Category: Uncategorized
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Uber trends
The other day my car was in the shop, so I called an Uber to run an errand. A friendly driver named Eric picked me up. I noticed on the app he had driven 12,000 trips with a perfect 5-star rating. I pointed it out and asked how he kept his customers happy. “Pretty simple…
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Time to leap
I’ve recently started to swim once a week. When arriving at the pool, I often dip only my legs into the water. Instead of diving in, I sit there, resisting the plunge into the cold water. After a few minutes, it’s clear I have lingered at the pool’s edge for too long. I take a…
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It Gets Easier
When the newsletter idea came to me last September, I was excited but uncomfortable. As I wrote in my first letter, “Who am I to send stuff to people’s inboxes? Where am I going with this?” Since I hadn’t worked on a creative project like this before, I had to learn new skills: how to collect ideas,…
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Start with One True Sentence
Ernest Hemingway published seven novels and numerous collections of writings over the course of his life. But did he ever have trouble creating? He wrote in his book A Moving Beast: Sometimes when I was starting a new story and could not get it going, I would sit in front of the fire and squeeze the…
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What Gets In the Way Is the Way
In 1985, Steve Jobs was forced out of Apple over disagreements with the company’s board and management team. Being kicked out of the company he co-founded was a painful experience, but the setback fueled his future ventures–NeXT and Pixar–and ultimately his return to Apple in 1997. Jobs reflected on his journey at his commencement address…
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Make Something Wonderful
At an internal Apple staff meeting shortly after the iPhone launched in 2007, an employee asked Steve Jobs how Apple would keep its culture and brand intact as it grew. Jobs answered: “One of the ways that I believe people express their appreciation to the rest of humanity is to make something wonderful and put…
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Put Something Back
At a designer conference In 1983, Steve Jobs demonstrated a computer called Lisa (named after Job’s daughter) to a group of designers who had never used a computer before. A designer in the audience asked what motivated Apple. Jobs answered: “We feel that for some crazy reason, we are in the right place at the…
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What Wasn’t There Before
Music producer Rick Rubin wrote in his book The Creative Act: To create is to bring something into existence what wasn’t there before. It could be a conversation, the solution to a problem, a note to a friend, the rearrangement of furniture in a room, a new route home to avoid a traffic jam. Whether…
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Make Something Wonderful
After the iPhone launched in 2007, one employee asked Steve Jobs at a staff meeting how Apple would keep its culture and brand intact as it grew. He answered: One of the ways that I believe people express their appreciation to the rest of humanity is to make something wonderful and put it out there. …
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30 Years of Pool
For a while before the pandemic, I was into playing billiards. This hobby came to a halt when covid hit since all the pool halls were closed. In early 2021, a pool hall called Samwon Billiard in Oakland Koreatown was reopening. I texted Kevin, my pool buddy, to see if he was interested. Kevin and…
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The Cost of Delicious Lentils
Earlier this week, we went to an Ethiopian restaurant nearby. Like our last visit two years ago, Shita, an Ethiopian woman in her fifties, greeted us with a warm, soft smile and hurried back into the kitchen. She was the only person working. Taking phone orders, cooking, serving — it was all her. The chickpea…
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Haruki Murakami’s Writing Habit
From The Paris Review, Summer 2004: When I’m in writing mode for a novel, I get up at 4:00 am and work for five to six hours. In the afternoon, I run for 10km or swim for 1500m (or do both), then I read a bit and listen to some music. I go to bed…
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How Joel Embiid Became an NBA MVP
1. The Process Joel Embiid landed in Florida in 2010, fresh from Cameroon. At the age of 16, he spoke little English and didn’t know anyone in America. Joel signed up for a summer basketball camp three months before his trip. That was his first time playing basketball. At seven feet, he dunked on another…
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What Makes a Great Restaurant?
Is it the decor, the service, or the variety in the menu? Berkeley has a little takeout-only restaurant called Top Dog. It’s a hole-in-the-wall joint near the college campus. They sell hot dogs freshly made on a grill. You can choose a few varieties of sausages, like Frankfurter, Kielbasa. Service is not particularly friendly. You…
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Hidden Exposure
Against all best practices, I used the same password for many websites. I knew the risks. A few months ago, another major data breach was in the news. After ignoring my online security for years, I dedicated a Saturday afternoon to resetting passwords. I went through the most critical accounts—banking, email, and travel services—but grew…