Hi again—it’s me. I hope you’re enjoying a nice slow Sunday.
This week, I explored the open ocean, soared through space, learned how to read, and opened up a big ol’ tub of GIPHY, and much more.
But before we dive in, a quick aside. You might wonder: “who are you writing this for?” In all honesty, the selfish answer is me. Or rather, people like me, who just enjoy being curious. Some have told me that curiosity can be distracting, that I should stop browsing and focus on one thing; hone that until I’m "known for something.” It’s a fair & valid point. But I’d rather be known for being curious than for any one specific topic or interest. The world is too grand for blinders. Curiosity and focus are not mutually exclusive. I liken curiosity to imagination and just as the great Don McCullin says: “You can't do anything great without energy and imagination.”
Anywho, here’s what sparked my curiosity this week:
1. Out to Sea
When was the last time you spent a month at sea? The likely answer is, well, never. I recently came across this beautiful video that a cargo ship captain recorded over 30 days as his ship bounced from port to port, often covering incredibly vast (and stunning) seascapes along the way. The timelapse video, which condenses thousands of miles into mere minutes, reinforces just how small and interconnected our world is.
Plus, I had to sneak in a few fun cargo ship facts:
⚓️ There are 50,000 cargo ships worldwide
🇬🇷 Greece owns the world’s largest fleet
☠️ Pirates exist and it’s not all planks & parrots
🌎 90% of global trade is carried by sea
📦 A typical shipping container is 8’ x 8.5’ x 20’ (or 40’)
2. The Office Is Dead… Or Is It?
What we will do with all of this office space? This is the question that most CEOs are grappling with now as our pandemic posture is poised to perpetuate. On one end of the spectrum, you have the “returners” — those who believe we’ll all return to our offices and life as we knew it will resume. On the other end of the spectrum are “the abandoners” — those who believe the office as we know it is dead. The office’s fate likely lies somewhere in the middle. Jack Dorsey (Founder & CEO of Twitter) recently announced that no Twitter employee will be required to return to the office unless they so choose. Others, like Eric Schmidt (ex-CEO of Google), believe the coronavirus will require companies to increase their office space so as to accommodate the new norm of social distancing. Courtney Rubin, of Medium’s Marker magazine, wrote a wonderful deep dive exploring the world of possibilities for the future office.
3. Running with the Voice in Your Head
Quarantine has reignited the runner in many. And as you dust off those sneakers, squeeze into those compressions shorts, and hit the road, you might wonder: am I doing this right? Now, a slew of new apps and wearables are working to give you an answer. Soul Electronics has created a set of headphones that, on the surface, don’t appear to be drastically different than the ones you already have—with one small, but important difference—they’re enhanced by artificial intelligence. As you run, Soul tracks your speed, head angle, time in the air, and a number of other metrics. More important than simple measurement, the Soul headphones interject periodic coaching tips based on these insights while you run. Dipping your head a bit? They’ll chime in. Slowing your pace? They’re there to light a fire under your you know what. Nurvv and Aaptiv also offer similar enhanced experiences.
Read more about the rise of AI running coaches here.
4. Relatability is More Important than Fame
What’s the one trait that enables someone to build a following? Relatability. Why would I ask my athletic friend for a workout program vs. get one from Chris Hemsworth? Why do I prefer to watch how an average-joe shoots and edits photos on Lightroom vs. watch how Annie Lebowitz does it? There’s a tradeoff to celebrity content—most of it is simply not accessible or realistic. I can eat what Chris Hemsworth eats, I can do the same number of planks (or I wish I could), and I can run the same five miles, but I don’t have a team of nutritionists, a full-time chef, a personal trainer, and unlimited money to spend. I can buy the same camera Annie Lebowitz has, I can use the same editing software, heck, I can even try to go to the same locations, but I don’t have five assistants to hold lights and do makeup, I don’t have professional editors who turn my shot into a photograph, and I don’t have a 10,000 square foot studio to invite my subjects to. A big reason why YouTube and TikTok have continued their exponential rise in popularity is that they enable relatability at scale.
5. A Big Tub of GIPHY
On Friday, Facebook acquired GIPHY, the world’s top search engine for GIFs, for $400M. What’s so appealing about this, this, and this to the dominant social network? Communication. GIFs are the latest medium to meaningfully insert themselves into our zeitgeist since the emoji. GIFs are a fun and effective way to communicate a feeling, an emotion, or a vibe, to your friends, family, or coworkers. The GIPHY team will join Facebook’s child company, Instagram, so expect to see more GIFs in your feed coming soon. Yesterday, I had a chance to chat briefly with the founder and CEO of Tenor, the second most popular GIF search engine. You might not be as familiar with them, but chances are you’ve sent a Tenor GIF. If you use native GIF search on Apple’s iMessage, Google Gboard, Kik, LinkedIn, and others, your GIF was from Tenor. Google acquired them in early 2018 for an undisclosed sum. As of two years ago, they had 300M+ DAUs and 300M+ monthly searches. Their CEO told me that they’ve been “growing several x,” but did not disclose specific numbers. What’s next in the world of new mediums? I predict that greater monetization and even an acquisition of a meme platform is next.
6. How to Read
My favorite internet curator, Austin Kleon, shares several tips on how to read if you’re struggling to do so:
1. Keep a book at the breakfast table and read it in the morning instead of looking at the news on your phone.
2. Be promiscuous. Read more than one book at a time until one pulls you into monogamy.
3. Quit more books than you finish. Read lots of short books until you work up the concentration for longer ones.
7. The Wild West of Bottled Water
This week, I read a great story of the complicated history of our most precious resource on Earth—water. It’s a story of rural Maine, of Germany candymen, of pride, independence, self-sufficiency, and of controversy—all for a liquid that humans have worshipped since the ancient Greeks. An added benefit of this piece? The incredibly powerful black and white photography that accompanies it.
8. Early Bird… Got the Worm!
Striped bass are the prized possession of Massachusetts fishing. Catching a striper is somewhat of a spiritual moment—well, maybe not that intense, but rewarding nonetheless. They’re more elusive than the common bluefish, tastier than cod, and they just so happen to be the chosen logo of my grandmother’s old restaurant, Straight Wharf, in Nantucket. So yesterday morning, my dad and I rose early (like 5 am early), splashed some cold water on our faces, and headed south towards Sandwich, MA in search of these iconic fish. We’d heard reports from friends (thanks, Mike) that a special spot where a river meets the ocean was a favorite hangout for these striped seafarers. And, lo and behold, after a couple hours of longing casts, I hooked and landed one!
See the fish (and my childish excitement) here
9. Soaring Through Space
I love this project. It’s a simple site that asks you to pretend you’re an astronaut, floating above Earth. As you soar, you’re dropped into random moments from Earth in the form of YouTube videos from around the world. But these aren’t Justin Beiber videos or Joe Rogan clips—they’re recent videos that have only a half-dozen views, so it feels like you’re watching something intimate that may never be viral, and it makes it all that more enjoyable.
10. McCullinism
Don McCullin is only the second photographer to ever be knighted by the Queen. His work has not only been an incredible service to the artform that is photography but has also been an incredible inspiration to me in my nascent career. He spent most of his life photographing war and destruction around the world in his signature black and white look. After his work on the battlefield, he “sentenced himself to a life of peace” in Somerset, England where he takes landscape photographs of the countryside. What I love about McCullin is his honesty and clarity with himself and with his audience. He hates to be known as a war photographer and emphasizes it any chance he gets. He’s one of the more eloquent thinkers out there. I highly recommend watching this short clip in which he tells an incredible story of how his camera saved his life and this longer video of his current outlook on life and landscape photography.
Watch how a camera saved his life or his outlook on life
That’s all, folks! Feel free to share this around with your friends or family and tap the little heart if you *really* liked it. Anyone who hasn’t yet can subscribe below. ☺️
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I’ll see you back here next Sunday—have a great week.