The Futility of Utility, How to Develop Your Taste for New Technologies, and more!

Everything we published this week

Sponsored By: Sanebox

Today's essay is brought to you by SaneBox, the AI email assistant that helps you focus on crucial messages, saving you 3-4 hours every week. Sign up today and save $25 on any subscription.

Hello and happy Sunday!


A VC Shares His Secrets for Picking Investments 

Chris Paik

If you've ever wondered how a venture capitalist evaluates potential deals, Pace Capital's Chris Paik shares his insights for assessing businesses and business models—what he refers to as "business physics." Chris believes that there's a science to venture capital, and his theories, or "frameworks," aim to explore the uncharted territories of venture investing. Through an extensive range of concepts such as atomic value swaps, business model-product fit, and the seven core motivators related to the seven deadly sins, he delivers an analytical and thorough approach to understanding business dynamics. His article is packed with insights and examples that help illuminate his novel approach.

Read

How to Develop Your Taste for New Technologies

Dan Shipper / Chain of Thought

Is it performance art or a bot? That's the question with which Dan Shipper grapples in this piece about GrimesAI, an AI bot that imitates the style and persona of musician and artist Grimes with such uncanny accuracy it might just be a technical marvel. Dan delves into the bot's enigmatic world, exploring its strikingly human-like tweets, chilling humor, and the unique techno-futuristic vibe it seems to embody. In a world increasingly shaped by AI, the line between human and machine is blurring—and while this might be unsettling for some, he encourages us to see this as an opportunity to develop our taste for new technologies in order to anticipate and capitalize on the major cultural and social shifts they often drive.

Read

The Futility of Utility

Evan Armstrong / Napkin Math

Struggling with the rationality, or lack thereof, of personal choices, Evan Armstrong revisits and revamps a previous essay for his latest piece on utility. Drawing from his past attempts to create a formula to maximize the value of his limited funds, he finds the results inconsistent and unreliable. He questions why people (including himself) often make self-destructive choices despite knowing better, and investigates it both at an individual and organizational level. He discusses his observations of utility maximization failures at various levels, from his work as a missionary to his experiences in the corporate world. Evan's journey to find a universal truth to explain these inconsistencies leads him to the realization that perhaps the perfect choice is not as important as the one that gets us close enough.

Read

Imagine having an AI assistant sort your inbox for optimum productivity. That's SaneBox - it filters emails using smart algorithms, helping you tackle crucial messages first. Say goodbye to distractions with features like auto-reply tracking, one-click unsubscribing, and do-not-disturb mode.

SaneBox works seamlessly across devices and clients, maintaining privacy by only reading headers. Experience the true work-life balance as SaneBox users save an average of 3-4 hours weekly. Elevate your email game with SaneBox's secure and high-performing solution - perfect for Office 365, Google, and Apple Mail users. Sign up today and save $25 on any subscription.

Dell Inc.: A Masterclass in Capital Management

Cedric Chin

In this fascinating business history, Cedric Chin delves into the tactical masterclass of capital management demonstrated by tech giant Dell Inc. From the company's humble inception in a dorm room, through multiple crises, the savvy use of capital management, and strategic alliances, Dell has managed to not only survive but thrive in a turbulent tech world. Cedric chronicles Dell's extraordinary journey, focusing on how the company navigated its financial challenges, reinventing itself time and time again, to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving industry. The article is a treasure trove of insights for anyone who's interested in the strategies that have made Dell a resilient force in the tech landscape.

Read

How to Pay Off Your Emotional Debt

Jonny Miller

Struggling with emotional burnout and accumulated stress? Dive into Jonny Miller's exploration of "emotional debt," which he compares to the concept of technical debt in fast-growing startups. Much like startups that might hurriedly assemble code that needs future refining, humans often repress emotions during stressful situations, leading to the accumulation of emotional debt that, if not addressed, can result in emotional burnout. Jonny, who has guided hundreds through their emotional journeys, unravels how to effectively release this debt, emphasizing the importance of physically experiencing emotions and adopting an approach called "somatic surfing."

Read


Recommended Finds

Olympia: Your Winning AI Team (sponsored)

Meet Olympia, an innovative AI virtual staffing solution that becomes a key part of your team. Olympia employs humanized AI experts who learn everything about your business, taking care of the day-to-day tasks and freeing you to focus on the bigger picture. Grow your business without the expense of hiring additional human resources, enhance your productivity, and scale efficiently with Olympia. Join the revolution.


That's all for this week!

Like this?
Become a subscriber.

Subscribe →

Or, learn more.

Thanks to our Sponsor: SaneBox

Thanks again to our sponsor SaneBox, the AI-powered email filter that lets you prioritize important messages and saves you 3-4 hours a week. Customize your preferences, easily snooze, unsubscribe, or enable do-not-disturb mode for a serene inbox across devices and clients.

Enjoy unmatched privacy and security, as SaneBox only reads headers, never email content. Join thousands of satisfied users and make SaneBox your go-to solution for a clutter-free email experience. Sign up today and save $25 on any subscription.

Read this next:

The Sunday Digest

Dying Whales and Dying Billionaires, The Perils of Prudence, and more!

Everything we published this week

May 28, 2023

The Sunday Digest

Stop Running from Emotions, The Internet Demands Greatness, and More!

Everything we published this week

Sep 3, 2023

The Sunday Digest

Make a Billion, Give It a Grade, or Disrupt It—AI Edition

Should we invent a tech saint? St. Patrick < St. Pixel

1 Mar 17, 2024

Chain of Thought

Quick Hits: New AI Features From Arc and ChatGPT

The future arrived faster than I expected

2 🔒 Feb 2, 2024 by Dan Shipper

Napkin Math

Profit, Power, and the Vision Pro

Will Apple’s new headset change everything?

5 Feb 6, 2024 by Evan Armstrong

Thanks for rating this post—join the conversation by commenting below.

Comments

You need to login before you can comment.
Don't have an account? Sign up!

Every smart person you know is reading this newsletter

Get one actionable essay a day on AI, tech, and personal development

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Login