Five Links #056
Discover more from Bennett’s Five Links
—
No worries, mate. I’ll sort it out ..
This short and sweet post had me thinking, “why didn’t I think of that?”
Alas, I found myself at the dealership last week in pursuit of a new splash shield for my slime-colored hatchback. There I was, sandwiched between the broken espresso machine and a gentleman ranting about the declining quality of American snack foods, when it hit me: If a car part seems overpriced, the smart move is to get the part number.
Why? Because, two hours after I first sat down at the dealership, the inspector came to me with a $700 estimate for a new splash shield. My eyeballs popped out cartoon-style. $700? Do you know how many Versace frisbees I could buy with that kind of cash? (The answer is seven.) Not today, Honda!
Instead of blindly handing over half my monthly rent, I asked for the part number. Then I called up my neighborhood mechanic, who ordered the shield for less than half the quoted price.
(via Money Scoop)
—
Radical, dude ..
I might lose a few subscribers with this link.
I won’t make any comments on what Louis C.K. was alleged to have done, or what he later admitted doing, but I thought this was a good clip all the same. I particularly liked his reference to ‘radical acceptance’ of a person’s new circumstances.
Of course, like everything, the hard part is in the implementation ..
—
Milk was a bad choice ..
We here in Perth, Australia like to brag about the summers we endure. We like to say things like ‘.. it’s a dry heat..’ and ‘35 degrees? Spring just starting is it??’.
It helps us bond and feel tough, as we sip our $5.50 iced lattes.
But what’s going on in China sounds pretty extreme. In fact, according to this New Science article, it’s worse than anything experienced anywhere else in the world.
It is the longest and hottest heatwave in China since national records began in 1961. According to weather historian Maximiliano Herrera, who monitors extreme temperatures around the world, it is the most severe heatwave recorded anywhere.
“This combines the most extreme intensity with the most extreme length with an incredibly huge area all at the same time,” he says. “There is nothing in world climatic history which is even minimally comparable to what is happening in China.”
Heatwave in China is the Most Severe Ever Recorded in the World
(via Austin Ramzy)
—
How to become invulnerable ..
I was a lot more courageous in my younger years.
I remember in my early days at university, I would hand out flyers for social clubs. To complete strangers. As they were walking by going about their days. I would interrupt what they were doing and invite them to be a part of whatever social group I was enjoying at that time. I would talk to them about what I enjoyed about the groups, about the fun we were having, and suggest these strangers might like to join and have fun with us.
I cringe to think of it now but it’s hard to argue with results - I had a lot more friends back then.
Being young is a superpower.
My confidence also came from the fact that I was pretty sure I would never see those strangers again. Or, if I did see them, they wouldn’t remember me and my annoying-but-sincere invitation to become friends. I was secure in the knowledge that people have a lot of things going on in their lives, and they are mostly self-absorbed. I trusted that, after I had interrupted them, they would continue on their merry way and immediately forget about me.
I don’t have that confidence anymore. I wonder if it’s the Internet. People are still self-absorbed, but now Google and social media makes us feel as though all interactions are more permanent?
Not sure.
Whatever the reason, I’ve lost my superpower.
Anyways, click this link.
How to care less and enjoy more
—
Short, sweet, and sunk ..
A short reminder of the sunk-cost fallacy. This reminder is in the context of a work project, but it applies equally to investments, jobs, relationships, and other commitments.
But most days are not like that. Most features need not heroes. They need realists. People who are willing to give up and walk away. Being a hero is all about sitting aside all costs and winning anyway. That’s not a prudent way to drive everyday development.
and
But was it worth it? Probably not. The feature was deemed valuable at a cost of two hours, not sixteen. Sixteen hours of work could have gotten four other things done that individually were at least as important. And you had to cut the feedback loop to avoid feeling too much shame, which is never a good thing to do.
Don’t be hero: giving up is good
—
If you enjoyed any of these links, the best way you can help me is by forwarding this email on to a friend. They can browse past issues and subscribe at this link.
Bennett