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Unbundling Digital Identity Unlocks New Ways to Play and Build

Technologies such as avatars and digital wallets are unbundling our digital identities and rebundling them in new ways.

How to Answer “Why Do You Want to Work Here?”

To answer "Why do you want to work here?" show passion for the company's mission, explain why you enjoy the job tasks, and describe how your skills make you a good fit. Be specific and honest, avoiding mentions of salary or perks. Practice your answer aloud to sound confident and memorable.

When Productivity Tools Make the Problem Worse

People use productivity tools not just to get things done but to soothe fear and chase reward. Because we don’t notice those motives, tools often fail and we blame ourselves. If we recognize and address those emotions, we can choose tools that actually help.

Malignant | No Mercy / No Malice

Last week President Biden issued an executive order to forgive billions of dollars in student loan debt. It was met with mixed reviews. For some, it’s a miracle, others think it’s a “bailout for the wealthy.” Representative Lauren Boebert believes it’s “robbing hard-working Americans to pay for Karen’s daughter’s degree in lesbian dance theory.” She […]

The future’s relentless positivity

The girlboss lives on in Web3.

Pandemic wipes out decades of progress on math and reading

National test scores in math and reading went way down.

Why are you so busy?

Thoughts and more by Tom Lingham

Why Developers Are Building So Many Side Projects

From unleashing creativity to mitigating risk, Ben Stokes of Tiny Projects shares some of the main reasons why developers are building so many side projects.

Remote Startups Will Win the War for Top Talent

Forty percent of workers are considering quitting. Management that opts for empty arguments to force people back in-office will bleed talent to their competition.

Grow or Die: A Framework for Turning Your Company Around Fast

When your back's against the wall, you need a SuperGoal: a high stakes, focusing goal that instills a sense of urgency and clarity.

Research Twice, Build Once: How to Know Your Users as You Grow

Understanding your users is the most important factor in building successful products. Teams should do simple, regular research early and grow processes and tools as the company scales. Ongoing user research keeps teams aligned and drives better product decisions at every stage.

Info Diet: a16z Crypto’s Elena Burger

Elena Burger, a partner at a16z Crypto, spends most of her time focused on games, NFTs, and web3 technologies. She reads newsletters and follows crypto and AI developments closely, seeing how these fields might combine in the future. She believes artists understand crypto use-cases better than traditional finance people and hopes for more community-owned AI tools on the blockchain.

Remote Workers Are Wasting More Than an Hour a Day on Productivity Theater, New Report Finds

via Spark

On Workplace Productivity

via Spark

There are 4 kinds of "digital hoarder." Which one are you?

Digital hoarding means keeping too many digital files, which can cause stress and harm productivity. There are four types: anxious, accidental, compliance, and organized hoarders. Knowing these types helps people understand and manage their digital clutter better.

Amazon’s Friction-Killing Tactics To Make Products More Seamless

via Spark

The Rule of Compounding: Why Small Steps Lead to Big Gains

What Warren Buffet's $300,000 haircut can teach us about success, compounding, and sustainable well-being. Consistency is the key.

The professor behind Yale's popular online course, The Science of Well-Being, shares tips on how to feel happier right now

Laurie Santos shares her tricks on boosting your mental health, from taking social media breaks to prioritizing exercise, socializing, and hobbies.

You Can't Cure Cancer with a Bandaid: The Student Debt Problem You Can't Cure Cancer with a Bandaid: The Student Debt Problem

The author, Jack Raines, discusses the growing student debt crisis, which has reached over $1.75 trillion. He argues that recent loan forgiveness measures are only a temporary fix that will lead to even higher tuition costs and more debt for future students. Raines believes that universities should be held accountable for the debts of their graduates to help bring tuition prices down.

I’ll Make You Copies. But I Have Dreams, Too.

“They aren’t entirely wrong, the people who argue that you are more than your job,” writes Alessandra Davy-Falconi, “but your job is most of who you are”:

California could transform how fast food workers are treated

California passed a new law called the FAST Recovery Act to improve wages and working conditions for fast food workers. The law creates a council that sets rules for big fast food chains to protect workers from wage theft and harassment. Some businesses oppose the law, but labor groups say it will help workers have a stronger voice and fairer treatment.

Why talking to strangers is good for you, them and all of us

Contrary to what your parents told you, we all need to get good at interacting with strangers, says author Julie Lythcott-Haims. Here’s why, and how to do it.

Seeking Wisdom — Lessons on Becoming an Outstanding Thinker

The illusion of knowledge is the greatest obstacle to growth

Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy

Say hi to Lucy.

25% Loaded - Young Money by Jack Raines 25% Loaded

Some thoughts I've been having on the eve of my quarter-century mark.

Highlights from Zuckerberg and Rogan’s 3-hour chat

Zuck said that waking up every day was like being “punched in the stomach.”

You’re never going to find the perfect workout

Peloton is the new Tae Bo is the new Thighmaster. Why do we approach fitness as consumers?

What if your financial future wasn’t stressful?

Financial planning isn’t only for people who have a lot of money.

Renewable energy, explained (to kids)

Today, Explained to Kids explores the damage done by fossil fuels and why renewable energy might be the best way to power the future.

Americans keep moving to where the water isn’t

Many Americans are moving to hot, dry, and risky places like Phoenix despite climate dangers. They choose these areas mainly because housing is cheaper and jobs are growing. To adapt, we need to make safer places more affordable and attractive to live.

Actually, Canceling Student Debt Will Cut Inflation

“These [debt-cancellation] numbers are modest relative to the size of our economy,” writes the Nobel Prize–winning economist @JosephEStiglitz. “Still, their net effect will be to reduce inflation.”

Democrats are getting comfortable clowning on Republicans online - The Verge

“When they go low?” Joe Brandon says, no

The End of Manual Transmission

Mercedes and Volkswagen are phasing out manual-transmission cars. Soon the stick shift will be extinct, @ibogost writes, and humanity will suffer the consequences.

You Don’t Need Microservices

Microservices are very much in vogue for web software architecture. For most teams though, the monolith should remain the default choice.

Many people struggle with controlling behaviors, which often stem from anxiety and fear. To overcome this, it's important to accept what you can control and practice being flexible with others. Using mantras can help reinforce the idea that you don't need to control everything and that it's okay to let go.

Niche internet micro celebrities are taking over the internet

Niche internet micro celebrities are people online who are known to a small but often dedicated group and they represent a growing variant of the attention economy.

New project | Railway

Deploy your application to production or provision a database effortlessly.

Why Cloudflare Could Thrive in a Recession | The Motley Fool

Making the cloud cheaper is a compelling value proposition in times of economic uncertainty.

How to Build a Chrome Extension

I made a Chrome extension this weekend because I found I was doing the same task over and over and wanted to automate it. Plus, I’m a nerd living through a

Sharding Yourself: Increasing Outlets to Increase Output

Writers can boost their creativity and output by increasing the number of channels they use to share their ideas. This means diversifying formats, such as adding shortform content or using private platforms for feedback. The key is to focus on topics rather than formats and to maintain a clear structure for audience engagement.

The Surprisingly High Table Stakes of Modern Blogs

Modern blogging requires much more technology than most people realize. Good blogs need features like rich media, fast performance, and easy editing to attract readers. It’s better to use established platforms than build your own blog software.

How Caffeine Became the World’s Favorite Drug

Caffeine, found in coffee, tea, and energy drinks, has a long history of providing a quick energy boost. Its evolution from an insecticide to a popular drink has influenced human consciousness and played a significant role in societal shifts, like the Industrial Revolution. Caffeine's effects on focus, energy, and health make it a widely consumed and beneficial drug.

To Be Happier at Work, Think Flexibly about Your Job—and Yourself

In a new paper, Yale SOM’s Amy Wrzesniewski and her co-authors find that well-being can be enhanced by pairing a shift in your job mindset with changes in how you think about your own strengths and weaknesses.

Importance of Single Purpose Devices in a Distracted World - Rishikesh Sreehari

A look at how smartphone, a multipurpose device is distracting us and how single purpose devices can help us.

My Annual Birthday Check-In: 13 Lessons I Learned in the Last Year

Here are some practical, non-obvious lessons I've learned in the last year.

10 Things I Learned Reading Brad Stone's The Everything Store

I loved reading Brad Stone's book The Everything Store which is all about Jeff Bezos and Amazon. Here are ten lessons that I took away that helped change how I see Amazon and make decisions.

How to Remember What You Read

The benefits of reading are negated if you don't remember what you read. This article discusses a tested system to increase retention.

Second-Order Thinking: What Smart People Use to Outperform

Second-order thinking is a mental model that smart people like Warren Buffett & Howard Marks use to avoid problems. Read this article to learn how it works.

The Munger Operating System: How to Live a Life That Really Works

Learn from the best and keep learning for life. Be reliable, honest, and avoid envy or extreme ideology. Use multidisciplinary ideas, practice them, and turn setbacks into growth.

The Best Summary of How to Win Friends and Influence People

The best summary of Dale Carnegie's famous How to Win Friends & Influence People—one of the best-selling self-help books of all time.

The Difference Between Amateurs and Professionals

Uncover the key differences between amateurs and professionals that make a difference and improve the prospects of success.

The Feynman Technique: The Best Way to Learn Anything

The Feynman Technique is a simple method of learning that unlocks your potential and helps you learn anything.

27 Words You Should Never Use to Describe Yourself

Some are incredibly overused. Others just make you sound full of yourself. Either way, you lose.

The Brighter Guide to Energy Management

Energy management is the foundation of everything Work Brighter teaches and advocates for, so this guide breaks the concept down for you.

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

In "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big," Scott Adams shares his unconventional approach to success, highlighting that embracing failure and focusing on systems rather than goals can lead to better outcomes. He emphasizes the importance of creativity, self-care, and understanding human psychology in achieving personal and professional growth. The book challenges common beliefs, suggesting that passion and traditional goals may not be as valuable as perceived.

Looking back at two years at Automattic and Tumblr

Lessons in life and engineering

Efficient Remote Work for Tech Teams - by James Stanier Efficient Remote Work for Tech Teams

Remote work is now a permanent part of many tech teams. James Stanier, an expert in remote management, offers practical advice to help teams work efficiently from anywhere. His article provides tools and tips for creating a healthy remote work environment.

Welcome to the No-Code Software Revolution

The document delves into the no-code software revolution, highlighting the shift towards platforms that enable creating applications without traditional coding. It discusses the history of software industry transformations and the current trend towards no-code development, comparing it to the era before graphical user interfaces. The article emphasizes how no-code software is set to disrupt traditional development practices and reshape the business landscape, particularly benefiting small to medium-sized enterprises facing resource constraints. Overall, the piece underscores the significance of understanding and exploring this emerging trend in software development.

Daniel Ek

Daniel Ek on how he spends his time, learns and makes decisions.

Becoming a Better Writer

Writing is an increasingly important skill for engineering leaders. Poor writing can hamper career progression, above a certain level. Tactics for more clear, more frequent and more confident writing.