Lots going on in tech right now: Facebook had an hours-long outage. Elizabeth Holmes, former CEO of blood-testing startup Theranos is on trial. A Facebook whistle-blower provided internal documents showing Instagram is bad for teen girls. YouTube took steps against climate change misinformation. And to top it all, Captain Kirk (actor William Shatner) is riding a penis-shaped rocket into space, amidst allegations that Blue Origin, maker of that rocket, puts being first over being safe. It’s a great time to be alive.
Of course, all of these are recent news stories that you’ve probably already read about. As such, I want to provide context for those stories, to try and identify information that you, dear reader, can use, which is why they pay me the big bucks.
Unfortunately, many of these big news stories about tech don’t contain such lessons, other than perhaps don’t abuse the trust placed in you. In lieu of big thoughts this month, I’ll try to offer some useful bits that I’ve discovered.
First, consider the weekly newsletter, Recomendo. It offers six “personal recommendations” every week from three people: Mark Fraunfelder, who is behind Boing Boing, “a directory of mostly wonderful things;” Kevin Kelly, founding editor of WIRED magazine; and writer Claudia Dawson. I have found them both interesting and useful. For example, Kevin Kelly recently recommended “Money Stuff,” a Bloomberg Opinion column by Matt Levine, which I’ve been enjoying for several months now, and is my second useful bit for you. (Subscribe at getrevue.co/profile/Recomendo.)
“Money Stuff” offers insider financial information. It may sound boring or uninteresting, and I admit some of it is, but there are several segments in each newsletter, and at least one is usually interesting and (often) entertaining. (Levine is a prolific writer). For example: ”Your job, as an investment banker, is to become close to the people who possess giant piles of money, in the hopes that one day they will do giant deals with their giant piles of money and give you some of it.” Or, referring to the ransomware-as-a-service company BlackMatter: “Why do you use your hacking talents for crime, rather than legally helping companies identify and eliminate vulnerabilities? Well, see, crime pays better.” He also regularly talks about the absurdity of NFTs (which I wrote about here earlier this year). Recommendation: skim for things that interest you, or learn more about finance by reading more deeply. Regardless, a model of the clear exposition of (often) obscure stuff. (Subscribe at bloomberg.com.)
For those in real estate, check out Side Inc. Basically, it provides a lot of the services that a brokerage provides to agents. To quote its website: “Side partners with high-performing agents, teams and indie brokers to transform them into market-leading boutique brands and businesses.” Presently operating in California, Texas, and Florida, this allows top agents to provide the same services to clients that they would normally get via affiliation with a Sotheby’s, RE/Max, or Century 21. For big producers, this seems like a way to enjoy more of the benefits of your prospecting and client service abilities. It also seems like a disruptive business for existing brokerages, potentially “stealing” their best agents. Coffee is for closers. (Check it out at sideinc.com.)
And finally, I haven’t mentioned it, but I had my left hip replaced at the end of August. I’m now pain-free and officially “cleared for normal activity.” I wish I’d done the procedure sooner for two reasons. First, if you have moderate-to-severe osteoarthritis, your joint will continue to degrade. In my case, I held off for 18 months with the aid of steroid injections and gritting my teeth, but eventually, there was no more cartilage and replacement was the only option (other than pain). So, I could have been pain-free 18 months sooner. Second, during those 18 months (and before) I learned adaptive behaviors, which stressed my left knee. Fortunately, now that everything works as it should, my knee is back to normal. Should you need a hip replacement, I highly recommend Dr. Geoffrey Tompkins at Redwood Orthopedic Surgery Associates. He does the procedure frequently, has great outcomes, is considered an expert in the field, and is also a helluva nice guy. Anytime you’re considering a doctor or specialist, Healthgrades (healthgrades.com) is a great place to check them out.
