Eliud Kipchoge: Inside the camp, and the mind, of the greatest marathon runner of all time
He’s the greatest marathoner in history, a national hero in Kenya, and an icon for runners around the world. But despite his fame and wealth, Eliud Kipchoge chooses to live the most basic lifestyle. Cathal Dennehy travels to the highlands of Kenya for an inside look at his training camp and to meet a champion with a quiet, complex personality
Featured today on takingchildrenseriously.com: Coercion has unpredictable unintended consequences 👶🏻 Does leaving your baby to ‘cry it out’ teach self-soothing—or learnt helplessness? 🧠 The unintended consequences of objectifying a child’s education ⚛️ Mainstream management of pre-verbal children can have unfortunate unintended consequences 🧬 Potential unintended consequences of using coercion as a ‘solution’ to behavioural problems 🥶 Limiting your children’s scr…
This legendary page from an internal IBM training in 1979 could not be more appropriate for our new age of AI. ![A COMPUTER CAN NEVER BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. THEREFORE A …
I’ve been seriously traveling for more than 50 years, and I’ve learned a lot. I’ve traveled solo, and I’ve led a tour group of 40 friends. I’ve slept in dormitories and I’ve stayed in presidential suites with a butler. I’ve … Continue reading →
A Dozen Things I’ve Learned from Nassim Taleb about Optionality/Investing
1. “Optionality is the property of asymmetric upside (preferably unlimited) with correspondingly limited downside (preferably tiny).” Venture capital, when practiced properly by a top …
SIX at 6: Mundane Excellence, Comfortable Torture, A Dividing Line, The Reality of Creativity, Peanuts, and Paul Graham - Billy Oppenheimer
The Mundanity of Excellence In the early 1980’s, the sociologist Daniel Chambliss spent five years studying swimmers at every level of ability. He visited learn-to-swim programs, coached a regional swim team, and traveled with the U.S. Olympic Team. Then in 1989, he published his research in a paper titled, “The Mundanity of Excellence.” Essentially, Chambliss […]
Here's a framework for letting it go (whatever “it” is) - SoCurious
1. Feel it fully. Name the emotion: “I am feeling ____.” Let it rise and intensify—don’t try to tame it. But be careful not to project it onto someone else. 2. Rest. Give yourself space to pause. 3. Process the emotion. Write, cry, talk it out, move, listen to music that resonates. Clean your space, nourish your body—anything […]
A few nights ago a friend and I were talking about the moment when someone shows you their texts with their crush and asks you to analyze it with them, i.e.
When I was in the eleventh grade, I went on a field trip to the University of Miami to hear a very aged Robert Frost read his poetry. After listening to his melodic recitation, I went up to meet hi…
Discover the world’s top Bitcoin holders in River’s inaugural Top 21 List. In 2024, the top holders own 2.3M BTC, comprising 11% of the total bitcoin supply.
Woody Guthrie’s Doodle-Filled List of 33 New Year’s Resolutions From 1943
On January 1, 1943, the American folk music legend Woody Guthrie jotted in his journal a list of 33 “New Years Rulin's.' Nowadays, we'd call them New Year's Resolutions. Adorned by doodles, the list is down to earth by any measure.
Sketchplanations - Simplifying complex ideas in sketches
The Three Bricklayers’ story illustrates the power of purpose. What is the 3 Bricklayers Story? A simple version goes that a person walked past a building project and asked three workers the same question: “What are you doing?” The first replied, “I’m laying bricks.” The second replied, “I’m building a wall.” And the third replied, “I’m creating a cathedral.” The story highlights how we can view our work differently depending on whether we focus on the immediate task, the short-term goal, or the larger vision. The first worker focuses on the task at hand, the second sees the outcome of their work, and the third connects to the broader purpose of the project. Various tellings have the first worker hunched over or working slowly. The second and third workers take increasing pride in their work, often achieving more. Finding Balance in Work There’s value in all three perspectives. There can be a lot of pride and skill in laying bricks—or whatever your equivalent task is—as well as it can be done. Setting clear, intermediate goals keeps progress on track. And someone who spends all their time looking at plans or daydreaming about what the building will become may not lay bricks as well as they need to. To do something well, we probably need a balance of all three aspects: Pride and skill in detail and craft Progress through clear intermediate goals Vision and meaning for our work Understanding what I’m working towards and believing it’s worthwhile is a powerful motivator for me when the going gets tough. This post isn’t really about cathedrals, but I studied the brilliant Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí in my teens. As a real-life cathedral metaphor, his incredible Basílica de la Sagrada Família in Barcelona is a striking example. Gaudí’s vision for the basilica has inspired generations of artisans and workers since he took over the project in 1882. Execution, however, has been a challenge, with construction ongoing today. But that hasn’t stopped it from inspiring and drawing in visitors for decades. I like the three bricklayers parable as a reminder that when I’m grinding on something, it helps to reconnect with the why behind my effort. Origins of the 3 Bricklayers Parable Like many parables, this story has been told in different forms. An early version appears in Bruce Barton’s 1927 book What Can a Man Believe (p252), featuring Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of St Paul’s Cathedral in London after the Great Fire of 1666. “One morning he passed among the workmen, most of whom did not know him, and of three different men engaged in the same kind of work he asked the same question: ‘What are you doing?’ From the first he received the answer: ‘I am cutting this stone.’ From the second the answer was: ‘I am earning three shillings and six pence a day.’ But the third man straightened up, squared his shoulders, and holding his mallet in one hand and chisel in the other, proudly replied: ‘I am helping Sir Christopher Wren to build this great cathedral.’” It’s hard to believe it happened, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be helpful. Related Ideas to the 3 Bricklayers Story Also see: Autonomy Mastery Purpose The Blind and the Elephant Hope Flow Goldilocks Tasks Find Your Why Not The Story Spine Forcing Function
LEGO interface panels are beautiful, iconic, and great for learning interface design basics. I bought 52 of them from BrickLink to explore the design, layout and organisation of complex interfaces.
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