E08: Robber Barons, Middlemen, Winners and more
For some of us, today is the prelude to Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year when we ask our maker for forgiveness. Through meaningful prayer, fasting and compliance we hope to stave off bad decrees and we “sealed in the good book” for another year to come.
I was reading a short story this morning by Josh Malina (of West Wing andScandal fame) who talked about what hitting rock bottom was like for him. Owning that feeling and using it to become a better all-around-person is so important for me and perhaps for us all.
May we all have a meaningful day tomorrow and a happy, healthy and successful year!
~Dave
Wired: Why a VR Game About Flirting Is as Scary as a Horror Game
“Nothing was happening — nothing — and I was as riveted as I’ve ever been in a game. The real power of VR may lie in its ability to foster quiet intimacy so realistic it’s unsettling.”
Medium: The Book I Always Recommend to First-Time Managers
This post is a great cliff notes for “First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently” by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. The author then took the “12 Questions” and remade them for his own team further building of that foundation.
The Atlantic: A financial check-in with the Gilded Age’s richest families, several generations later
“90 percent of all rich families, from the Astors to the Ziffs, lose their fortunes by the third generation. This is remarkable, considering how comparatively easy it is to retain wealth once you have it.”
Business Insider: The way Walt Disney inspired his team to make ‘Snow White’
“To prepare for the more dramatic scenes, Disney had his staff throw heavy objects through glass windows and watch them shatter.”
Priceonomics: The Man Who Got No Whammies
This is a great long read about the man who beat 80’s game show sensation, Press Your Luck, by figuring out its patterns.
“On another occasion, he registered a business under a family member’s name, hired himself as an employee, then fired himself to collect unemployment benefits.”
Fun video of the week…
“Cuerdas”
This is wonderful, yet tearful animated short. In fact, the first time I watched this, it was the Spanish only version (which I do not speak) and was still totally crying by the end.
Until next week :)
-Dave
