Lindy Links (05/09/21)
Cascadia Earthquake, Ray Dalio, The Making of Karateka
Hi everyone,
Writing to you from Los Angeles, CA.
One of my full-time part-time projects is a physical NFT gallery called Bright Moments. This week we hosted our first public event in the heart of Venice.
It was a hit :)
Bright Moments is operated as a decentralized autonomous organization (also called a DAO). Instead of having a typical hierarchical company structure, Bright Moments members collectively vote on decisions.
Last week’s inaugural event was in preparation for our grand opening this Memorial Day. If you’re in LA this summer and want to stop by the gallery we’d love to have you. Drop us a line at brightmoments.io.
From me
Can cryptocurrencies create wealth: We’re in the middle of another crypto cycle, which means lots of sketchy projects with grandiose claims. One of the big questions is whether crypto is actually valuable, or if it’s going to end up as another bubble that leaves retail investors holding the bag.
I tried to answer this question by working backward from the premise: what is wealth? and why do we associate it with money?
Full-time / part-time: I continue my ongoing effort to reduce life into a neat 2x2 matrix. This framework is fun because it gives a new perspective on well-known phenomena. “Getting stuck in a rut” means you need a new part-time full-time project. “Taking the leap” is graduating a full-time part-time project to a part-time full-time project.
From the web
The Cascadia subduction zone is a 600 mile-long fault line that stretches along the western coast of the United States. It’s also overdue for a “mega-thrust” earthquake that has the potential to create a massive tsunami. The New Yorker has a piece on the Cascadia Subduction Zone and the mega-earthquake waiting to happen. A really wonderful piece of writing about a very not-wonderful event.
Some choice quotes:
Kenneth Murphy, who directs FEMA’s Region X, the division responsible for Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska, says, “Our operating assumption is that everything west of Interstate 5 will be toast.”
In theory, those who are at home when it hits should be safest; it is easy and relatively inexpensive to seismically safeguard a private dwelling. But, lulled into nonchalance by their seemingly benign environment, most people in the Pacific Northwest have not done so. That nonchalance will shatter instantly. So will everything made of glass.
[Published: 2015; Lindy score: 2026]Ray Dalio has a fantastic series called “The Changing World Order”. For some reason he posts it exclusively on LinkedIn, so no one actually reads it. I recommend starting with his video How The Economic Machine Works and then moving to The Changing World Order.
[Published: 2013; Lindy score: 2029]The Making of Karateka is a journal written by Jordan Mechner, a video game programmer and film director. The journal captures what it was like to create a best-selling computer game while juggling life as a college student. It’s a fantastic window into the life of an artist, and beautifully written as well. Karateka went on to become a best-seller and Mechner later followed up his first act with the popular game Prince of Persia.
Published: 1982; Lindy score: 2060
have a great week,
phil
