Weekly Review #152 - Psychotic or Pious? America after Meritocracy, and Potluck as a name
My grandma wrote me a check for $50. Great, right? Wrong. As a member of the Venmo generation, cashing this check was one of the most needlessly complicated things I can remember doing. I had to:
1) Sign the back of the check (touchscreens outnumber pens in my life)
2) Locate my checkbook, look up how it works, write the check number, amount, and date down (buried in back of closet)
3) Buy an envelope and stamp from the post office (last time I went to a post office....2014?)
4) Address the envelope to my bank, and find a mailbox to drop it in (thankfully those things are everywhere but I've never noticed them before)
Phew! Poor Grandma's been waiting weeks for me so she can balance her checkbook. There must be a startup that does this for you by now?
Also, I read Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer and it was great. He set out to write a book about faith and ended up zooming in on Mormons, since they have the most well-documented history, and a fundamental tenant of revelations direct from God (leading to dogmatic paradoxes - did God tell me or the priest the truth?)
Very thought provoking - is the zealot psychotic or just pious? What's the difference?
Tech
Artpaper - best random paintings for different screens — twopeoplesoftware.com
Get cultured with random art pieces as your desktop background, one a day.
Work From a Stranger’s House - Hoffice
Hoffice is grassroots coworking, in houses, with 45 minute work periods, 15 minute playtimes, and everyone being accountable to one another. Cool!
Lifehacks
I’m 25 years old today, and here's why I'm Potluck
My friend Pulak legally changed his name to Potluck, because it's easier to say and more fun. Love his twisting of the name institution and self-determination spirit!
Long read review of Twilight of the Elites: America after Meritocracy arguing that the book didn't go far enough: meritocracy isn't just gone - it never existed. Radical author with some solid points: don't paid SAT courses make entry examination results fundamentally pro-rich?
Want to Meet Influential New Yorkers? Invite Them to Dinner - The New York Times — www.nytimes.com
This guy aggressively recruits influential New Yorkers to his dinners, then makes them cook the meal, and guess who is who. Then he adds them all to a private rolodex so they can meet everyone else whose ever been to a dinner. Intriguing process!
Interview with Noah Kagan: SumoMe’s Secret Sauce for Productivity
Hire good people and leave them alone. Prioritize ruthlessly. Focus on the big wins and ignore the rest
What 25 Entrepreneurs, Investors and Celebrities Wish They Knew at the Age of 25
People are everything. Chill out. It's all gonna be okay. Apple's a good bet.
Fun
The Second Presidential Debate
Hilarious transcription of the second debate. Worth a laugh.