Plus, what I needed to hear about amateurism
After hitting on a heavy, yet important, topic first, we then shift to some more lighthearted items. One includes a message I needed to hear, and am sure others do as well, and then close with multiple notes from the Chicago World’s Fair that was over a century ago.
Overworked to Death
A WHO report (rightfully) points out a major problem with “hustle culture.” Researchers found that people who work at least 55 hours a week are at a 35% increased risk of stroke and a 17% increased risk of dying from heart disease.
Given that heart disease is already the leading cause…
Is it more important than work history and skills?
How appropriate to have a section on lifelong learners in this ongoing series about interesting things I learn. Also included this week is a piece that gives hope to us environmentalists and a question about whether spending money on sleep aids or making better decisions is the key to better sleep health.
Hiring Lifelong Learners
Harvard Business Review published a piece about the importance of hiring people who have a process for learning and its relation to achieving a competitive advantage. The actual process in which they learn isn’t important because people learn differently, but what’s important is identifying and knowing your technique.
…
Study shows how people approach problems and why
I can finally share my thoughts on why more doesn’t always mean better and that rethinking what we mean by growth and productivity is necessary. After some light philosophy, we get to my newest note-taking practice and why public transportation fails those who need it most.
More Does Not Mean Better
This idea that productivity, improvement, and growth come from doing more and adding new things has weighed on me for a while now. At the end of last year, I kept thinking, why are people focused on adding things to their life or work instead of subtracting the things that aren’t worthwhile?
Plus, my new favorite metaphor about success
As a self-learner and someone who cares about personal growth, topic three might just be my new favorite metaphor. First, however, some exciting news to share about a 4-day work week and a new type of green renewable energy.
Spain Testing 4-Day Workweek
This has me excited, hopeful, and very surprised. Spain’s government decided to pilot a program that supports businesses who make the switch to a 4-day, 32-hour workweek.
I’m excited because I’m a big supporter of trying new revolutionary things. I’m hopeful because we’ve already seen benefits when people spend less time at work and more time with family or doing things…
Why the future is in DNA and not robots
In a rare occurrence, the first two topics this week are forward-looking instead of historical facts. Yet, the third topic on daydreaming is the one closest to my heart and the most impactful on my daily life.
Google Enters Higher Education
Google currently offers five different certifications on Coursera, a website that works with higher education institutions to offer online degrees, certifications, and continued education. Google has entered the higher education space with shorter-term and cheaper certification programs in:
- Data Analytics
- UX Design
- IT Support
- Project Management
- IT Automation with Python
Their certifications can be earned in less than a year, costing a few…
Learn how you can get involved
There’s a chance you’ve seen a headline or two about sports cards. Specifically about cards sold at auction for ridiculous amounts. Earlier this month a Michael Jordan card sold for $1.4 million, and in August of last year a LeBron James rookie card sold for $1.8 million. eBay, the primary marketplace for sports cards, recently shared sports card sales grew by 142% on their site in 2020.
All of this is to say that sports cards have become a legitimate investment option. Sure, we saw the excitement of Robinhood, r/WallStreetBets, and Gamestop earlier this year. …
The future of NFT technology is fascinating
The world of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) is growing at an unbelievable rate. Two months ago it would have been hard to find a single person in your circle who could tell you what NFT stood for, much less what a Non-Fungible Token is. Now, you can hardly go a few hours of scrolling on Twitter without seeing at least one mention of it.
For those who haven’t taken the dive to learn what an NFT is, a simple explanation is that it’s a verifiable piece of digital data. This data can take almost any form. Meaning, it can be an…
Biden can’t even unite his own party
During the 2020 Democratic Primary, Joe Biden tried to set himself apart in two distinct ways. He was the electable candidate, and the unity candidate. As people identify more and more with their political party and lob insults at those on the other side, Biden said he could bring the country together.
He double-downed on this promise of unity after winning the election. He would be a president for all Americans. In his acceptance speech, he gave credit to the broad coalition that helped elect him.
I’m proud of the coalition we put together, the broadest and most diverse coalition…
Most of what you’ve been told is wrong
One of the things we count on is politicians always worrying about the Federal Deficit, which they oftentimes call the National Debt. For clarity’s sake, they’re referring to the same thing. The large number that currently sits just shy of $28 trillion.
Which sounds scary. Especially to people who’ve experienced debt through student loans, mortgages, auto loans, medical debt, etc. — so, essentially everyone. But, the Federal Deficit is nothing like the personal loans or debt you’ve incurred.
Thus, it’s important to identify the basic truths of federal spending. This is the Too Long Didn’t Read (TLDR) section:
It’s always been true, but now more than ever
I could have written this at any point in the last 100 years and still been firm in my belief. But especially now, as we continue to struggle through a pandemic that’s forced businesses to close and unemployment to skyrocket, with a looming recession about to happen, the United States needs a jobs guarantee program.
What is a Jobs Guarantee Program?
A jobs guarantee program is exactly as it sounds. A federal nationwide mandate that says anyone who wants a job, gets one. …
Nick Baker
A writer with many interests.
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