Tim Ferriss

Jonny
, , , , , , , , , , ,

[Weekly Newsletter] 30MAR2020–05APR2020

Things I'm Excited About This Week

Tool: Evernote Web Clipper

I was skeptical at first, not having really refined how I use Evernote yet, but the Evernote Web Clipper has proven to be a powerful tool. I take screenshots all the time, and this perfectly captures full webpages! I combined this with an Evernote folder titled “*Inboxđź“Ą” (the asterisk just puts it at the top of the list)from the popular Getting Things Doner® system, and now, it drops it all into a folder for processing at a later date 🙂

Person: David Perell

I’ve been following David Perell on Twitter (@david_perell) for some time now, and he shares a lot on writing and developing an audience. One audacious claim that’s got me thinking quite a bit was when he tweeted, “My Twitter account is more valuable than my college diploma.” I’ve been trying to write daily now, and it has made me much happier to be doing something for myself that is both creative and productive.

And now, to combine this with my first share, here’s an Evernote Web Clip of David’s 30 March 2020 newsletter.

Company: Precious Plastic

I stumbled onto Precious Plastic while looking for ways to do-it-yourself recycle at home with regular, household consumables like plastic bottles and tin cans.

They’re an open-source movement to get people shredding plastics, extruding, and selling (if they want). I’d love to get my hands on some of the machines. They’re fairly pricey for a hobbyist, but certainly affordable considering their capacity. There’s also such a strong community committed to making it happen, from business support to troubleshooting.

They also share the plans to let you build your own machines rather than purchasing their kits.

Music: “Embrace” by PNAU

I don’t know what it is about this song, but it just gets me going. Check it out on Spotify or Youtube.

Productivity Tip: Twitter Lists

I culled those I follow on Twitter down to just 6:

This was in an effort to (1) curate my newsfeed with higher-quality content and (2) spend less time on Twitter. And it works! I’ve largely read everything by those people after 5-10 mins of scrolling.

To keep track of other’s I’m more passively interested in following, I added them to topical lists. You can view some lists I’ve made here. 

Destination: Airbnb the Goodyear Blimp

Seriously insane, right? You can spend the night in the parked Goodyear Blimp. They do a good job of promoting it with a football game package, too. Can you even imagine?!

Jonny
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fresh Finds: Ender’s Game, Composting, TED Talks…

It’s been quite some time since I’ve sent out some recommendations. Well, the wait is over! Here you are…

[Book] Non-Fiction: The 4-Hour Workweek

This book has forever been on my reading list. Tim Ferriss is my favorite podcaster, and I already dove in and loved The 4-Hour Body (affiliate link) by him, as well. It was only a matter of time before I took on reading his entrepreneur’s toolkit to develop a business (dubbed “muse”) that develops cashflow and freedom to refocus on other opportunities (not slack off). I cannot recommend it enough!

You can get it on Amazon (affiliate link) or on Audible (affiliate link), but I don’t ever see myself listening to a non-fiction book—I like taking notes too much.

The 4-Hour WorkweekThe 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

View all my reviews

 

[Book] Fiction: Ender’s Game

This sci-fi novel by Orson Scott Card was a masterful take on military strategy, game theory, and psychology. It was fascinating to read essentially from the perspective of Ender’s mind. I bought the movie and watched it a year or two ago, didn’t care for it, but then picked up the book this summer. Absolutely loving the book, I rewatched the movie, and the film was fun knowing what parts they pulled, but I don’t think it’s a good standalone film.

[Game] Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition

Man. I’ve always loved this game. It’s hands-down my favorite video game of all-time. Now that I’ve been an avid reader of RA Salvatore and have started playing DnD, the game 1) makes so much more sense (mechanics, etc.), and 2) is so much more fun when it comes to lore and how things fit in. I’m not sure what got “enhanced”, but I would’ve purchased the original regardless.

 

[Project] Composting

I’ve started composting! I’ve always been interested in composting to (1) help keep things out of the landfill and (2) to recycle nutrients for free fertilizer. My in-laws have a big garden, so it seemed only natural to start composting. I built it out of 3 pallets. I should have made it a bit bigger, and I’ve struggled to maintain the proper ratio of browns-to-greens. Anyway, my summer internship is in biomass, so this is my own little homebrew project!

Full on the same day after cleaning up the yard.

A healthy start

[Quote] Drizzt Do’Urden

“Fortunate circumstances do not equate to high principles.”

~Drizzt Do’Urden, Legacy by RA Salvatore

[Article] StarCraft II Unit Development

I came across this article as Blizzard updated. It’s really interesting to hear all the game design. I could see myself getting really into competitive StarCraft gameplay.

[Tweet] Dungeons & Dragons

[Video] TED Talks

Here are a few favorites from my recent YouTube Watch List:

dayne-topkin-78982-unsplash
Jonny
, , , , , , , , , ,

[Weekly Finds] Privacy, Airbnb, Storage Business, Econ Degree, Quitting a Book, Cult of Musk

Facebook and Privacy

I’ve always been kinda weary of Facebook. I recently read this article—”Get your loved ones off Facebook.“—, and now I’m even more paranoid.

I really don’t use Facebook all that much anymore.I haven’t had the app on my phone for years now. The only reason I still have it is to maintain connections with those who aren’t followers on other platforms (I’m all about Twitter)—mostly older folks and Germans.

In fact, the only two selling points on Facebook for me are: (1) Groups, and (2) Marketplace. I maintain contact with people through Groups, and Marketplace takes away the mystery of a sketchy meet-up on Craigslist.

Interview with Co-Founder of Airbnb Joe Gebbia

I don’t like having two references to Tim Ferriss in the same post (or two posts in a row, for that matter), but this is the most fun I’ve had with a podcast in a long time! Tim Ferriss’s Interview with Joe Gebbia, a co-founder of Airbnb (YouTube, Apple Podcasts) is hilarious and his journey is fascinating and tenacious.

Hibernate Storage

My friend and I are starting a business! We’re launching in April after a year’s worth of work after winning $6,300 from the Idaho Entrepreneur Challenge hosted by Boise State University’s College of Innovation + Design. Check out our website: hibernatestorage.com. We’d love any feedback you have for us! Share in the comments below!

Opportunity Cost: An Econ Degree

Ironically, I had a major opportunity cost analysis in my life pop up: do I pursue a B.S. Economics or stick with the minor. It all arose when I met with my advisor. I petitioned to have my Engineering Economics and Management course count for both my ME and econ tracks. She approved and mentioned that I was only a few classes away from a bachelor’s. Well, I love economics, and I double-majored for a majority of my academic career. Turns out, though, that I was seven classes away from graduation. That’s not close; that’s an entire semester (and a 21-credit semester at that…)!

In talking with Shalene, I decided against it. I’d love to, but I have a good internship for the summer where I’ll get to spend time with my family, and I know I’ll eventually get an MBA, so the material will be picked up down the road.

It was, nonetheless, an extremely difficult decision.

Quitting a Book

I’ve long struggled with quitting a book once I’ve started it. It sits on my shelf staring back at me, taking up headspace until I finish it. I had my first brush with this when Shalene bought me a book from the middle of a series one Christmas. It took a lot out of me to say I was done!

I’ve thought about this a lot ever since stumbling across a GoodReads tweet:

I actually really liked this suggested framework:

It wasn’t until I came across Episode 97 (Apple Podcasts) of The Tim Ferriss Show where Naval Ravikant (CEO of AngelList; @Naval) that something really stuck: we have so little time that it’s much easier to treat a book like a blog post. If you skim the blog post and move on, you don’t feel guilty. Why do any differently with a book. If it has the information you want/need, great! If not, move on.

 

Musketeers

So I have this idea. How do I articulate to people that I’m an Elon Musk cultist?

Feature Photo: Dayne Topkin

Jonny
, , , , , , , , , , ,

Hottest Finds: Net Neutrality, Mac Screensaver, Satellites…

I’ve really enjoyed both Tim Ferriss’s 5-Bullet Friday newsletter as well as Kevin Rose’s monthly newsletter, The Journal. Both give their followers a few items of fun discoveries throughout the week or month. I have so many things that I enjoy that I’d love to share with those I care about (and those who would listen). I’m fascinated by so many things, and I also love writing, so here’s my attempt at some form of fun structure to share my hottest finds of the week.

 

Politics: Net Neutrality

By texting “RESIST” to 50409, you start a “conversation” with resistbot, which helps you draft and send electronic letters to your legislators (House, Senate, Governor, and President) on your behalf to fight Net Neutrality. It takes away the excuse of apathy.

resist.jpg

 

Music: Purity Ring

I’ve been finishing up my video for the Katy Perry concert, and Purity Ring opened for them. That launched me into exploring a new genre, and I’ve really enjoyed their style. I’ve already written about some of my favorite songs of theirs, but here’s a free download of “bodyache (LIONE Remix)” by Purity Ring I came across today.

 

Podcast: Launching a Satellite into Space

In 4th grade, I was such a good speller, that the teacher gave me and this girl, Amy Rodriguez, a bonus word: “satellite”. Glad I initially spelled it wrong as an adult. Anyway, I don’t know how I came across this podcast, but I loved this four-episode series on launching a satellite into space! In fact, it has inspired me to investigate using a CubeSat as a senior design project next fall semester!

The following are links to the Planet Money podcast episodes in the Apple Podcast app:

SPACE 1: We’re Going to Space

SPACE 2: Wait, Why Are We Going to Space?

SPACE 3: Rocket Shopping

SPACE 4: 3 2 1

 

TED: Learning to Day Trade in Prison

I really enjoyed this TED talk on a convicted murder and burglar who learned to read, write, and spell in prison, then applied his newfound skills to develop a curriculum for prisoners to become financially stable after prison. He’s an activist

 

Tech: iOS Screensaver for Mac

I came across some sweet minimalist space wallpapers (specifically this one), and I wanted to use a still wallpaper as my screensaver, rather than the traditional Mac slideshow. I did some googling and fell in love with Option #8 in an article on changing up your screensaver. Now, my screensaver looks like an iPhone, and it just spices things up in a new way!

 

Quote

“On your journey through life, make sure your biography has at least one extraordinary chapter.”

~Unknown (via Momentum)

 

Jonny
, , , , , ,

Weekly Finds

First things first, I need a catchy name. Please help! I enjoy the rapid-read of Tim Ferriss’s 5-Bullet Friday, which I’ve adopted, but I need a way to name these posts to capture what I’m doing without being boring. Go!

New Jam

It’s clearly been awhile since I’ve posted one of these. I found “Trampoline” by Kero Kero Bonito back in March, and loved it! Enjoy. It’s an electronic vibe mixed with a hint of Japanese, similar to Porter Robinson’s style.

Cause

Okay, so I’m really excited about this. I look around and realize how much 1) people need money for projects, and 2) how much people hate fundraising. In fact, yesterday, I did a workout circuit at the soccer and track field at my university, and the concrete stands were rubble. You couldn’t even sit there!

I stumbled back onto DonorsChoose.org, which is a website designed for helping public schools fund projects they need. I searched for my ZIP code, and  Learn The German Language was one of the first projects that popped up! I want to help them so bad. It’s local, and it’s German! They’re only $250 away from reaching their goal, and this would increase enrollment in my second major at ISU. Please donate if you have the means!

This is just the beginning for me. I really want to take on a fundraising project.

Semester: Accomplished

Boy howdy. This has definitely been my easiest semester yet. Because I’m double-majoring, and I need to work around Eva’s schedule this year, I took mostly business classes. I pulled straight As, except for an A-. It’s infuriating. It was a 92.76%, which didn’t get rounded to the 93% I needed for an A.

In other news, I’ve had an insane spike of productivity and self-development. I’ve taken on new projects, crossed many things off of year-old to-do lists, and have been having lots of fun. I’m home all month as Mr. Mom until Shalene’s done with school and I leave for my internship.

I finished writing about Germany (see Heimfahrt), posted my photos on Facebook to share, built a planter box out of pallets I took apart a year ago (summer classes got in the way), and have been enjoying being able to read.

Wikipedia

I have forever wanted to become a contributor to Wikipedia. I finally jumped on it (in the middle of doing something else), and was giddy the entire time. And what better place to start than Tim Ferriss’s page?!

Article I Enjoyed

I Got Rejected by Apple Music… So I Redesigned It.

Hack

I have an old Wacom Bamboo tablet I bought off a guy on DeviantArt back in high school. The stylus collected a ton of dust, so I used a Lysol wipe to clean it off since the grip was sticky. Well, now it’s worse. The wipe must’ve stripped the grip of its finish, so it’s just sticky rubber now. I got creative, though, and coated it with a nail polish clear top coat. It’s bearable now. The only downside is that it’s not entirely compatible with Mac, so I miss out on the button features.

Wacom Bamboo

StarCraft

Holy Hannah. I’ve been playing the crap out of StarCraft now that school’s out and Blizzard released the original for free!

Slow Carb Diet

Now that school’s out, I’ve had much more time for meal prep. I also don’t need to take my lunch anywhere (no more worrying about refrigeration or smells). I’ve been reading Tim Ferriss’s The 4-Hour Body and implementing changes. I feel great, and have been eating significantly less food on this diet without feeling hungry or tired! I haven’t even been craving sweets! I wanted to give it a test run for a month before going to camp in June (MREs are definitely not slow carb). It’s been more expensive, but it’s forced me to eat healthier and get creative!

Jeez. Did I mention Tim Ferriss enough…?