INAUGURAL
10 DEC 2017
Welcome to my inaugural newsletter! I’m going to do my best to send one out once per week with some fun stuff I’ve been reading, working on, using, and/or listening to. I definitely don’t have much of a plan, and will inevitably make this up as I go, but it’s an honour and a privilege to call you a friend.
Thanks for giving me your time and attention so far. I hope I earn it from here on out.
Special hat-tip to Vicky and Isaac for helping me gather the courage to ship this. The first one is always the hardest. This one’s for you guys.
With gratitude,
Brendan
Things I’ve been Reading, by length:
The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath [307 pages] (4/5)
I’m about 30% of the way through this one now despite the fact it is due tomorrow — I guess I have some reading to do this evening — and I’m loving it so far.
It’s a book about how to acknowledge, explore, and make the most of those critical moments that people will remember. This is really a book about how to make memories, delight customers, and manufacture experiences people will want to relive. The Heath brothers have outdone their previous works, which I also really enjoyed (Switch, Made to Stick, Decisive), and continue to manufacture thoughtful reflections on business and life in a fun, easy-reading format.
Would recommend to anyone who is customer-focused or is looking for ways to make the product experience better.
Ignaz Semmelweis has Blood on His Hands [35 min read] (4/5)
From Seth Godin:
“This essay will help you understand what a theory actually is, what happens when the world presents us with a beautifully delineated problem, and what we might choose to do about it.
In today’s tl;dr world, you might be tempted to read a quick summary and then move onto a funny cat video. I hope you’ll slow down for ten minutes and try to imagine what it was like to be Semmelweis, to be surrounded by mysterious disease and death, to spend a moment or two looking into the numbers… and then, if you’re still along for the ride, to imagine what you would have done once you realized that it was you, your hands, your actions, that killed so many mothers and their children…”
Heart-breaking, powerful, and awe-inspiring. This discovery by Semmelweis saved thousands in his lifetime alone, and millions (if not billions) since. Yet, it haunted Semmelweis to his grave. I hope you’ll take an hour to read, contemplate, and empathize with someone who is deserving of everyone’s gratitude. He’s a hero of mine.
To get to where the magic really happens, head to the paragraph half-way down that starts with “On 20 March of the same year”.
AlphaZero Learns Chess [25 min] (4/5)
Yeah, I’m a huge nerd. But holy AI batman, this is nuts. An AI system learns chess in less than a day and outplays the greatest chess engine to date (other than itself) in 100 games without losing.
Ever wonder how long until the robots take over? My bet is pretty soon.
Lots of good videos explaining how AI “learns” as well as some goodies for the chess enthusiasts.
Reading at Work [5 min] (5/5)
As the year comes to a close, I’ve been doing some clean-up at home, around the office and in my personal life. One thing that has sprung up in all 3 categories has been my ever-increasing book lists. I just can’t seem to carve out enough time in the day to read all the books I want to. Maybe that’s a blessing.
As we head into 2018, I’m thinking a lot more about which books I read, and not so much about how many. I’ve decided to do a Mark-Zuckerberg-Oprah-Winfrey-style book club at work, at home, or wherever enthusiastic readers may be (more on this in a future letter).
This list from Seth was a great place to start. I’ve read a few, put down a few, and never heard of some of them.
What if every company had a book club? What could we learn together?
Something I’ve Been Using:
David’s Tea Advent Calendar / Glitter and Gold Titanium Tea (4/5)
Emma’s Dad got us a David’s Tea advent calendar, a very thoughtful housewarming gift and something to ease us into the holiday spirit. One I’ve really enjoyed, unexpectedly, is called Glitter and Gold, and I made the tea and then blended it with a big tablespoon of coconut oil. Wow! What a difference the “thickness” of adding coconut oil made. Game changer.
I’ve also been cutting back on my coffee intake — no coffee in the morning for over a week now! — and feeling pretty good so far! In order to do so I’ve allowed myself as much green tea as one can consume in a day (record so far: 5 cups) but this tea concoction has helped.
Pro-tip: use a milk frother instead of a blender — faster clean-up and 90% of the results.
Something I’ve Been Writing:
Gradient Ascent [3 min]
I ruminate on the implications of living our lives as if we were a particular type of computer algorithm, despite an intuitive inclination that this isn’t in fact the optimal solution. The truth is, it applies to most people, and even those who strive for more fall victim to it. I end with some things to think about if you want to be better.
It’s also my first blog post in a “Seth Godin Blog Post” style.
Project I’ve Been Working On:
@brendanincomplete on Instagram
I started a new Instagram project modelled after Bruce Mau’s Incomplete Manifesto for Growth. I’m taking a picture everyday until the end of the year, one for each line of Bruce’s IMFG, and adding some thoughts at the bottom. Each picture reflects my interpretation of the point, and I’ve had a lot of fun exploring my neighbourhood looking for new perspectives. It would be a pleasure to share it with you.
Something I’ve been listening to:
Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History on Spotify (5/5)
Wow. Just wow. Definitely the best podcast I have listened to this year, and I am not a fan of podcasts. Gladwell takes the classic long-form radio program to elevated heights with thoughtful discussions on a breadth of topics, from historic race issues in the United States, to why Wilt Chamberlain was not the greatest basketball player of all time (but could have been, recommend this episode to start!). I thought I would give it a try and it could be something Emma and I could wind down to after a long day, and proceeded to listen to 2 complete seasons over a 4 day period. Super addicting, would highly recommend.
