9: A Gift From You; The Blue Marble
Hi friends,
I hope you’re all staying safe out there!
Today’s my 23rd birthday! 22 was a great year and I’m optimistic for what year 23 has in store!
For my birthday, I thought it be a good idea to write a letter to my younger self. I’ll be releasing that next week. Stay tuned!
Also this week I’ve decided to try something new. Usually I share Stuff I Enjoyed This Week, this time I want to ask you about Stuff you enjoyed.
Stuff You Enjoyed (A Gift From You)
In every issue of my newsletter I’ve been sharing stuff I’ve enjoyed. As a small gift for my birthday, I’d love to hear what you’ve enjoyed too. Reply to this email with:
What is one thing that you’ve enjoyed? It could be anything. I’ve included some suggestions at the bottom.
Why did you choose this? Doesn’t need to be long, I’m just curious.
Suggestions
book, blog, essay, poem, short story
painting, photo, or any piece of art
song, artist, album
podcast
video, movie, short film
a neat idea you've been thinking about or something surprising that you’ve learned
a restaurant I should visit someday
Next week I’ll be sharing anonymously all of the suggestions sent to me so you can enjoy them too. If you want to share something personal and don’t want it to be shared, let me know as well!
Stuff I Enjoyed this Week
Runaway
Kanye West | Feature Film (34min)
I’m sure many would agree with me when I say that Runaway is one of Kanye’s best songs. We’ve all seen the incredible music video, but only recently did I find out that that video was a clip of the feature film also entitled, Runaway. This film puts Kanye’s creative genius in full display.
The film depicts a romantic relationship between a man and a half-woman, half-phoenix, and is set to music by Kanye West from his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Advice to College Students on the Path to a Fulfilling Career
Adam Keesling | Blog (9min)
Many of my subscribers are university students and many have asked me for career advice. Personally, I’ve always found it interesting reading what advice successful people have for college students. Adam Keesling is a popular internet citizen on tech twitter, he’s currently a consultant and former Investment Banker based in SF. While I don’t agree with all of Adam’s advice, most of it I do agree with.
Story of Your Life
Ted Chiang | Novella
Despite the fact that Ted started off as a part-time science-fiction writer with a full-time technical writing job, he is the equivalent of Martin Scorsese or Wayne Gretzky in the sci-fi world—he has won four Hugo, four Nebula, and four Locus Awards, among others. Story of Your Life is his breakout work about a linguist communicating with extraterrestrial life. This book was also the basis of the 2016 blockbuster movie, Arrival.
This is definitely up there in one of my favorite science fiction works I’ve ever read.
It’s Time to Build
Marc Andreessen | Essay (8min)
Our nation and our civilization were built on production, on building. Our forefathers and foremothers built roads and trains, farms and factories, then the computer, the microchip, the smartphone, and uncounted thousands of other things that we now take for granted, that are all around us, that define our lives and provide for our well-being. There is only one way to honor their legacy and to create the future we want for our own children and grandchildren, and that’s to build.
The name of the title says it all. Marc Andreessen, one of silicon valley’s most influential investors, pinpoints the problem in western countries as a “widespread inability to build.” Something that the current pandemic has exposed. Personally, I’ve seen this for myself as it seems like there’s less builders and entrepreneurs in the university ecosystem right now compared to when I first entered university in 2015. I think it was always time to build, but we need to build now more than ever.
Thanks to Aditya for sharing this with me.
The Wait
National Geographic | Short Film (11min)
I find wildlife photography endlessly fascinating. It takes a lot of patience. Sometimes your waiting days on end for a moment that you capture forever with your camera. Michel d’Oultremont documents his process as a wildlife photographer and his quest to find the wild bison that have recently been re-introduced in Romania. This breathtaking short film has some of the best cinematography I’ve seen.
To celebrate Earth Day tomorrow I thought I’d share this piece from the archives.
The Photo that Changed the World
It’s beautiful isn’t it?
Every time I look at this picture it reminds me of the beauty of our home. A beautiful planet in a back drop of nothingness.
Everything I’ve ever known, every place I’ve ever been to, everyone I’ve ever loved.
Is there.
The Blue Marble, was taken in 1972. Before, we imagined what earth looked like. Now, we saw what it actually looked like.
For the first time we saw the earth in its entirety. It awakened a global environmental consciousness. It brought to reality that we are living together on a tiny, fragile, ball of life.
This is our home, this is the only one we got.
And we have to work together to protect it.
Thanks for reading! I’d appreciate if you can comment on what you liked, what you didn’t like, and what you would like to see.
Until next week,
James