Hey there 👋
You know, I don’t give much thought to defining success for this newsletter. It’s something I enjoy spending time on, don’t plan on ever monetizing, and plan to do some version of it for a long, long time.
All that being said, 1,674 people across the globe will get this email. No need for benchmarks or comparisons. I think that’s incredibly dope. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Reading Clusters for 2021
A few months ago, I linked to a post on reading clusters that I invite you to check out if you missed it. I decided that I’m going to experiment with this approach for 2021. Basically, this is my reading list. If you have thoughts on any of these or a reading list of your own, give me a shout.
Data Scientists with Business Sense
This post from DoorDash reads kind of like marketing content for data science hiring, but man, it’s spot on. Being able to handle conversations with Business Partners as outlined in these examples is at least 50% of being effective in my opinion.
The Racecar Growth Framework
Reforge puts out consistently great stuff, and this latest growth framework is no different. I’m a big fan of how this starts simple and then eases into complexity as you break apart the model piece by piece.
You’ll Figure It Out
Love this: “Give the people who work for you a chance to resolve complex issues on their own. What they really want is freedom and responsibility. They want to be loosely coupled but tightly aligned.”
On Newsletters
I’m glad I stumbled upon this essay, both for how concise the argument is for websites vs. newsletters, and the illustrations themselves, which are just fun to scroll through alone. They’re also free for use it seems!
The Michael Scott Theory of Social Class
As a fan of The Office and someone who frequents “blue checkmark Twitter” to the point where I sometimes catch myself emulating the language, I have a lot to reflect on in this essay. 🤔
Simple HTML Sites
This site is all one HTML file despite having multiple “pages” of content. Pretty neat concept for static side-projects that you want to keep things nice and simple.
Libraries of the World
I could spend hours scrolling through pictures of these gorgeous libraries. I would love to be able to visit a handful of these once travel is back.
Halt and Catch Fire Syllabus
If you watching Halt and Catch Fire on Netflix during quarantine — by the way, Team Gordo here — you have to check out this resource. The thought behind this site is astounding.
“Experience suggests that if men cannot struggle on behalf of a just cause because that just cause was victorious in an earlier generation, then they will struggle against the just cause. They will struggle for the sake of struggle. They will struggle, in other words, out of a certain boredom: for they cannot imagine living in a world without struggle.” — Francis Fukuyama
Thanks for reading Oversimplified this week! Did anything stand 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