On Recent Events and Battles We Know Nothing About
My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone that is affected by the recent shootings. To help in our own way, we’re working on a story that presents new uses of technology, social media, real world training protocols, non-lethal weapons, etc… to end police shootings. There are pragmatic and affordable solutions waiting to be articulated and implemented that will save the lives of both citizens and police officers.
Onto lighter subjects…. Summer is in full swing here in California. It seems like every time I walk outside there are hummingbirds zooming by my head. I’ve continued commissioning new stories for The Mission, and on boarding new writers. We’re laying a solid foundation for what The Mission will become.
Here’s a snapshot of the media I enjoyed this week, that was worth sharing:
Articles
The emotional arcs of stories are dominated by six basic shapes is a research paper showing what Vonnegut (and so many others) intuitively knew… that the same story structures show up in stories again and again. It’s funny that science is finally catching up to, “confirm it.” This research paper is only the start of what’s coming for stories. When new technologies that (unobtrusively) measure reader interest are combined with better natural language processing, small teams will be empowered to create new, long-lasting myths. As I told my friend Micah, “the CRISPR of stories is coming.” I can neither confirm nor deny my involvement in building such a thing :)
It’s hard to stomach… but how much of what we purchase or own is the result of theft via “business” deals between corrupt corporations and governments?
Book
I re-read Travels by Michael Crichton this week. This is one of the most unique auto-biographies I’ve ever encountered. And it passes George Orwell’s test, “Autobiography is only to be trusted when it reveals something disgraceful. A man who gives a good account of himself is probably lying, since any life when viewed from the inside is simply a series of defeats.”
Crichton wrote this autobiography when he was only forty five. He was a pioneer, to put it mildly. Decades ago, his works spanned and investigated: VR, drones, genomics, medically resurrecting extinct species, chaos theory, unexplainable mental powers, risk engineering, calling out large portions of medicine as frauds, viruses from space, championing the power of direct experience, outlining both the downsides and the upsides of the internet and computers, warning that popular ideas could metastasize into politically correct religions, the list goes on… Travels is a fresh look at an artist moving both inside and outside the culture and finding himself along the way.
Note: for die hard fans only — there seem to be clues that Crichton started a second autobiography before his death, as well as a novel based around the education system. I’m hoping that (if these ideas are ready for the light of day) the Foundation preserving his work decides to share them.
Music
If you need some background music to help you stay focused and get work done, there are few composers better suited to aid you than Max Richter. Checkout Recomposed: Vivaldi — The Four Seasons.
Podcast
The Long Now Foundation- Algorithms to Live By, By Brian Christian offers an interesting primer on decision making with the help of statistics, game theory, and data science.
From knowing when to settle down with a spouse, to deciding on apartments or other purchases, there are broad life applications for the research done by Christian and his co-workers.
Audio
The LNF Podcast intrigued me enough to get the Algorithms to Live By audiobook.
It’s a great listen, and I think that in the near future, we’ll be making many of our everyday decisions with the help of these models.
Videos
“Do all of your cells get switched out for new ones every seven years or so? Does anything remain with you throughout your entire life?” –NPR
Quote
“The original and natural idea of knowledge is that of cunning, or the possession of wits. Odysseus is the original type of thinker, a man of many ideas, who could overcome the cyclops and achieve a significant triumph of mind over matter. Knowledge is thus the capacity for overcoming the difficulties of life and achieving success in this world.”
And with that dear reader, it’s time to part ways this week. Remember that no matter what kind of events might unfold in the news, that each of us still wields agency to make changes. Throughout this week, every one of us will (knowingly or unknowingly) interact with someone who is deeply troubled or affected by the recent events. Whether it’s coworkers, friends, family, strangers, or even authorities, we have the power to smile. We have the power to suspend judgement, and to look everyone in the eye and say, “hello.”
The recent shootings have been traumatic for everyone, and as we interact with others this week, it might be helpful to reflect on this often quoted (yet so hard to implement) cliche,
“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle that you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.”
If you enjoyed this newsletter, let us know by recommending it, or sharing with a friend. To subscribe, just click “follow.” If there is something you’d like to see more of in the newsletter, or types of articles you’d like to see published in The Mission, click respond and let us know!
