rattling around my head for over a week now, and I still think he hits the nail on the head with this one. The core question, “But What If We’re Wrong?” is as insightful as it is perplexing. How often, throughout history, or even in our own lives, have we considered that question at a critical junction? What are the consequences of this action? What are the risks?
In many senses, it is simply asking us to do an evaluation of the options — to weigh the risks as best we know how — but perhaps deeper than that, it is asking us to imagine a future, and then project ourselves, in our current time and place, into that future. What might that path look like?
My challenge for this week is simple: consider a major, recent life event, and ask yourself “But what if I’m wrong?” and see where that gets you. Maybe you don’t solve world hunger or conquer cancer, but I bet there’s a good chance it changes your perspective. Might even help your relationship too.
For me this week, the answer was simple: it’s always best to assume I’m wrong, and operate as if the world not collapsing due to my actions is a pleasant surprise. (It also really helps make our meetings run smoother)
A bit pessimistic, perhaps. But as an engineer, Murphy’s Law and I have an intimate relationship.
And I know better.
With gratitude,
Brendan
Things I’ve Been Reading, by length:
But What If We’re Wrong? By Chuck Klosterman [272 pages] (4/5)
I wrote about this last week, but holy crap, this book was awesome, in every way that a nerdy, existential, outsider-perspective-on-the-world-and-history-from-the-future can be awesome. But you should probably just go read it. It’s hilarious.
And if you’re not so into reading, which is cool I guess, you can watch Klosterman talk about the book at Google here.
I’m still thinking about this book.
Also his voice is nothing like what I thought it would be, but it’s equally awesome.
Average is Over by Tyler Cowen [304 pages] (??)
I haven’t finished this book yet, so I’ll hold off on the rating for now, but so far I’ve enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Based on the title, the topic, and my general opinion of American economics writers, I thought I would hate this book, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. This book is really thoughtful, and I think the cover art and promotional material actually does it a disservice. It has some amazing points about the direction and trajectory of the American (and likely Western) economy, and why certain trends might continue or change.
More on this to come later, but so far, two thumbs up.
Farnam Street Annual Letter 2017 [20 min read] (4/5)
Shane at Farnam Street is a brilliant writer, curator, and podcaster in his own right, but his annual letter to readers is exceptional. It’s witty, it’s honest, it’s down to earth, and it’s heartfelt. This is what an annual letter should look like, and I’ll be proudly following his lead at the end of year using the same template. I would highly recommend you give it a read, even if you have no idea what FS is (though you probably should).
Something I’ve Been Using:
Instapaper (4/5)
I’ve only just started using Instapaper and I love it.
It’s easier to read articles on it than through their native webpage, and it eliminates ads, pop-ups and other garbage. I love reading articles on it on the subway when I’m heading somewhere, and it works even when I don’t have internet access.
I can’t say for certain if I love it yet, but so far it’s the best solution I’ve found for my habit of endlessly opening tabs on my phone, and then reading them on my laptop as I highlight and take notes.
Something I’ve Been Writing:
The Three Paths [7 min read]
There are three paths to careers, the way I see it: deep, broad, and agile. Which one are you?
A Latte in Paris and New York [3 min read]
There are two types of coffee shop: Paris and New York. You want different experiences at different times — what kind of business do you run?
Serving Temperature [3 min read]
When you serve your product to your customer, are they ready to receive it? Do you get your coffee at the right temperature?
Something I’ve been watching:
Introducing Nintendo Labo (5/5)
Holy shit. This is the future.
It’s Nintendo.
And it’s cardboard.
Wait. Nintendo… is selling cardboard boxes… as toys!?
Brilliant. Utter genius. On so many levels.
Firstly, someone at Nintendo was like “Kids used to play with boxes, and we ship our product in boxes, so why can’t we just make the boxes into the thing kids play with?” Give that girl a raise!
Secondly, manufacturing, distribution, pricing structures, sourcing, and 95% of the crap that goes into making a hardware product hard just went out the window! You ship a flat piece of cardboard to a kid. You sell them the game console they likely already have. Endless hours of entertainment, and the future of play. Unbelievable.
But what I really love about this is how they are finding unobtrusive ways to blend new technology with the way people actually behave. We’ve known that kids love playing with boxes for generations. So why hasn’t anyone made a playable box yet?
And better yet, why couldn’t the box (which doesn’t actually matter, in the grand scheme of things) become a fundamental part of the augmented experience? Playing the piano with a video-guided teacher through your Nintendo Switch is 100% doable now. Pretending to be Optimus Prime with robot arms doesn’t have to be pretending — with a few simple parts, you live and feel being Optimus Prime.
The future of play is augmented. It’s customized. And it’s unobtrusive.
The next big advancement, coming from my perspective in personal manufacturing (3D printing, and the like), will be customizable 3D printed parts. Instead of shipping cardboard boxes, we’ll print fishing rods, housing structures, and action figure accessories, and use VR + AR to bring them to life.
The future of play is changing. Kudos to Nintendo for paving the way.
