First, some housekeeping to start. The eagle-eyed among you might have noticed the drop in frequency of posts. That is intentional as I try to grapple with the direction I want to take this blog in. I’m open to suggestions and open to those looking to collaborate. If there is outside interest, I might consider taking it to a proper domain and making it a blog on Wordpress/Ghost.
In the interim, I’ll be switching over to doing 2 posts a week. The first post, at the beginning of the week, will be an essay covering a business related topic. The second post, at the end of the week, will be a collection of links and things I have been reflecting on during the week.
And since, it’s the end of the week - here are this week’s links without any further ado:
Video of the week:
Fascinating look into how the web’s most visited website was killed by a series of blunders including its 2005 acquisition by NewsCorp.
Podcast of the week:
Invest Like the Best Discussion with Chris Bloomstran
A very fascinating discussion with a value investor on how he evaluates and measures businesses.
Article of the week:
6 harsh truths that will make you a better person
Apparently, quite an old article but I came across this just this week. I highly recommend reading it to the end and bookmarking it for future reads!
Statistic of the week:
Just seven years ago, Portugese bonds yielded more than 15% while Spanish debt was over 5%. Now those bonds are yielding a big fat zero. Source: Bloomberg
Quote I’m reflecting on this week:
"Steve was the most remarkably focused person I've ever met in my life," Ive said. "And the thing with focus is, it's not this thing you aspire to, or you decide on Monday, 'You know, I'm going to be focused.' It is a every minute, 'Why are we talking about this? This is what we're working on.' You can achieve so much when you truly focus." He added: "What focus means is saying no to something that with every bone in your body think is a phenomenal idea, and you wake up thinking about it, but you end up saying no to it because you're focusing on something else." - Jonny Ive on Steve Jobs
Book recommendation of the week:
“Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle” -
Not a business book but a very fascinating account of one man’s tale of living with the Piraha, one of the last remaining indigenous tribes in the Amazon. Highly recommended.
Start-up of the week:
Nomad Rides, an Uber Rival that gives drivers the full fare (it charges them a subscription fees in return).
Tweet of the week:
Graphic of the week:
Question of the week:
“What important truth do very few people agree with you on?” - Peter Thiel, Zero to One.
For more background on the question, read this. If you want my answer to the question, email me yours and I’ll reply back with mine. Also, if there is interest, I might include reader responses to the question (including my own) in a future post.
That is all, thanks for reading. Feedback, comments and topic suggestions are all appreciated.
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