Hello Kings and Queens,
This month I have a short list of links for you.
I found Derek Sivers’ description of building a house on an “as needed” plan really interesting (“Do I really need a kitchen?”). The book that inspired him, Stewart Brand’s How Buildings Learn is a good one that I recommend. A while back I saved this page from the book, as an example of building a house in an “Agile” way without preplanning:
I think the implications of Brand’s attitude were something like: if you’re building a house gradually, without all the money upfront, make a plan that allows you to build the bathroom, kitchen, and everything else around it.
Derek Sivers’ writing is a very seductive writer. Especially to young men. But I feel that his mind is like that of a boy who’s never grown up and never took on responsibilities. I mean, he’s the primary parent to his son so that’s a big responsibility, but something about his mentality still seems stunted to me.
Jelly Star – a tiny phone that won’t ravage your jeans pocket (I’m looking at you, my clownishly big Samsung phone!).
Christian Cleberg has a great blog post about The Night Feeling, that reflects a lot of my own feelings about the nighttime. I like that the night puts a twist on a familiar place and makes it fun to re-experience. Kind of like taking a favourite song you’re tired of, and giving it a re-listen as a remix or a slowed-down version that’s just different enough to keep it fresh.
Christian also has an interesting “Salary Disclosure” page on his site. I’ve never seen such a thing before!
My Friend Aaron – a great piece about a young man who sets out to create his own Prediction Market using AI agents.
I’ll leave you with a couple of pictures.
In August, I spent some time in the Canadian city of Niagara Falls. Away from the central strip, where the sidewalk begins to warp and big empty lots start to appear, there is a Shreddies factory. I was passing by the dilapidated houses nearby when the smell of ten pigeons hit me. Then, I saw movement in my peripheral vision. On the ground, as tall as my knee, sat a red-tailed hawk. It was finishing off a big fat rat. It was the closest I’ve been to a bird this large. It didn’t like me hanging around so it flew off to finish its prey on the top of a Shreddies transport truck.
