Epic essay on TikTok and its content engine from Eugene Wei.
Links
A running list of links I find worthwhile, RSS feed included. Previously these were saved to Pinboard but more recently they're saved directly to this site through a simple WordPress plugin. This section of the site is still a work-in-progress.
How data analysis can enrich the liberal arts →
Data science has come to fields within the liberal arts, though it’s not without its downsides or issues. Interesting how it’s challenged some conventional wisdom.
February 27, 2021 Economist, liberal arts
Here comes the judge →
Jeff Jarvis writes about the need for an expression of higher-level principles in content policy and moderation, especially in the context of Facebook’s Oversight Board.
February 27, 2021 Facebook
No Meetings, No Deadlines, No Full-Time Employees →
Sahil Lavingia, founder of Gumroad, writes about the company’s atypical approach to getting work done. The part-time only approach is particularly interesting for the kind of business they want to build.
February 23, 2021 startups, work
In the New Cold War, Deindustrialization Means Disarmament →
A lot to unpack within this Foreign Policy piece about manufacturing within the United States, from natural resources to labor to industrial skills.
February 23, 2021 China, manufacturing
The Unspoken Hard Bits of Bootstrapping →
Geoff Roberts shares a thorough overview of his experience 4 years into building a bootstrapped SaaS business.
February 23, 2021 startups
Newsletters →
The popularity of newsletters is because blogs are hard to create, lack a notification system, and are difficult to be paid through. Fun, quirky (and visual) essay.
January 20, 2021 newsletters, publishing
Michael Mauboussin: The Return of a Decision-Making Jedi →
- For any given task or decision you need to balance your experience and base rates. The more luck is involved the more you should rely on base rates; the more skill is involved the more you should rely on your experience.
- Length of time in a field does not equate to depth of expertise.
- People in the United States (at least with today’s lifestyle) require 30x more energy consumption than their mass alone would suggest.
January 17, 2021 decisions, interviews, podcast
Tyler Cowen on “The Portal” →
Great in-depth discussion between Tyler Cowen and Eric Weinstein that ranges across a variety of topics (from terrorism and war to music theory and The Beatles).
January 17, 2021 interviews, podcast, Tyler Cowen
15 rules for blogging →
Great advice from Matt Webb about effective blogging. As applicable for any long-time blogger as they are for someone just starting out.
January 6, 2021 blogging