Hey there đ
Letâs get to the best links I found on the internet this week. If youâre enjoying the newsletter, share it with a friend. If this was forwarded to you, check out some previous issues and subscribe for future updates.
đ What I Wrote
On the Future of Newsletters
Staying on theme from last week, I wrote up my thoughts on where I think the current ânewsletter boomâ is heading. I was aiming for a high idea-to-noise ratio here so let me know how I did. Shorter version on Twitter.
đ What I Read
Come for the Network, Pay for the Tool
Iâve been thinking about the role of communities for a while now. This essay from Toby Shorin did a great job of synthesizing a lot of my views on the topic in a really nice way. Thereâs a lot of interesting ideas here.
A User Guide to Working with You
Julie Zhou offers advice on creating your âUser Guideâ for the first time. Even more helpful, she shares an example of her own guide. I created something similar for myself earlier this year, but maybe itâs time to revisit it.
A Text Renaissance
Iâm somehow just now getting turned onto a lot of the great writing from Ribbonform. This long-form essay on the next generation of online writing is worth your time.
TikTok and the Sorting Hat
In classic Eugene Wei form, this isnât short, but itâs a really fun dive into the underbelly of what makes TikTok so addicting. Enjoy it while you still can!
đ„ What I Found Interesting
How Pinduoduo Works
Inspired by Turner Novakâs great post on social commerce, I went down a Pinduoduo rabbit hole this week. The video linked above provides the most succinct explanation that I could find. Itâs wild.
Walking with Mr. MSCHF
MSCHF is doing some fascinating stuff in leveraging âdrop cultureâ dynamics that are starting to gain popularity. I enjoyed getting to know Gabe Whaley (the guy behind it) through this conversation.
Two Types of Data Scientists
Iâm not sure if I would phrase this phenomenon exactly like Sean does here, but there is something to this idea of local optimization vs. global optimization in the data world that I noticed in action.
đ€ Quote I'm Pondering
âA true visionary just makes the future out of what is available, and does not wait for the technology to catch up with him.â â Valley of Genius
Thanks for reading Oversimplified this week! Did anything stand out? Iâd love to hear about it. Reply to this email or tweet at me and letâs chat đ
Until next time,
Conor