Weekly Thing #217 / Ukraine, Coaching, Population
I’m Jamie Thingelstad. You’re getting this email because you signed up for the Weekly Thing. I appreciate you being here, but if you don’t want these emails any longer, simply unsubscribe.
Hello there! 👋
I have another Sunday issue of the Weekly Thing for you. I’m going to keep the intro brief again this week. 🤷♂️
I’m continuing to include a set of links to organizations that you can support to help Ukraine. Look for the big Ukrainian flag image further down. The list changes each week as I keep adding new things as I find them, so please take a look and join me in supporting some of these important efforts. 🇺🇦
Featured
Organizations as Learning Systems
I often say “All great technology companies are learning organizations.” I believe this is a fact. Consider the fact that most technology companies are currently successful with information, systems, capabilities that didn’t exist a decade ago. If you aren’t learning, you’re failing, slowly.
This article presents a compelling and systematic way to look at the “Facilitating Factors” that make for learning companies. And then, the “Learning Orientations” that are considerations for “what & where” learning occurs.
A good leadership to do: Read the facilitating factors and identify the components in your organization that align with that factor. 🤔
The five giant F1 Rocket Engines at the base of the Saturn V rocket at the Space & Rocket Center.
Mar 20, 2022 at 3:10 PM
“Rocket City”, Huntsville, Alabama
Notable
The Ukraine Crisis Explained with Niall Ferguson — The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway — Overcast
This interview with Niall Ferguson has some compelling commentary on the war in Ukraine and the impacts that will be felt from it. 🎧🇺🇦
Ukraine is Winning - The Atlantic
Ukraine is impressing the entire world with their military actions to defend against Russia’s invasion. The only good reason I can see to shy away from a winning narrative is that it could make others complacent. The power difference between Russia and Ukraine is stark, and while Ukraine may very well win this war, the rest of the world needs to do everything it possibly can to help tip the odds continual in its favor. 🇺🇦
Slow Yew Down - Next Action Associates
I’ve been using GTD for over a decade, maybe two decades now. Clarifying the work that is in front of you is key. It is also something most people, including myself, struggle with regularly.
The solution is the same, however longstanding your practice or sophisticated your system; taking time to slow down and systematically clarify things, one-by-one. Believing that this time is a luxury for people who are ‘less busy than me’ is a thought that we can often sense lurking in the room when teaching GTD. And, yes, it might feel like you don’t have the time but the cold hard truth of the matter is that all the decision-making and thinking will have to happen eventually and you can either do it the easy way on the front end with clarity and ease, or on the back end where the inefficiencies will suddenly become apparent and painful.
Making the time and energy available for the review process is very important. The need for it is often predicted by steadily rising anxiety. The challenge is recognizing “planning versus doing” as a solution for that anxiety.
Mozilla’s vision for the evolution of the Web
I do love that Mozilla continues to focus on the core tenets of what the web should be.
Our vision starts with three basic values for the Web, rooted in the Mozilla Manifesto:
- Openness: Everyone can access the Web, and use it to reach others.
- Agency: Once individuals reach the Web, they are empowered to accomplish their goals effectively and on their own terms.
- Safety: The experience of using the Web must not put individuals in danger.
I admire and concur with all of this, particularly the goal to “Make it easy for anyone to publish on the Web”. The web was envisioned from the very beginning by Tim Berners-Lee to be a read-write medium. That web pages could be easily edited using the same tool that you use to read. Wiki’s come close to this ideal, but the web as a whole has become harder to publish, and perhaps more importantly, self-publish on. I’m not talking about posting on some giant technology companies social media site. I’m talking about my own website, my own words, my own rules.
Famous Fox Federation Roadmap 2.0 | by Famous Fox Federation | Mar, 2022 | Medium
Famous Fox Federation is the most interesting (and successful) NFT project I have been involved in. Check out my den. This project has moved very fast and the development has been tremendous. This next roadmap has some really interesting ideas: Raid missions, Fox rentals, Mission items. All of it looks really fun and cool. Continuing to learn here!
Arnold Schwarzenegger: “I love the Russian people. That is why I have to tell you the truth.”
A great personal message from Arnold Schwarzenegger on Russia’s attack of Ukraine. If you prefer to read, The Atlantic has the transcript. 🇺🇦
Population.io
A number of statistics for you based on your date of birth, country of residence, and gender. It turns out I’m in the 75th percentile of age in the world. 👀
20 days in Mariupol: The team that documented city’s agony | AP News
These images from Mariupol of the war and killing are chilling. I do believe that showing the horrors of war is a means to get people to turn against it, and work harder for peace. Mariupol continues to face catastrophe. 🇺🇦
5 Steps to Transform Your Life
I first was exposed to the formal concept of self-coaching when I was doing a lot of cycling, mostly century rides. I had a formal process of writing down my training programs, recording the data from my rides, evaluating the outcomes to see if I was tracking. It really can work. This is all about a clear approach to apply self-coaching.
- Have a self-coaching conversation.
- Adopt a self-coaching mindset.
- Develop a self-coaching plan.
- Embrace the self-coaching journey.
- Strengthen the self-coaching habit.
To me the biggest aspect of self-coaching is to externalize the data and learnings, typically by writing them down. Doing this allows you to see your own thoughts and commitments almost as external to you, and allow you to be a better coach to yourself.
The Current Thing – Stratechery by Ben Thompson
Interesting dissection of holding opposing ideas in a world with no marginal cost of supporting ideas, and then connecting that to policy or moderation decisions at different levels of the technology stack.
At the same time, I can’t help but worry about a world where every level of the Internet stack feels empowered to act based on political considerations, and it makes me think that my Framework for Moderation was wrong. In a world of idea aggregation the push to go along with the current thing is irresistible, making any sort of sober consideration of one’s position in the stack irrelevant. The only effective counter is a blanket policy of not censoring or cutting off service under any circumstance: it’s easier to appeal to consistency than it is to make a nuanced decision that runs counter to the current thing.
I share a very similar view to Thompson in regard to the layers in the stack and what moderation means. I actually do not see any issue introduced by companies blocking Russian access at an infrastructure level, as those decisions should be connected to state level sanctions.
In whole, the Internet should be as lightly moderated as possible, really only to legality, at the access layer (lowest) layers. And it is any companies decisions on what they want to do at the top user-facing (highest) layers.
Coaching vs. Mentoring
I like this differentiation between coaching and mentoring.
But here is the key. When I mentor, I try to share my honest opinions and reasoning, but I know that I have no control over whether the person listens, or whether that advice even applies in their particular circumstances. So I don’t lose any sleep over how this works out for each person.
But with coaching, I know that if the person I’m coaching ends up failing, that’s very much on me. As a coach, I’m signing up to ensure that person is prepared for the tasks at hand, and it’s my reputation on the line as well. So I do stress about whether their particular product strategy is solid, or whether the person is prepared for an upcoming executive review or a board meeting. Just as their manager should. As Bill Campbell said, “You can’t be a good manager without being a good coach.”
Bottom line is that as a coach I have some real degree of accountability. As a mentor, I don’t. But again, I consider both helpful.
Coaches have skin in the game. Mentors are advisors. Worthwhile to frame this way and realize that if you agree to coach someone you need to be much more thoughtful about it.
What You’re Feeling Isn’t A Vibe Shift. It’s Permanent Change.
Thought provoking article thinking about the bigger picture of where society may be.
Beck argued that we were actually in a “risk” society — a very cool, not-at-all-alarming name — an era of organizing ourselves in response to global, anonymous, invisible threats.
But Beck didn’t stop at naming it — he offered a way forward: a framework for how to live in a risk society. His fundamental question: “How can we cope with the fear, if we cannot overcome the causes of the fear? How can we live on the volcano of civilization without deliberately forgetting about it, but also without suffocating on the fears — and not just on the vapors that the volcano exudes?”
We can only move forward.
The world as we knew it is not coming back, and it’s entirely reasonable that we may find ourselves plagued with a general restlessness, a vague notion of disorder. It’s that funny feeling.
“Risk society” is not a term I’ve heard or read about. It is an interesting perspective.
Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin Is Worried About Crypto’s Future | Time
Very approachable (it is TIME!) introduction to Ethereum’s founder Vitalik Buterin.
Those who know Buterin well have noticed a philosophical shift over the years. “He’s gone on a journey from being more sympathetic to anarcho-capitalist thinking to Georgist-type thinking,” says Glen Weyl, an economist who is one of his close collaborators, referring to a theory that holds the value of the commons should belong equally to all members of society. One of Buterin’s recent posts calls for the creation of a new type of NFT, based not on monetary value but on participation and identity. For instance, the allocation of votes in an organization might be determined by the commitment an individual has shown to the group, as opposed to the number of tokens they own. “NFTs can represent much more of who you are and not just what you can afford,” he writes.
I share the concerns that Buterin highlights in this interview. And I’m also glad that he has decided to take a more active position as Ethereum continues to evolve. Buterin’s leadership and philosophy is one of the things that makes me bullish on Ethereum.
Support Ukraine
The people of Ukraine need the worlds help as they struggle through the invasion of their country. Please consider helping with a financial donation to these causes. 🇺🇦
- Donate Crypto to Ukraine: Support people in their fight for freedom.
- Ukrainian Red Cross: All funds will be used to help those in need, affected by armed conflict, blood collection, mobilization of volunteers and resources, and emergency activities.
- $1K Project: Sponsor a Ukrainian family in need.
- Samaritan’s Purse: Samaritan’s Purse has deployed an Emergency Field Hospital to Ukraine.
- Convoy of Hope: Whether it’s after a disaster, feeding a hungry child, or helping a parent put food on the table, Convoy of Hope is proud to deliver your kindness to those who need it most.
- Doctors Without Borders: We have teams in Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, Russia, and Belarus. We are an independent and impartial organization committed to providing medical humanitarian assistance to people affected by the war no matter who they are or where they are.
- Voices of Children: Providing non-stop assistance to affected children and families from all over the country, providing emergency psychological assistance, and assisting in the evacuation process.
- USA for UNHCR: UNHCR is on the ground scaling its response to provide assistance and ensure those displaced find safety in welcoming arms in this moment of crisis.
- Razom for Ukraine: Razom creates spaces where people meet, partner and work together to unlock the potential of Ukraine.
- Kyiv Independent: Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Choose one-time or ongoing support.
- International Red Cross: Operations in Ukraine are among the ten largest ICRC operations worldwide with a team of over 600 staff members.
- United Help Ukraine: Help us provide medical aid and humanitarian relief to brave Ukrainians defending themselves! Stand with the people of Ukraine!
- Care.org Ukraine Crisis Fund: Give now to send lifesaving food, water, and hygiene kits to the most vulnerable in Ukraine.
- Direct Relief: Direct Relief is working with Ukraine’s Ministry of Health and other groups in the region to provide requested medical aid—from oxygen concentrators to critical care medicines—while preparing to offer longer-term aid to people displaced or affected by the war.
- World Central Kitchen: Providing meals to Ukrainian families in need.
- Lifeline Ukraine: Suicide prevention support line.
- UNICEF: Help UNICEF deliver aid to hundreds of thousands of children in eastern Ukraine impacted by violence — and to hundreds of thousands more as UNICEF races to meet increasingly urgent needs across the country.
Thank you! 🙏
Journal
Tammy and I had such a great time seeing Elton John tonight at his final show ever in St. Paul, Minnesota — the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. At 74 years old he still brought it all. An amazing performer and musician! Wow! 🎶
We tried Creekside Supper Club for the first time and had a great dinner. Popovers are amazing. Ribeye delicious. Roasted corn chowder. Butter Cake for dessert is like the best shortcake you’ll ever have. 🍽🤤
Our last stop before leaving Nashville was a backstage tour at the Grand Ole Opry. We got to see the artists entrance, the Opry post office, all of the various dressing rooms including Roy Acuff‘s which you can even go into.
Escape Game: Timeliner
We went to The Escape Game in Nashville and did the Timeliner: Train Through Time room. We did it with another family, a dad and three boys. The room was really cool and definitely hard enough, but not too hard. I’d like to say that we finished it but they gave us a bit of buffer time to get the door open, so technically I would say we did not. But we still had a great time doing it.
We visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. It was really cool to see so much history. The exhibits were fabulous as well. And some exceptionally wild outfits, cars, and stories.
We stopped into Goo Goo Chocolate and took the Taste of Goo Goo class where we all got to make our own Goo Goo Cluster by hand. I didn’t know any of the history of Goo Goo Clusters but they were the very first candy with more than one ingredient! The first candy bar!
Spotted the Nashville Party Wagon! 🚜
Ryman Auditorium
We visited the Ryman Auditorium and saw the birthplace of country and bluegrass music. It seems fitting that the Ryman was originally built as a tabernacle, because walking around it and thinking of all the amazing performances that have been there felt nearly spiritual. 🎶
Delightful cappuccino at Drug Store Coffee in the Noelle Hotel in downtown Nashville. ☕️
We’re in Nashville so of course we should go to the Wildhorse Saloon and learn how to do the Boot Scoot ‘n Shuffle! We all took their complimentary class together and were scootin’ and shufflin’ with the best of them. Mazie was a natural!
Space Camp
We had a fun weekend at Family Space Camp! 🚀 Our program included runs in the Multi Axis Trainer, the 5D weightlessness trainer. We ran an entire simulation of a Space Shuttle mission where Tyler was EECOM, Mazie PAYCOM, Tammy CAPCOM, and I was FDO. I got to do the countdown to launch. 🤩 We got to see an incredibly impressive planetarium showing as well as a great IMAX experience on the International Space Station. We also learned a bunch about NASA’s Artemis program. And the whole time we got to see a real Saturn V and Saturn IB rocket, as well as a capsule that went into space and a moon rock. And we got great astronaut suits.
See all photos from Space Camp…
Thingelstad Family is ready for our mission! 🚀
I asked everyone to give me a “stoic” look for the picture. 😊
Mazie did the Multi Access Trainer at Space Camp today. She reported it was fun and did not feel dizzy at the end.
Selfie with Saturn V rocket at Davidson Center in U.S. Space & Rocket Center.
Flying to Nashville, TN tonight! 🛫 First time in an airport since March 13 2020!
Briefly
GIFs will be with us forever. The writeup here focuses too much on memes in my opinion. Before 24-bit color and JPEG’s, GIFs were the only widely-used portable graphics format. → Stephen Wilhite, creator of the GIF, has died - The Verge
Hacking into systems can be hard, so this group just buys credentials from insiders. 🔐 → A Closer Look at the LAPSUS$ Data Extortion Group – Krebs on Security
MacPaw is a popular software developer that is located in Kyiv. They remain committed to Ukraine and their customers. 🇺🇦 → MacPaw’s Operations amidst the Russian Aggression against Ukraine
Show that everyone loves, but cancelled. This feels like what happens when the algorithm takes over. → Why ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ Was Canceled at Netflix
Photographers do typically try to tell a story with their photo. Telling a story is about framing and controlling the process of the image. If you can tell a story, then the medium is not entirely neutral. → Photography is not Objective, Art is a Set of Choices | Aaron Hertzmann’s blog
Balaji Srinivasan is one of the most provocative thinkers regarding crypto and the future. He is coming out with a new book that looks interesting. Notably will be released on July 4th. Already pre-ordered. 📚 → The Network State: How To Start a New Country - Amazon.com
When you hear “War is Hell”, this is a good example of that. 🇺🇦 → How Ukraine swaps living soldiers for dead Russians
I believe this would make for a much better Internet for all of us. I think it would even help the companies in the end, since their customers could start to trust their motives. → Ban Online Behavioral Advertising
Fortune
Here is your fortune…
Generosity and perfection are your everlasting goals.
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About
I’m a fan of the lawn game Kubb and play on the Kubbchucks. Together with a friend of mine, we created the very first scoring & notation system for Kubb so that games can be recorded like a baseball box score. Here is an example of a game-winning turn 3ir 2f f - b b K!
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