Mind = Blown
Hello from LA! I'm on the left coast for Adobe MAX, and this Thursday and Friday I'll be in SF on 99U business. If you live in SF and would like to say hi, let me know!
Now, on to the links:
This will blow your mind: There are more galaxies than grains of sand on planet Earth. So, um, where is everybody? Why haven't we discovered life out there? Or why haven't they discovered us? This is Fermi paradox. One solution: There's a "great filter" — an event that eradicates civilizations before they get too advanced to explore deep space. What's that event? It could be anything, but a group of scientists think that life on Earth could be wiped out at any time with a well-timed Gamma Ray burst. Enjoy your day!
Ever hear of Dunbar's number? It's the amount of people you can maintain a relationship with. Most people have it around 150. Then are circles get smaller by a factor of three. We then have about 50 close friends. 15 friends who would give you sympathy if you needed it. Then 5 close friends. So, um, what happens when you introduce social media into the equation?
This story in FastCo about the new digital strategy of the New Yorker was passed around a bit. In short: the mag upped time on site and pageviews by 23%. The elephant in the room (mentioned briefly in the piece): the magazine also opened up its longform archives for free — this likely led to the stats jump. Which brings us to the hidden undertone of "success story" articles like this: oftentimes, nobody really knows what leads to traffic jumps.
Two years ago Andrew Sullivan went indy. So how's he feeling? Pessimistic.
Daniel Denvir: In 2013–14, the School District of Philadelphia had 6,321 fewer staff than it did at the end of 2011. A photo of an assaulted student lying in his own blood was widely circulated on social media. In September, a 6th grade student died of an apparent asthma attack after falling sick at a school with no nurse on duty. Philly schools are beyond crisis mode. How bad are things and how did Philly get there?
There is a long-standing feud between Baltimore and Philadelphia about who can "claim" Edgar Allen Poe. You know where I stand. But it looks like Boston is entering the fray. Thing is, he really hated beantown.
RECOMMENDATION: I just finished the book "Excellent Sheep" by William Deresiewicz. The book advocates a change in our educational system, especially in the college ranks and especially at the Ivies. The author contends that we're just churning out robotic master test-takers on quests to work in finance or law who have a"violent aversion to risk" and never take a step back and forge their own path. To me, this explains the crisis of confidence that hits most students after graduation. "College grads should wander more and get off the treadmill that they attach their self-worth to." Deresiewicz writes: "How about just wandering, literally or metaphorically, or holing up and reading somewhere? How about getting a lousy apartment with a bunch of friends (or a bunch of strangers who need another roommate) and supporting yourself with a part-time job?" The book is divisive, and relies a lot on anecdotes rather than hard science. But it's worth a read, especially if you know (or are) a frustrated young person.
-- Currently reading: "Zero to One."
Journalism, like tech startups, has a diversity problem. Journalism startup Buzzfeed posts how they hope to get better. One interesting action item: When hiring, get out of the normal network.
Great content marketing is hard to find. Bevel has it down.
A bunch of economists agree that Uber is good for the economy. But it was a survey and not a formal study so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I'm sure you've heard of Ello, the anti-Facebook social network built on a rambling no-advertising manifesto (which are all the rage). Aral Balkan points out the hypocrisy of the company: they accepted venture capital money under the radar. And there's usually only one way that ends.
Elizabeth Spiers on writing and personal branding: Writing for yourself is not the same thing as writing for free.
How much does a kilogram weigh? Technically 0.000006% less than before. Sometimes.
Sean Blanda: giving designers headaches since 1986.
As always, thanks for making space in your inbox for this little newsletter.
--Sean
Now, on to the links:
This will blow your mind: There are more galaxies than grains of sand on planet Earth. So, um, where is everybody? Why haven't we discovered life out there? Or why haven't they discovered us? This is Fermi paradox. One solution: There's a "great filter" — an event that eradicates civilizations before they get too advanced to explore deep space. What's that event? It could be anything, but a group of scientists think that life on Earth could be wiped out at any time with a well-timed Gamma Ray burst. Enjoy your day!
Ever hear of Dunbar's number? It's the amount of people you can maintain a relationship with. Most people have it around 150. Then are circles get smaller by a factor of three. We then have about 50 close friends. 15 friends who would give you sympathy if you needed it. Then 5 close friends. So, um, what happens when you introduce social media into the equation?
This story in FastCo about the new digital strategy of the New Yorker was passed around a bit. In short: the mag upped time on site and pageviews by 23%. The elephant in the room (mentioned briefly in the piece): the magazine also opened up its longform archives for free — this likely led to the stats jump. Which brings us to the hidden undertone of "success story" articles like this: oftentimes, nobody really knows what leads to traffic jumps.
Two years ago Andrew Sullivan went indy. So how's he feeling? Pessimistic.
Daniel Denvir: In 2013–14, the School District of Philadelphia had 6,321 fewer staff than it did at the end of 2011. A photo of an assaulted student lying in his own blood was widely circulated on social media. In September, a 6th grade student died of an apparent asthma attack after falling sick at a school with no nurse on duty. Philly schools are beyond crisis mode. How bad are things and how did Philly get there?
There is a long-standing feud between Baltimore and Philadelphia about who can "claim" Edgar Allen Poe. You know where I stand. But it looks like Boston is entering the fray. Thing is, he really hated beantown.
RECOMMENDATION: I just finished the book "Excellent Sheep" by William Deresiewicz. The book advocates a change in our educational system, especially in the college ranks and especially at the Ivies. The author contends that we're just churning out robotic master test-takers on quests to work in finance or law who have a"violent aversion to risk" and never take a step back and forge their own path. To me, this explains the crisis of confidence that hits most students after graduation. "College grads should wander more and get off the treadmill that they attach their self-worth to." Deresiewicz writes: "How about just wandering, literally or metaphorically, or holing up and reading somewhere? How about getting a lousy apartment with a bunch of friends (or a bunch of strangers who need another roommate) and supporting yourself with a part-time job?" The book is divisive, and relies a lot on anecdotes rather than hard science. But it's worth a read, especially if you know (or are) a frustrated young person.
-- Currently reading: "Zero to One."
Journalism, like tech startups, has a diversity problem. Journalism startup Buzzfeed posts how they hope to get better. One interesting action item: When hiring, get out of the normal network.
Great content marketing is hard to find. Bevel has it down.
A bunch of economists agree that Uber is good for the economy. But it was a survey and not a formal study so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I'm sure you've heard of Ello, the anti-Facebook social network built on a rambling no-advertising manifesto (which are all the rage). Aral Balkan points out the hypocrisy of the company: they accepted venture capital money under the radar. And there's usually only one way that ends.
Elizabeth Spiers on writing and personal branding: Writing for yourself is not the same thing as writing for free.
How much does a kilogram weigh? Technically 0.000006% less than before. Sometimes.
Sean Blanda: giving designers headaches since 1986.
As always, thanks for making space in your inbox for this little newsletter.
--Sean
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