Issue 50: Cultura, Subversive Oz and Robot Dreams
Hello!
I know! Surprise Polymathic Monthly edition. And it’s the 50th issue too! What!
It’s been a while since you’ve last heard from me but I can assure you that, while I was not sending this regularly, I kept curating.
We all get too many newsletters (they are now businesses) and I’ve struggled with where a newsletter, that I no longer want to monetize, kicks in. But here we are, I couldn’t resist :)
It’s been a tough year professionally (laid off team members, lost our biggest clients, etc) but an amazing one personally. On the personal front, my wife released her first book ‘Cultura’! Super proud of her! If you are a leader building a culture of belonging or an employee figuring out where you belong at work this book is for you. If you are a leader building a culture of belonging or an employee figuring out where you belong at work, this book is for you. It’s unlike most business books, presenting a fresh perspective on culture + business building. Buy here. https://amzn.to/3TBjLAp
Most of the reads are long and dense. But well worth it…
Enjoy.
Articles
There has been an obvious (maybe even mass) reconsideration of the relationship we have with work Post-pandemic. This viral article, which is now a book for some reason, by Amil Niazi on losing ambition captured it the best https://www.thecut.com/2022/03/post-pandemic-loss-of-ambition.html
What is a good life? A Harvard study purports to have figured it outhttps://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/harvard-happiness-study-relationships/672753/
Every generation says ‘things are not as good as they were in my day’. For our generation, when it comes to products and goods, this is actually true. https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23529587/consumer-goods-quality-fast-fashion-technology. Things cost more but last for shorter periods. We use more plastic (less metal) and more glue (less screws).
We are living in turbulent times. And, consequently, we need to be ever more nuanced but also quite clear in our declarations. This first article by journalist Masha Gessen has caused a firestorm https://www.zeit.de/kultur/2023-12/masha-gessen-rede-hannah-arendt-preis-english?
And in a world where everything now seems to be about AI, it was fascinating to read this Jaron Lanier article claiming there is no AI https://www.newyorker.com/science/annals-of-artificial-intelligence/there-is-no-ai
Are you serious? Is a look at what it possibly takes to do meaningful work. Still figuring this one out. https://visakanv.substack.com/p/are-you-serious?
This diary by a long-Covid sufferer, who is a data designer, was as sad as it was beautiful https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/14/opinion/my-life-with-long-covid.html?
A radical and subversive mainstream movie like The Wizard of Oz couldn’t be made today https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190808-the-subversive-messages-hidden-in-the-wizard-of-oz?
A friends saying that I’ve come to recite to myself is ‘work with the world as it is, not as you want it to be’. The Morgan Housel post articulates that perfectly https://collabfund.com/blog/one-big-web-a-few-ways-the-world-works/?
books about our digital age, book bans, a reframing of the printing press as a tool for kings (against the populace) and our current culture wars. But actually written in 2011. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/02/14/the-information “What we live in is not the age of the extended mind but the age of the inverted self.”
Molly’s Last Ride is a human story about a family, the technologies we use (e-bikes in this story), regulations, DTC and questions we have to answer as a society and as individuals. Questions like who bears responsibility when a tragedy occurs to a loved one using advanced tech. There will be more of these stories. https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a42690937/molly-steinsapir-lawsuit-rad-power-electric-bike/
I stumbled on Hanif Abdurraqib through our shared love of a Tribe Called Quest and his book ‘Go Ahead in the Rain (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1477316485/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_Z7D1H5GXN8KA2ZCD12YV?linkCode=ml2&tag=conne00-20). And I’ve followed him since. His essay about ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ is a brilliant piece that’s as much about grief and salvation and finding his own (um) redemption as it is about the game (and gaming). Must read. https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2023/10/16/were-more-ghosts-than-people/?
Books
I’ve recommended Transitions by William Bridges to at least 5 friends over the last few months. As it was recommended to me by a friend who’s also in the transitory phase of his stellar career. It provides a framework for how we handle transitions (which we confuse with ‘change’) ensuring we handle the end, let the messy middle do what it’s supposed to and defining what we want from our new beginnings. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738285404/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_E9QERFWJ9VHGTHA441H6?linkCode=ml2&tag=conne00-20
Robot Dreams spans the fictional works of Isaac Asimov from the 1940’s to the mid 80’s. Puzzles, thrillers and the extraterrestrial all get their moments. Fantastic and prescient. https://amzn.to/3GWITdi
We live in an age where the word ‘hero’ is bandied around willy nilly. Joseph Campbell’s 1949 book covering modern psychology (of his time, some of which still holds) and comparative mythology (an area that I look to explore further) is a fantastic read for any creative or (frankly) anyone interested in stories and storytelling. https://amzn.to/3RXxQah
Between the tomes and the long read articles you should be ‘reading covered’ for the holidays.
Along with buying Michel’s book (linked here https://amzn.to/3TBjLAp), I have another ask. I’d love to chat with you (next year) if you’re commercializing your infrastructure or deep-tech or developing a go-to-market or funding strategy for your innovation. Startup or BigCo.
Be kind to someone as the year winds down. Even better if it’s someone you haven’t been in touch with for a while. Super extra points if it’s someone you don’t know.
Merry Christmas and I wish you all the very best in 2024!
Seyi