In The Know #66: Reboot
Hi friends,
It’s been almost a year and a half since my last newsletter. A lot has changed in my life since then, and it’s not wrong to say that I’m a different person, as I’m sure you are too. A few notable events (in chronological order) include:
Lost my dad 💔
Got a promotion 🤓
Had shoulder surgery (now fully recovered) 🤕
Started therapy 🧘♂️
Bought a house 🏡
Got a new bike (yes, this is an important life development) 🔥
Climbed and skied Mount Shasta (a multi-year goal) 🏔️
My former startup was converted into a non-profit 🌲
I’ve been trying to channel all of my creative energy into my work — telling myself that it is a more productive use of my time — but it’s felt like something has been missing. I realized that writing this newsletter helps me reflect on what I’ve learned, and sparks meaningful conversations with friends from near and far. Community is something that has become increasingly important to me, especially as time gets more and more scarce with the ever expanding responsibilities of life and parenthood. So here we are.
I’m planning to start posting again on a monthly basis, aiming for the first week of each month. It will be another experiment of sorts, so we’ll see how it goes.
Looking forward to restarting this journey with you.
Jamie
🫠 This is your brain on LLMs — AI is everywhere these days, and I thought this was a very interesting synopsis of a MIT study on the impacts on the brain from the use of LLMs. Apparently LLM users saw a 47% reduction in brain connectivity, and 80% of them couldn’t quote anything from the work they just produced. It’s an important reminder that although AI can make a lot of work more “efficient”, doing the critical thinking yourself is what leads to real insights, learning, and growth.
⚔️ Epic Novel I Couldn't Put Down — Shogun, by James Clavell
From what I can tell, most people have now seen the critically-acclaimed mini-series released in 2024, but this is the original book upon which that series was based. Filled with adventure, politics, power, love, war, and the rich history of Japan, it is an epic story that gripped me early. It’s long at ~1,200 pages, but very much worth it. Ironically I was able to find the time to read it over the course of a month or two, but can’t seem to find the time to watch the 10-episode tv series (which I’m dying to see).
If you enjoyed the Shogun series and want to jump into a different story instead, check out the next book in Clavell’s Asian Saga series— Tai-Pan. It follows a similarly engaging protagonist who leads a British trading house during the establishment of Hong Kong as a British colony in the 1840s. It’s also long (~900 pages), but excellent.
🫶 Quick video that sums up what men and women need from each other —
🚴♂️ Blog I’ll be following during the Tour de France — Mike Woods via Velonews
The Tour de France starts this coming Saturday, July 5, and it promises to be a banger. The first 10 days should be the most exciting in recent memory, with lots of lumpy, chaotic stages, and the second half of the race will have 6 summit finishes (including an uphill time trial) to make the difference in the overall general classification (GC) battle. Mike Woods is a Canadian cyclist who I’ve followed since he showed up on the pro scene in the late 2010s. He’s had an improbably successful career after switching to professional cycling in his mid-late twenties after his running career ended prematurely from injury. His perspective on the tour coming from Canada roughly mirrors mine — for many years it was the only race I knew, and I always loved watching it and recapping the drama every day with my Dad. One of my last memories of him actually was watching the excellent Stage 11 of last year’s Tour in his hospital room. Anyway, I’m excited to follow all the drama this year and get Woods’ perspective on the race from inside the peloton, and I hope he’s able to win a stage again too.
A few extra notes:
A lot of Velonews content is locked behind a subscription, but if I click the ‘reader’ view in Safari just after I open the article, I seem to be able to by bypass the paywall every time. Give it a try. 😉
The 3rd and final season of the Netflix series Unchained was just released, which is about last year’s Tour. I’ve read mixed reviews so far, but love seeing the behind the scenes footage and how the directors always manage to stoke some extra drama.
If you want a great preview of what’s to come, check out this route preview and this race preview of the battle to come from Escape Collective. And lastly here’s a guide of how to watch the race depending on your location.
❝ Quote of the month —
"I have noticed that doing the sensible thing is only a good idea when the decision is quite small. For the life-changing things, you must risk it." ~Jeanette Winterson
Delighted to see you back here, Jamie!!