Category: Notes
Product management is largely about communicating and selling what you aren’t going to do vs. what you are going to do. This can be effective – if accomplished – but it is often the much harder sell.
I got some amazing news yesterday. It’s not my news to share, so I can’t post details here, but it is a great reminder that sometimes the universe smiles on you. It’s hard to see sometimes, but there is still good in this world. Positivity never goes out of style. Actively choose to radiate it!
John Gruber piling on the anti-Substack thread by focusing on the platform’s homogeneity & lock-in:
I really don’t get why any writer trying to establish themselves independently would farm out their own brand this way. It’s the illusion of independence.
Perplexity is entering the ecommerce space and offering merchant tools:
Merchants will have access to Perplexity’s API to refine how their products appear in search results and use a custom dashboard to offer insights into search and shopping trends.
This is interesting; I’ll be following.
Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes) covered Elliott Smith’s Pitseleh at his NYC show last weekend and it is awesome. One of my favorite Elliott songs and he does it justice.
Quantified self is a myth. Aspire to be equal parts science and soul. Thanks for attending my TED Talk.
Solid bouldering session tonight. Topped a V3 problem I’ve been struggling with the past couple of sessions. That felt good.
The gym was so crowded tho. I need to get back to early morning sessions when it’s just me, my thermos of coffee and the wall.
BIG Steelers win over the Ravens today! Brings the record to 8-2 with a 1.5 game lead in the division. Let’s go!
I took the last couple of weeks off from running to rest some overuse niggles that were just getting worse. First run back today…an easy pace 10k. This was the first time I can remember in quite some time that my body felt better after a run than before. Great to be back.
Manuel Moreale thinks we should celebrate smallness. I agree.
Target debuts ‘weirdly hot’ Santa named Kris in new holiday campaign:
The modern-day take on Santa Claus is introduced in a 30-second commercial, “Born to Be Kris,” where he rides out to a Target in a red Ford Bronco truck (with license plate “Sleigh”).
C’mon Target, is nothing sacred?
Mike Thurk is a photographer and outdoor adventurer who is gaining notoriety for his high-contrast, black and white photos. I like his take on the similarities between athletics and art:
I feel the creative process for athletes and artists runs parallel. It’s often I hear athletes discuss the need to find inspiration for certain efforts, and it’s not unlike an artist waiting for a similar moment. They also both reward those that plan, and practice.
Tal Raviv believes the role of product manager is an unfair one, therefore we should work unfairly. I respect Tal greatly and admire his approach, but in my opinion these aren’t unfair tactics. They’re mostly common sense, efficiency-driven and modern PM workflows.
Pittsburgh City Paper makes the case for a national park in Western Pennsylvania. It really is a travesty we are without one considering the natural beauty of this area. My vote would go to shifting Ohiopyle State Park to the Federal level.
Trail runner and endurance coach David Roche is having one heckuva year. I’ll be curious to see if his streak continues and he can achieve his goal of a sub-14 win at Western States next year.
An insightful post-mortem from Taylor Lorenz on the media ecosystem built and funded by the GOP to propel the ‘Bro Vote,’ which ultimately won them the presidency. This piece shines an important light on why the left always seems to be trailing in messaging and media strategy.