Circle Three 61 / Kansas City
In Kansas City this week I found myself talking to a Vietnam War veteran at a reunion with men he went to war with. After some playful banter — he is from Minnesota and the Vikings were playing the Eagles — he quieted down. “Life is hard,” he said as we continued chatting. He was sitting next to a man whose very life he saved all those decades ago.
Though small, it felt like an important moment, if only a humbling reminder as I started my week to always listen and have gratitude.
Contents:
brain bites: Culture
Choosing where you live
brain bites: Business & Investing
SBF on the Wisdom List
6 Leadership Paradoxes Post-Pandemic
Federal Reserve Dumbs it Down
brain bites: Technology
White House Climate Report
Lyric: Kansas City
brain bites: culture
Choosing Where You Live. From Matt Yao, here. Environment plays a big role in who we become. Huge, really. Where we choose to live is one of the biggest decisions of life, and one that people have more control over with increasingly remote work. Like the author, I’ve felt like a chameleon, morphing to a shape to fit the space. I resonated with a few ideas:
Reality Privilege, a new term for me popularized by Marc Andreessen driven by exclusivity in the real world while at the same time having increasingly immersive experiences in the digital:
“A small percent of people live in a real-world environment that is rich, even overflowing, with glorious substance, beautiful settings, plentiful stimulation, and many fascinating people to talk to, and to work with, and to date. Everyone else, the vast majority of humanity, lacks Reality Privilege—their online world is, or will be, immeasurably richer and more fulfilling than most of the physical and social environment around them in the quote-unquote real world.”
Interconnectedness:
“In NYC, there’s a much higher density of restaurants and apartment kitchens are smaller so you end up cooking less at home and eating out more. It’s subtle, interconnected characteristics that compound to result in vastly lifestyles.”
Depth of Relationships:
“I don’t feel lonely at all when I’m traveling because often I’m traveling with friends or visiting friends, but I sense that there is a greater dimension of relationships that I miss out on because I’m not around for those spontaneous hangouts or random adventures.”
brain bites: business & investing
Leadership Paradoxes for the Post-Pandemic Era. From HBR here. Anyone denying the changes required of leaders and businesses isn’t paying attention. It’s good to see integrity, humility, and innovation made the list, reframed for digital complexity.
SBF on the Wisdom List. Interview with FTX cofounder Sam Bankman-Fried here. He’s become a polarizing figure, but has undeniably created — and himself tangentially become — one of the most recognizable brands in crypto. His answer reveal profound personal and company-wide growth as they have scaled up with him at the helm.
“The best way I’ve found to scale myself is to recognize that it’s my responsibility; I need to be constantly learning in order to make good things happen for our business.”
Federal Reserve Dumbs it Down. The speech by Fed Chair J Powell was the lowest Flesh-Kincaid score since 1994. The score represents the years of education required to comprehend a statement. Mr. Powell really wants us to understand. From Liz Sonders here.
brain bites: technology
Climate and Energy implications of Crypto-Assets in the United States. If that title doesn’t get you excited to nestle in for some plane reading…
Fact sheet is here. Frankly, the report opens up more questions than answers. It is one of many reports published in response to President Biden’s Executive Order 14067. Overall, the government sees its role as protecting local communities and their resources to ensure responsible development and meet its environmental goals. How that will be executed remains a mystery.
The report is clear: electricity is going to shoulder an enormous energy burden in the coming decades. The US is committed to reducing greenhouse gases by 50% below 2005 levels by 2035 and net zero by 2050. Underwhelmingly, the report recognizes that many good outcomes could come from blockchain tech en route to this mission.
Read the report and realize: crypto moves fast. The report references ethereum as using 20-39% of total global crypto-asset electricity usage. Even since the report was released, ethereum has reduced emissions by 99% after the consensus switch to proof of stake.
Lyric: Kansas City by The New Basement Tapes
These lyrics were stuck in my head for my entire twenty-four hours in Kansas City. Bob Dylan’s handwritten lyrics from his time in upstate New York surfaced, and the album Lost On The River was created by five modern artists who brought the lyrics to life.
Marcus Mumford sings this one. Music video and more album explanation here.
And I love you dear, but just how long
Can I keep singing the same old song?
And I love you dear, but just how long
Can I keep singing the same old song?
I'm going back to Kansas City.
Stay Curious,
Dan