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
Choosing a Retention Metric
It's not super controversial that retention is a big deal for startups. What is a little more controversial, or maybe just less talked about, is how to go about improving retention. This post explores the first step: Measurement.
đ What I Read
Emerging Architectures for Modern Data Infrastructure
This write-up from the Andreessen Horowitz blog is a good one. I especially liked the dichotomy between analytics and operations, as well as the architecture mappings, which are fairly comprehensive.
The Unspoken Hard Bits of Bootstrapping
When we hear about bootstrapping these days, itâs generally surrounded by positive sentiment. Iâm on board with the movement, but you have to wonder if there are downsides that arenât talked about. The experiences in this post bring up some really good points.
Thinking Spatially: Persistent Worlds
Iâve shared a similar post on persistence and gaming before, and I thought this was an interesting follow-up. Iâm really curious about how this idea applies to product design. Maybe Iâll write about it sometime.
Half-Assing It With Everything You've Got
âYour preferences are not to move rightward on the quality line. Your preferences are to hit the quality target with minimum effort.â Aim for success with no wasted motion.
đ„ What I Found Interesting
Marsbot for AirPods
I like the idea of passive audio apps, and this seems like a good start. The execution here is alright, but thereâs so much potential down this path.
Mcbroken
If youâre ever wondering if the Mcdonalds ice cream machine is broken, help yourself out and check this site first.
đ€ Quote I'm Pondering
Good work is not done by "humble" men. It is one of the first duties of a professor, for example, in any subject, to exaggerate a little both the importance of his subject and his importance in it. â G.H. Hardy
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