[WITI No. 82] An annual review - books, five figure financial f*ck-up(FFFF), mushrooms & fitness

hello and welcome to the 82nd edition (after a 10 week hiatus) of What is the Information? My weekly writing exercise where I share with you what I’m reading, and what I’m thinking about as I read this stuff. As always, thank you for reading!

I’ve had a bit free time on my hands at the end of the year, so I spent a little bit of time taking stock of my 2022. Of course, Jonathan Larson’s Seasons of Love comes to mind.

How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee (over 500 for me)
In inches, in miles
In laughter, in strife

Your author at the Armadillo’s Pillow Bookstore in Chicago. Photo credit: My wife

I chose to measure my 2022 “in books.”

• Books purchased for myself: 75+

• Books completed: 16

• Books abandoned 15

What did this review teach me?

I subscribed to the principle that whenever a book interested me I should buy it. I picked up this idea from Ramit Sethi. Why waste time on indecision? However, perhaps the pendulum has swung too far. I find myself sitting on a pile of 45+ unread books. That’s some serious tsundoku. I’m swinging the pendulum back - and will hold off on buying any more books this year.

So what did I read?

I read a ton of Peter Zeihan this year, starting with The End of the World is just the Beginning, Accidental Superpower & Disunited Nations. I was intrigued by his prediction about Russia invading Ukraine and his thoughts about Covid blowing up international supply chains and repercussions of the United States taking an inward turn, where the US can pick and choose where to be involved. As things play out in Ukraine at the moment, it fees like watching history in real time. It’s very strange.

I also tried to read some Tim Marshall Prisoners of Geography & Shadowlands but his prose didn’t capture my attention like Zeihan.

My reading slumped (and so did this newsletter) at the start of the fourth quarter. Around Thanksgiving, I started listening to Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. I was drawn into the story by the library, a setting which is used in a few of asynchronous threads that made up the story. The stories take place in Constantinople during an Ottoman attack, the Korean war, a spaceship lifeboat for humanity seeking another habitable planet - in each of time periods, the library is prominent. Cloud Cuckoo Land is an ancient story about a shepherd who leaves home to seek out paradise where fountains flow with wine to drink and tortoises pass with sweets on their backs for you to eat. The shepherd endures transformation to a donkey, then a fish, then a crow and reaches cloud cuckoo land. He is forced to decide whether or not he wishes to remain.

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CCL (Cloud Cuckoo Land) reminded me of The Overstory by Richard Powers. It contained several stories that were ultimately woven together well. The twist in CCL definitely caught me by surprise.

I finished the year reading The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson. Eric didn’t write this as much as compile Ravikant’s tweets, interviews and other posts into a book that’s chock full of advice about wealth and happiness. The book also has a very deep recommended reading list - which adds to my tsundoku.

I appreciate Naval’s bluntness. Here are some zingers:

Don’t take yourself so seriously. You’re just a monkey with a plan.

The fundamental delusion: There is something out there that will make me happy and fulfilled forever.

If you can’t see yourself working with someone for life, don’t work with them for a day.

Truly notable…

This was one great piece of writing. I’m not of the Minecraft generation. I suppose it can be fun but I have never tried it. My children love it. My daughter has earned a few thousand playing Minecraft.

I wrote a story for a friend

The lesson of the story: let your agent handle the negotiation. Emotions can get in the way. This mistake cost the author(and his family) probably 5-6 figures, possibly 7 figures but maybe what we get instead is worth much more…

Find of the week…

Another anecdote from Naval from his friend, Behzad:

“Stop asking why and start saying wow”

The mushroom video is wow.

Erwan Le Corre @ErwanLeCorre

Incredible that such sophisticated structure, biological technology and beauty happened “randomly.” 😅

And since the new year is always full of people at the gym trying to get fit, check out this guy’s body weight exercise.

Fascinating @fasc1nate

Man Does A Full Frontal Flip From An Incline Plank Position

How did you measure you 2022? Dollars? Subscribers? Minutes logged on Duolingo? I would love to hear it!

Snippet from the Minecraft end poem:

and the universe said I love you

and the universe said you have played the game well

and the universe said everything you need is within you

and the universe said you are stronger than you know

and the universe said you are the daylight

and the universe said you are the night

and the universe said the darkness you fight is within you

and the universe said the light you seek is within you

and the universe said you are not alone

and the universe said you are not separate from every other thing

and the universe said you are the universe tasting itself, talking to itself, reading its own code

and the universe said I love you because you are love.

And the game was over and the player woke up from the dream. And the player began a new dream. And the player dreamed again, dreamed better. And the player was the universe. And the player was love.

You are the player.

Wake up

The Minecraft end poem is a great way to start the New Year. Happy New Year, dear readers! May it be your best one yet.

As always, thank you for reading!