I almost didn't make it on my second issue of the weekly newsletter... But better one day later than never, and the streak isn't broken.

It has been an interesting week on a personal level as we just launched a podcast that I led at work on the same week when I'm launching my own (more details on the next issue).

My coworkers with a background from bigger corporations were amazed at what one can do with simple and cheap hardware and software these days.

Being scrappy is a good thing and learning what and how to use the amazing tools we can find is a great way to differentiate yourself and add value in a company.

The tools I used for the podcasts were Descript (editing audio from the text) and Transistor to publish.

Picks of the week

#1

​How to Be Great? Just Be Good, Repeatably
​Steph Smith

I randomly read this great essay from Steph Smith (Twitter serendipidity). She was unknown to me until this moment, but as it always happens online, the day after I saw her name everywhere... She is the product leader of one of my favorite online community, magazine, market research company...

​Trends by The Hustle

I love her story because she got offered the job by Sam Parr who read this essay and offered her a job.

Putting your ideas or projects online is worth way more than any kind of CV or Linkedin profile in this new world. What you produce doesn't even need to be viral, just be read by the right person and it can change your path.

#2

​Fast
​Patrick Collison

Patrick Collison, co-founder, and CEO of Stripe is such an interesting person. He created one of the most amazing companies in the world serving a bigger purpose "Building the payments infrastructure for the Internet" and that is often referenced around culture, how to launch a startup, how to solve difficult problems, or the quality of their documentation online.

But he's also regularly involved in big social and economic questions and his way of thinking amazes me.

One example, on his personal website, he has a growing list of ambitious projects that got done in an insanely fast time such as Disneyland, The Eiffel Tower, or what became Visa Card. And why these amazing feats somehow changed after the 70's.

#3

​Content Patterns: How to Create Better Content, Faster​
​Shane Melaugh from Thrive Themes

Just sharing a highly actionable article that I refer, and come back to often when I want to get back to writing or scale a writing process as we're planning at the company I work.

Question, quote or idea of the week

It is precisely because there is still far more suffering and scarcity in the world than I or anybody else with a heart would wish that ambitious optimism is morally mandatory. (Matt Ridley in "The Rational Optimist"

I just finished reading "The Rational Optimist" by Matt Ridley. Interesting book from which I liked some of the ideas:

1. Commerce and free trades are the main sources of peace, progress, and prosperity.
2. The compounding effect of learning from previous generations and specialization helped us innovate and create a surplus.
3. Understanding that at no point in time did our species had more freedom, knowledge, health, or wealth though it is often forgotten.
4. Being an optimist is a useful trait (and I'd argue a skill we can train) and what makes individuals and tribes try to improve from the status quo.

A book well-worth reading and it pairs well with Sapiens.

End Note

Thank's a lot for reading. I'd love it if you shared it with a friend or two that could like it. You can send them here to sign up.

If you find anything interesting last week, please send it my way. I always enjoy new ideas and perspectives.

Have a great week,

Benjamin