P.S. You Should Know... | Issue #341
Reunited in Austin
my story 🚀
i’ve been thinking 💭
They say time kills all deals. Salespeople know this saying well, as they probably use it more than anyone else. They design sales processes with it in mind. But I notice it even when nobody’s driving a sales process. Somewhat regularly, I get in a long line to buy something at a store or cafe, only to get bored, give up, and leave without spending any money. Yeah maybe I’m a bit impatient.
They also say the only way to win is to stay in the game. I read the following parable in a book recently (affiliate link: help fund my AM coffee). It’s about a peasant who was sentenced to death.
The peasant kneels before the king and says, "Oh, great and glorious king, if you will only let me live for one more year, I pledge that I can teach the royal horse to talk!" The king, figuring he has nothing to lose, grants the peasant his request. On the way out of the throne room, one of the royal guards pulls the relieved peasant aside and asks, "Why in the world did you promise the king that you could teach his horse to talk? Surely you will fail and the king will have you killed when the year is done!" The peasant turns calmly to the guard and answers, "Well, a lot can happen in a year. Maybe the king will forget about me. Maybe the king will die. Maybe the horse will die. And if I get really lucky, in a year's time, maybe the horse will talk!"
So the peasant made a deal to stay in the game, riding on a hope that time kills the deal (or a party to it) and he winds up ahead. As the great fish philosopher Dori says, just keep swimming!
fun facts 🙌
Pardon my French. “From “doing as the Romans do” to your date insisting on “going Dutch,” there is no shortage of international idioms in English.” This article explains the interesting origins of several popular idioms, including all of these. ~ learn more
Union busted. “The ILWU is one of the most powerful unions in the United States. Since bloody riots in 1934 it has controlled all 29 seaports on the west coast of the United States, giving them monopoly power.” They tried to use their power to strong-arm a port operator into giving them more jobs. When that didn’t work, they followed through on their threat. That backfired on everyone. “Thus, the union has been bankrupted, the port closed, hundreds of millions of dollars lost and shipments slowed all because of a dispute over 2 jobs.” ~ learn more
Trying for ‘world’s fastest sailboat’ with wild designs. “Looking like a pair of alien spaceships, and pulled by ultra-fast kites instead of sails on masts, both these machines are built to reach terrifying, unprecedented speeds.” ~ learn more
tech, startups, internet ⚡
Why do people start businesses in each state? “OnDeck uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Annual Business Survey to highlight the most unique reasons for why people start businesses in each U.S. state.” Reasons include flexible hours, greater income, and ‘couldn’t find a job’. Both Illinois and Texas share the same reason. ~ learn more
Anduril’s M&A strategy. Packy McCormick wrote a long, fawning post about the startup defense contractor’s strategy. “I wanted to dig into Anduril’s M&A activity specifically because it stands out as a unique company-building strategy for such a young startup. After conversations with the team and dozens of hours of research, Anduril’s acquisitions have illuminated what makes Anduril tick, and why I think it has a real shot at becoming a sixth Defense Prime alongside Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics.” ~ learn more
Introducing the new Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Dare I say they look normal! “You can now livestream from the glasses to Facebook or Instagram, and use “Hey Meta” to engage with Meta AI, our advanced conversational assistant, just by using your voice.” During the launch, Mark Zuckerberg said they’ll do a software update to make the AI multi-modal so that the AI can see what you see and respond accordingly. ~ learn more
better doing 🎯
100 tips for a better life. These aren’t all the same recycled ones I’ve seen before. “If you’re looking for your good X, you have bad Xs. Throw those out.” ~ learn more
11 worst founder traits that lead to failure. From the highly regarded Alex Iskold of 2048 Ventures. “The most important thing is to be 100% HONEST and SHARE THE PIE so you can BUILD AN AMAZING PRODUCT, then SELL IT and WIN BIG!” ~ learn more
to your health ⚕
The rise and fall of Envision Healthcare. “The story of Envision is filled with mergers, acquisitions, and all-too common drama of payor disputes and surprise billing. Buckle up as we embark on this rollercoaster journey of one of the most unfortunately notorious healthcare corporations in recent history.” ~ learn more
Maybe there is no ‘good cholesterol’. “The new study, published Wednesday in Neurology, found that having either high or low levels of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol, may increase the risk of dementia in older adults.” ~ learn more
under the microscope 🔬
Linking two solar technologies is a win-win for efficiency and stability. Researchers linked silicon solar cells with perovskite solar cells in tandem. “The results, reported in Joule, illustrate that the connection protects the frail perovskite solar cell from voltage-induced breakdown while attaining greater efficiencies than either cell can achieve on their own.” ~ learn more
thoughts of food 🍔
Walmart CEO says Ozempic drug could be impacting grocery sales. “We definitely do see a slight change compared to the total population, we do see a slight pullback in overall basket,” said Walmart CEO John Furner in an interview Wednesday.” ~ learn more
The internet can be a dangerous place to get nutrition advice. “In all, at least 35 posts from a dozen health professionals were part of the coordinated campaign by American Beverage [a trade and lobbying group representing Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and other companies].” ~ learn more
big ideas 📚
Inequality: my unfair disadvantage, not your unearned privilege. “Efforts to address social inequalities in income, education and employment opportunity can be boosted simply by the manner in which that inequity is presented, according to new research from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.” ~ learn more
on the blockchain ⛓
The PayPal StableCoin. “PayPal customers can now transact in PayPal USD, a crypto stablecoin tied to the dollar. So which type of PayPal dollar, regular or crypto, is safer to hold? Surprisingly, the crypto dollar is backed by safer assets, gives you better rights in the event of a bankruptcy and is more transparent.” ~ learn more