Oversimplified: Volume 103
Demiurgical businesses, the rise of platform brands, and my first quantified report
Hey there 👋
Apologies for not appearing in your inbox last week, I had to punt on the issue due to personal reasons. But now we’re back to regular programming! Luckily, that means even more good stuff in this issue. Let’s get to the best links I found on the internet this week.
✍️ Quantified Conor (Q1 2021)
Conor Dewey | Quantified Self | 2021-03-30
This is my first quantified self-report! I've been tracking various metrics to learn more about myself and my well-being. I thought it would be fun to publish some version of this report at the end of each quarter to see how things have changed. I also included my favorite links I’ve shared in this newsletter.
📚 Demiurgical Businesses
Venkatesh Rao | Business | 2021-03-12
There’s a lot to digest here, but my main takeaway was that there are two types of successful products: Those that solve a problem in your current reality and those that create a new reality altogether.
📚 We Failed to Set up a Data Catalog
Prukalpa | Data Science | 2021-03-02
Gotta love some good old-fashioned data war stories. This progression is a common one in my experience — Going from initial over-optimization to evaluating options for purchase to building a lightweight “hacky” tool that shows actual progress.
📚 Write Simply
Paul Graham | Writing | 2021-03
“I try to write using ordinary words and simple sentences. That kind of writing is easier to read, and the easier something is to read, the more deeply readers will engage with it.” This post mirrors how I’ve thought about writing for a while, though I’m starting to soften my view here. There are benefits to leaving some room for color.
📚 Growth vs. Marketing vs. Product
Brian Balfour | Growth | 2014-04-17
Growth is such a cross-functional domain that I’ve always found it a little confusing where growth starts vs. other roles within marketing and product. For the most part, I like Brian’s thinking here.
📚 The Rise of Platform Brands
Nick deWilde | Social | 2021-03-21
This post is a timely one, as I’ve been thinking more recently about how some companies use social as a massive lever to drive their product’s growth. Nick articulates a trend that is becoming more and more prominent really well here.
🔗 Email the Web
Hey | Writing | 2021-03
I love this idea and it has me thinking about all sorts of other outputs that could be made easier by changing the input medium. I might write up a short post with some ideas to riff on further here.
🔗 50 Places to Travel
Travel + Leisure | Travel | 2020-12-18
I’m starting to think more about travel (likely within the states) now that vaccines are becoming readily available. This was a fun list to scroll through and think about what could be in the near future.
Food for Thought
Try as you might, you simply can’t make the social rewards of travel match up to the private discoveries. In sharing your road experiences, then, remember to keep your stories short and save the best bits for yourself. “I swear I see what is better than to tell the best,” wrote Walt Whitman. “It is always to leave the best untold.” — Rolf Potts
Until next time
As always, if you're enjoying Oversimplified, I'd love it if you shared it with a friend or two. If anything stood out, whether good or bad, I would love to hear about it. Reply to this email or tweet at me and let’s chat.
Until next time,
Conor