A Roundup (April 2024)
A collection of podcast and reading recommendations, cool people or projects I have found online recently, any new tools or tips, and some personal updates.
Howdy! Each month I post a roundup post like this one sharing the best reading, podcasts, projects, and people I’ve discovered from my month. This one covers the cool stuff from April. If you enjoy this post, please consider subscribing so you get one of these each month and help this blog grow.
Podcasts
1.) Jimmy Soni, Infinite Loops
An entertaining conversation on the state of book publishing and the room for improvement. Pairs well with a recommendation I made last month where Tim Ferriss and Hugh Howey (Silo) discuss new ideas for authors.
2.) Coleman Hughes, Conversations with Tyler (Tyler Cowen)
Thoughts on jazz, race, color blindness, and more.
3.) Alex Garland interviews
Alex Garland is the writer / director of Civil War (as well as Annihilation, 28 days later, etc). We recently saw Civil War and like others, were majorly surprised by the cinematic quality and overall handling of the subject throughout the film. I think the surprise came because of the way the movie was marketed and I somehow missed who made it before the night of.
Like I tend to do, after seeing it, I sought out conversations with the creator behind the film and have enjoyed hearing Alex talk about writing, subtlety in modern moviemaking, and in some ways… the politics of today. I strongly recommend seeing Civil War in theaters and if you’re looking for a good podcast with Alex to start, recommend this one and this one.
4.) The Power of Super Communication with Charles Duhigg, This Week in Startups
Pairing this with the fantastic Claire Hughes Johnson episode of the Tim Ferriss show and thinking about improving my communication skills, especially as I am recording episodes for my upcoming podcast!
5.) Twitter’s former Head of Product Opens Up, Kayvon Beykpour, Lenny’s Podcast
Some Twitter tea and practical advice for building a team that actually gets things done.
Reading
1.) Protocol Fiction, Desire, and Belief, Matt Webb
This piece absolutely reoriented how I think about sharing things with the world, sparking change, introducing new ideas, etc. I interviewed Matt recently and was lucky enough to explore these ideas with him and how he thought about them while launching Poem/1, an AI powered clock which tells the time through poems.
2.) What I Worked On, Paul Graham
A Printernet reader put this in their recent issue and I absolutely loved it. A complete recounting of how Paul decided what to work on next, throughout his career.
3.) The Business of Wallets, Patrick McKenzie (patio11)
Apple Wallet, Paypal, Venmo, Cash App… we are in an era of the digital wallet. In true Patrick fashion this piece gives a foundational understanding of how these businesses work and why they all eventually turn out the same. Sneak peek of Patrick’s style and ability to condense a lot into a little:
“Supercharging the margin possibilities by disintermediating the card ecosystems is the primary economic advantage of wallets capable of holding balances.”
4.) Modern Brazil: a very short introduction, Anthony W. Pereira
Read this on the flight to Rio last month and found it extremely compact and useful. It did a good job of not being too general while not getting lost in any one period of history. You may not have a reason to read about Brazil (go for it anyway!), but I guess the recommendation is to read about the place you are traveling to beforehand, because it certainly deepened my visit when I did.
5.) The secret to a good interview? Sit back and listen, Decca Aitkenhead
Short and sweet, humorous. Again, this fits in with Supercommunicators from Charles Duhigg.
Cool Projects, People and Personal Updates
Some very cool Printernet work underway right now. Plus, we shipped our first ever Australian Issue, thanks Jayson!
Pre-ordered Robin Sloan’s new book Moonbound! Very excited for this one, suggest you do the same with your favorite local bookstore. If you do, email Robin your confirmation info and he’ll send you a custom zine.
Looking for a song or book recommendation? Check out 50 of my current favorite tunes and few dozen favorite books at my site reco. Still looking for a reading rec? Check out Ron’s new book recommender which gives you a book recommendation based on your mood.
A super cool project inspired by Robin Sloan’s Spring ‘83 Protocol is Mezzanine from Judah. It’s essentially an endless wall where each user gets their own little storefront that runs on css and html that is directly editable. You can make your board whatever you want it to be: announcements, ads, a microblog, a piece of art. To create your own board you need an invite currently, but it’s still worth browsing the wall of interesting boards. I’ve been treating mine like a weekly newspaper where I give a few quick updates on my week. It’s been a cool tool for reflecting on work and personal accomplishments and going ons.
A doorknob that shows you what’s on the other side of the door, without using cameras. This is such a cool invention / art object that I’ve shared it twice now (three times if we count this).
That’s all for now, thanks for reading! As always I’d love if you dropped me a recommendation (podcast, reading, song, whatever) in my public rec box. If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing so you get one of these each month and help this blog grow.
In case you missed them:
What is my identity? (short)
I Interviewed Tim Ferriss (short)