What a strange week. I was all hyped about the “fall semester” vibe. Back-to-school. New routines! That stick! That didn’t work out quite as I imagined. I got a lot of strategy work done, built up a lot of upcoming projects that have now booked the rest of the year.
But, outside of those - I just…chilled - no big strides in writing (as I had promised myself last week), no new Muay Thai gyms scouted (as I had put on my to-do list) and sadly, no new art made (as I had committed to all of you). I call these ‘commitment doldrums’. Where you’ve got your foundational commitments nailed - kid is still catching the bus on time, you’re still talking that nice walk to the gardens with your partner, your clients are still getting your best brain cells, you’ve made time for your friends. But after that, the commitment quota is capped. No room for the optionals. I’m OK with doldrums. It gives space for the brain to not be addicted to action.
I painted this ‘bear chilling under a waterfall’ a few years and I’m sure it wasn’t thinking about its to-do list.
Thankfully - doldrums don’t last forever. the moment you shift latitudes the winds start blowing again and away we’ll go. So I expect winds to shift next week - but this week, you’ve still got five excellent finds:
- 70YR WORK WEEK Japanese people are living longer, but with a struggling pension system and the highest inflation in decades, more are delaying retirement until their 70s or later to make ends meet. It’s Japan today, everyone else very soon.
- LICHEN POETRY “The growth forms of lichen are a kind of poetry: the filmy, powdery skin of the leprose variety clings to bark, the viscous mass of gelatinous lichen congeals on rock, the gossamer fingers of the byssoid grasping outward. Just as poetry enthralls the senses, lichens practically beg for visceral contact.”
- PHONE SAFE Powering off your phone regularly, disabling Bluetooth, and using only trusted accessories are just a few of the NSA's security recommendations.
- GOOD INTENTIONS, MEH OUTCOMES What tech philanthropy must learn to combat the Global South's problems with AI. We must stop debating whether tech alone can solve the world’s problems. The real contextual intelligence we need won’t come from AI, but from human beings.
- ROBOT PAINTERS Robots that paint and lay floor tiles revolutionizing construction in Singapore. The painting robot, which costs SGD 120,000 (~USD 92,000), has been deployed to three Singapore Housing Board projects and two condominium developments since January, completing nearly 5,000 units at present.