This edition will cost you 3 quid.
I spent last weekend in the UK attending the Do Lectures Wales where 60 people camp in a field at night and attend talks in a nearby barn during the day. Random highlights:
- Attending such a small conference for such a prolonged time meant that, by the end, you pretty much know everyone at least a little bit.
- I learned that Do is part of the West Wales empire of the remarkable Hiut Denim founder David Hieatt who owned the venue as well as several other businesses in the area.
- It was my first time driving on the left side of the road. Only two almost-accidents!
- I ran into 99U writers Ryan Holiday and David Marquet without even realizing they were attending.
- While driving I stumbled upon the BBC broadcast of "Just a Minute," a game with rules so simple you'll be shocked it's a radio show.
- Mainly: the issues faced by creatives and entrepreneurs are pretty universal, no matter what continent they call home.
To the links!
Tech news start Re/code unexpectedly sold to Vox Media this month. My armchair analysis: Re/code took VC money. Despite making $12 million a year, that level of growth wasn't enough for investors looking for hockey stick growth, so they sold. Let this be lesson #1,345: Bootstrap your media startups, guys.
The media world was atwitter this week when Apple announced a News app that enables publishers to create iOS-friendly articles. This, of course, is on the heels of Facebook's Instant Articles. Both allow publications to push content directly to large existing user bases. Both, unfortunately, are awful ideas for publishers. Most modern (especially niche/vertical) publishers make money by attracting readers with free content and then asking them to pay for something. So what happens when publishers can't control the user experience anymore? They can't ask the readers to pay for anything. Also: Why are we centralizing news distribution within two monolithic tech companies? This will end badly.
Self-promotion corner: Inspired by 99U, a reader is becoming a digital nomad. I think this is neat. PBS Mediashift covers the business model of Technical.ly, the news network I cofounded in 2009.
Three years ago David Graeber wrote one of my favorite essays of all time: Bullshit Jobs. "Ever had the feeling that your job might be made up?" he asks. The crux of the essay is that many of our jobs aren't essential to society, and exist just to keep us working and occupied. Well, um, Europe is just cutting to the chase and creating fake jobs.
Related: During my trip I spoke to several people in the UK who expressed frustration at the European Union. A few days later a few MPs formed a new group with the specific purpose of encouraging UK to leave the EU. Things may get real.
"Wall Street is dying to have these companies go public. Then Wall Street treats them like crap once they’re public." The rise and fall of Twitter CEO Dick Costolo.
In defense of Sepp Blatter: By now you've heard all about the FIFA scandal. It made me wonder: On what legal grounds does the US have to extradite and prosecute citizens of other countries? The Washington Post has a fantastic explainer here. Basically: if a file passes through a US server or a cent passes through a US bank, the US can get involved. However, the Swiss don't have to allow extradition if they don't want to. Sepp Blatter isn't a paragon of human morality, but it seems troublesome if the US were to extradite him. Imagine if the tables were turned and the Swiss extradited an American because a file passed through their servers. None of us would be okay with that, right? And isn't it fishy that, after 17 years of Blatter's reign, the Swiss suddenly woke up to the fact that he's corrupt?
Last week The Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers handily 103-82 in game 4 of the NBA Finals. Most people (myself included) attribute the result to the insertion of veteran (and beloved former Sixer) Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup. What most people don't know is that the idea didn't come from head coach Steve Kerr, it came from a low-ranking Warriors staffer. Also, here's why you should also be cheering for Andre Iguodala, the man often tasked with guarding Lebron James in the most important moments of the season.
Crowdsoured-based product design shop Quirky announced this week it would shut down its manufacturing arm. Just a few weeks ago, The Verge profiled the financial troubles of the NYC-based company. Choice quote: "[Founder Ben Kaufman] wanted to run the company based on the fantasy he thinks it should run on."
We keep talking about a "podcast boom" but the podcasting industry as it stands is sponsored by a relatively few number of companies. In fact, if Squarespace, Stamps.com, Audible, MailChimp, and Dollar Shave Club pulled their marketing dollars, that would wipe out 35 percent in podcaster earnings.
It seems like every week another food exec is blaming Chipotle for declining sales. Like, say, Subway and McDonalds.
Men are less educated, less employed, and more violent than women. Men also still occupy a disproportionate amount of leadership roles. But a rise in gender equality mixed with globalization has a devastating effect on uneducated males.
I constantly find myself chatting with people who think that if they just should quit their job and that would make everything ok. Or the person that thinks that, if they could just take that super-awesome trip, they'd be totally satisfied with life. Drastic action like this is not a panacea. Sometimes, wherever you go, there you are.
It's the day after flag day! To celebrate here's a chart of every American flag. I'd also like to begin a new newsletter tradition: the official newsletter flag (for now). Kicking us off....
Official newsletter flag (for now):
This is the flag of Pembrokeshire, Wales. I was told in Wales that the rose represents the roses of York and Lancaster—also known as the two combatants in the war of the roses. The background is a play on the Flag of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales.
Thanks for reading. I'm flagging you as awesome,
-Sean
Tech news start Re/code unexpectedly sold to Vox Media this month. My armchair analysis: Re/code took VC money. Despite making $12 million a year, that level of growth wasn't enough for investors looking for hockey stick growth, so they sold. Let this be lesson #1,345: Bootstrap your media startups, guys.
The media world was atwitter this week when Apple announced a News app that enables publishers to create iOS-friendly articles. This, of course, is on the heels of Facebook's Instant Articles. Both allow publications to push content directly to large existing user bases. Both, unfortunately, are awful ideas for publishers. Most modern (especially niche/vertical) publishers make money by attracting readers with free content and then asking them to pay for something. So what happens when publishers can't control the user experience anymore? They can't ask the readers to pay for anything. Also: Why are we centralizing news distribution within two monolithic tech companies? This will end badly.
Self-promotion corner: Inspired by 99U, a reader is becoming a digital nomad. I think this is neat. PBS Mediashift covers the business model of Technical.ly, the news network I cofounded in 2009.
Three years ago David Graeber wrote one of my favorite essays of all time: Bullshit Jobs. "Ever had the feeling that your job might be made up?" he asks. The crux of the essay is that many of our jobs aren't essential to society, and exist just to keep us working and occupied. Well, um, Europe is just cutting to the chase and creating fake jobs.
Related: During my trip I spoke to several people in the UK who expressed frustration at the European Union. A few days later a few MPs formed a new group with the specific purpose of encouraging UK to leave the EU. Things may get real.
"Wall Street is dying to have these companies go public. Then Wall Street treats them like crap once they’re public." The rise and fall of Twitter CEO Dick Costolo.
In defense of Sepp Blatter: By now you've heard all about the FIFA scandal. It made me wonder: On what legal grounds does the US have to extradite and prosecute citizens of other countries? The Washington Post has a fantastic explainer here. Basically: if a file passes through a US server or a cent passes through a US bank, the US can get involved. However, the Swiss don't have to allow extradition if they don't want to. Sepp Blatter isn't a paragon of human morality, but it seems troublesome if the US were to extradite him. Imagine if the tables were turned and the Swiss extradited an American because a file passed through their servers. None of us would be okay with that, right? And isn't it fishy that, after 17 years of Blatter's reign, the Swiss suddenly woke up to the fact that he's corrupt?
Last week The Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers handily 103-82 in game 4 of the NBA Finals. Most people (myself included) attribute the result to the insertion of veteran (and beloved former Sixer) Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup. What most people don't know is that the idea didn't come from head coach Steve Kerr, it came from a low-ranking Warriors staffer. Also, here's why you should also be cheering for Andre Iguodala, the man often tasked with guarding Lebron James in the most important moments of the season.
Crowdsoured-based product design shop Quirky announced this week it would shut down its manufacturing arm. Just a few weeks ago, The Verge profiled the financial troubles of the NYC-based company. Choice quote: "[Founder Ben Kaufman] wanted to run the company based on the fantasy he thinks it should run on."
We keep talking about a "podcast boom" but the podcasting industry as it stands is sponsored by a relatively few number of companies. In fact, if Squarespace, Stamps.com, Audible, MailChimp, and Dollar Shave Club pulled their marketing dollars, that would wipe out 35 percent in podcaster earnings.
It seems like every week another food exec is blaming Chipotle for declining sales. Like, say, Subway and McDonalds.
Men are less educated, less employed, and more violent than women. Men also still occupy a disproportionate amount of leadership roles. But a rise in gender equality mixed with globalization has a devastating effect on uneducated males.
I constantly find myself chatting with people who think that if they just should quit their job and that would make everything ok. Or the person that thinks that, if they could just take that super-awesome trip, they'd be totally satisfied with life. Drastic action like this is not a panacea. Sometimes, wherever you go, there you are.
It's the day after flag day! To celebrate here's a chart of every American flag. I'd also like to begin a new newsletter tradition: the official newsletter flag (for now). Kicking us off....
Official newsletter flag (for now):
This is the flag of Pembrokeshire, Wales. I was told in Wales that the rose represents the roses of York and Lancaster—also known as the two combatants in the war of the roses. The background is a play on the Flag of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales.Thanks for reading. I'm flagging you as awesome,
-Sean
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