Strictly Curious Newsletter №71
Good morning! These are strange times that we find ourselves in, and it’s my job to offer up some distractions from the madness around us.
Stay calm (it is good for you!)
Top News
How tech is responding: Netflix announces $100M relief fund after TV and film production halted. Link Facebook announces $100M grant program for small businesses. Link Grubhub announces it will temporarily forgo $100 million in commissions on the meals it delivers from independent restaurants as a way of helping those businesses contend with the coronavirus epidemic. The delivery service also pledged to establish a fund to assist drivers and restaurants whose incomes have dropped because of the crisis. Link
Remote working: LocalGlobe and Latitude created a very useful guide for remote working (must read!). Link
Leadership: When in doubt, leaders should ask questions. Inquisitive leaders receive something even better than a good answer: a bump in credibility. Link
Innovation: Netflix party is a browser extension that lets you chat with friends while self-isolating. Link
Online class: Yale’s most popular class ever (The Science of Well-Being) is now available for free online — and the topic is how to be happier in your daily life. Link
Cash Flow: How to grow your business in a downturn. There’s no need to panic. Stay calm and take these steps to inevitably end up on top-and even do some good in the process. Link
E-commerce: Amazon seeks to hire 100,000 to keep up with surge in orders. Link
Innovation: The world’s 50 most innovative companies (by Fast Company Magazine). Link
Tech Trends: The flying taxi market may be ready for takeoff, changing the travel experience forever. Link
Start-up fundraising: DocSend’s new pre-seed data shows how many founders you should have and how many investors you should meet. Link
YouTube: The 2020 YouTube League has revealed 2020’s best-paid YouTubers. 4 and 6-Year-Old duo tops the list of top-paid YouTubers, with $64 million in earnings. Link
Startups: TechNation (UK) published a great report on UK startups. Link
Blog Posts
Family: The art of socializing during a quarantine. Being cooped up at home will likely prompt feelings of loneliness no matter what, but these strategies might help make the experience less stifling. Link
Psychology: Handling your kid’s disappointment when everything is cancelled. School and events are shutting down, impacting children in unexpected ways. Here’s how to deal with the letdown. Link
Well-being: The upside of walking a dog. Link
Success: Hard work isn’t enough: How to find your edge. Link
Interesting Numbers
Remote working: Microsoft Teams hits 44 million active users, new features on the way. Link
Electric Vehicles: Elon Musk congratulates Tesla on making 1 million electric cars. Link
History is the best teacher: This chart of the 1918 Spanish flu shows why social distancing works. Link
Video: The Unique Airbnb Fund
Airbnb is giving 10 people $100,000 each to build the most unconventional Airbnb they can dream up. Whether it’s a new idea or a restoration plan, send us your pitch and tell us why you believe it belongs in the world.
Entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on April 15, 2020.
Detours
Adventures: How Mount Everest became a multimillion-dollar business. Growing crowds have turned the world’s tallest mountain into a valuable commercial asset. But where’s all the money going? Link
Career and Success: 10 tips for giving effective virtual presentations. What to know before you go live. Link
Video conferencing: How to hide your messy room for a Zoom video conference. If you’re working from home, you may not need to clean up for that meeting. Link
Health & Fitness: How to eat healthy while stuck in your house. Let your pantry be an ally, not an adversary. Link
Streaming: Metropolitan Opera, after shutting its doors, will offer free streams. Link
Retail Therapy
Virtually tour 500+ museums & galleries. Link
Contemplation
“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.”
(Ram Dass)
