That became my yardstick: I’d ask, “Is this dish good enough to come downtown and wait in line for? If not, it’s not what we’re after.” A chef can go years before getting another dish like that. We’ve been lucky: Hits have come at the least expected time and place. I’ve spent weeks on one dish that ultimately very few people would care about. And then I’ve spent 15 minutes on something that ends up flooring people like the pork bun.
David Chang on strange loops and food. “Is this good enough to come downtown and wait in line for?” is going to be my measuring stick for all future projects.
Things I learned
In Switzerland, you are never more than 16km from a lake. About Switzerland.
The English Monarchy didn’t formally release their claim on the English throne, originating with Edward III, until 1801 — after Napoleon had become dictator. The Rest Is History.
A 2019 survey of 2,000 American adults found that 79% had made at least one drunk purchase and that they averaged $444 in drunk purchases per year. The Hustle.
International adoptions in the US are down 94% since the peak in 2004. Pew
Worth your time
Cate Hall and Patrick McKenzie on agency. Some notes for me: be willing to go places others won’t and do things others won’t do, including looking stupid and taking hard feedback. More from Cate here.
The Appian Way. On my last visit to Rome, we walked the Appian Way and it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It takes you outside the city, but it was a pleasant walk and there’s a park out there. Recommended!
Shows like MTV’s 16 and pregnant led to a 5.7 percent decrease in teen births, ~1/3 of the decline in teen births during the period. Via Liam Delaney.
A Roman trebuchet was called an onager because of the power and danger of its kick, like that of a wild ass. I have a name for my next company. Via ACOUP.
Humans are unique among mammals for not creating their own vitamin C. Most mammals, except humans, guinea pigs, and some bats are able to d this. From Survival of the Sickest via Chris.
Musings
Anyone who does not believe in miracles is not a realist” — Audrey Hepburn (via the Browser)
An emerging pattern I’ve seen with AI start ups is connecting software with physical processes in order to create a durable edge.
The third day of the Battle of Gettysburg was 162 years ago today. An amazing reminder of the capacity of America to change and flourish. Glory, glory, hallelujah. His truth is marching on. Happy early birthday, America. I continue to love you and believe in you 🇺🇸 🎇
Worth your time
If this doesn’t inspire you, I don’t know what to tell you.
Having no experience did not stop me from making a VTOL with world-class range and flight time, all in 90 days.
Einstein and relativity. His path of generating the theory stood out to me: in 8 years of thinking about the problem, he cracked it when he signed himself up for a series of lectures where he had to articulate it to others. “Finally, in the week before his last lecture, Einstein cracked it. At the end of the week, he stood up at the Prussian Academy and announced to the world the general theory of relativity he had figured out just days earlier.”
The SCARF Model: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, Fairness
Things I learned
More Romans were killed at Cannae than Americans in Vietnam or British on the first day of the Somme — The Rest is History
Musings
“To create anything worthwhile, you have to put God in it.” — Nabeel Qu
Sacred vs. secular values. When people see an issue as a moral imperative, asking them to compromise on it with money offends them and makes a compromise less likely. Instead, the key is to offer respect and a compromise on a similarly important issue.
Commercial success demanded blending science and marketing; a steelmaker had to recognize not just the value of a new alloy, but its potential use. Benno Strauss, of the Krupp Works, later spoke about recognizing the potential of his stainless steel in plumbing, cutlery, medical equipment, and mirrors. He, like Brearley—who realized his stainless steel would be useful in spindles, pistons, plungers, and valves—was focused.
Things I learned
One step back, two steps forward
“Research on third-grade retention policies [holding kids back in 3rd grade] has found that students who are retained tend to have better long-term outcomes than those who are not” from this article on the Mississippi Miracle.
Trade laws of nature?
The distance elasticity of trade (the rate at which trade between two cities drops off as they get farther away from each other) seems to be the same today as it was in ancient Assyria.
Musings
The fact that exposure therapy works with phobias (e.g., if you’re afraid of airplanes, the cure is actually getting on a plane and seeing that it works out okay) makes me more sympathetic that the idea that one should act brave in order to become brave.