Week 60
Dear Reader,
I guess this week's theme is that during COVID we can continue to focus on our personal growth systems in fitness and productivity, think about where the Valley is heading and enjoy our traditional sports in a new esports context.
Stay safe & strong.
1/ #roamcult
TL:DR; Roam is going to make Notion better
Roam is a new personal note-taking tool that helps you maintain a "second brain". It doesn't have a great design or fancy features, but it has this idea of bi-directional linking that makes it really easy to create highly inter-linked and tagged information. Initially I wanted to share this with you because I've started to depend on this tool in a matter of days. This post by Nat Eliason explains how to use Roam to power a second brain.
What's become more interesting for me now is actually their go-to market positioning. There is even a Twitter account for Roam Cult and the Founder has been quick to embrace Rich Hickey memes, attracting a particular kind of community.
I'm still rooting for Notion and I think Roam have helped them to think about a useful new feature - I can't wait for bi-directional links to hit Notion.
2/ Movement Culture
TL:DR; There is no fitness without mobility
As I'm diving deeper into my bodyweight training journey, I've discovered some interesting resources along the way. First this skill tree for bodyweight training that I've been using as a training guide and tracker: https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/az79av/new_and_improved_bodyweight_fitness_progression/.
Second is this summary of Ido Portal's Movement Culture methodology, which introduces and emphasizes mobility into bodyweight training. Relevant for anyone who trains to improve their health and longevity and the "prehab" and mobility routines are very well curated. If you're like me it will take you some time to truly appreciate and devote time to mobility but once you do, you won't look back.
Third is this excellent podcast with Chris Sommer and Tim Ferris on why mobility is essential to strength development.
3/ Fundamental theory of Physics
TL:DR; Stephen Wolfram is the master of personal leverage.
Could a physicist decide early on to focus on building a computer to do physics for him? Could they spend decades turning that computer into a company with hundreds of employees? And could he then turn back and try to develop a Fundamental Theory of Physics? This is what Stephen Wolfram is doing and its incredibly exciting even if the avenue ultimately proves lacking.
4/ A tale of Two Silicon Valleys
TL:DR; Silicon Valley is splitting in two and you want to be on the side of innovation.
John Luttig's piece When Tailwinds Vanish is a gem explaining that Silicon Valley has been predicating its growth on massive internet market expansion which is now slowing.
It's becoming clear that Silicon Valley will bifurcate into people that will chase the old dream, long gone and focus on zero-sum games in software. There will also be people who will continue looking for new fields and new platforms like biology, crypto and others. This is something I've been struggling to articulate when explaining why I'm now in "crypto" not in "technology".
Some of the most exciting things in Silicon Valley originated in home brew computer clubs and other informal networks of tinkerers when there was no market. Crypto meetups and gatherings still feel like this with people discussing substance not high-level aspects. Recognizing these fields is hard but one of the ways to do it is to look for things that a lot of people still don't believe in or don't pay attention to.
5/ The rise of esports
TL:DR; Whatever sport you used to follow IRL is now on Twitch
My favorite sports to watch recently have been esports and endurance events like Iron Man World Championships and UTMB. The two worlds of esports and traditional sports are merging in interesting ways right now. I've watched F1 esports, cycling esports in Zwift and attended a Travis Scott concert in Fortnite. An optimistic sign for remote entertainment and something to pass the time with while we wait.