This week’s weird idea The people who stocked the kitchens in our building at Microsoft, keeping them supplied with coffee, tea, sodas, juices, and milk, did more for the bottom line of the company than another person or even team in the building. I’ve worked at companies without
This week’s weird idea They were the best french fries I’ve ever had in my life. And I’ve had a lot of french fries. Mari and I drove north of Seattle to La Connor, deep in the heart of Washington’s tulip region. We went for a
Special bulletin A little extra note this week to talk about the new format, and to ask a wee favor. There’ve been some changes made You might have noticed things look different around here. Slimmer. I used to send you, biweekly: * An intro mini-essay * News from other projects
This week’s weird idea The iconic Neal Hefti theme for the original Batman TV series is really a playful version of the equally iconic John Barry/Monty Norman James Bond theme, turned upside down. Yes, upside down. That’s it, that’s this week’s weird idea. I have
This week’s weird idea I have joined a trend: I recently moved my weekly planning and scheduling to a paper planner. I was inspired in part by this quote from Field Notes: "I’m not writing it down to remember it later, I’m writing it down to
This week’s weird idea Here’s how mine started: Yes, that’s one of my major cardiac arteries almost completely blocked. I had felt off for at least two weeks, and it escalated until last weekend I was getting chest pains just by walking around the house. So I
This week’s weird thought. Take a look at this chart. Especially all those red balls. The NFL and NBA are worth billions and billions of dollars. So how did they talk higher education in America into footing the bill (including staffing, equipment, stadium space, etc.) to run what are
This week’s weird idea I distinctly remember watching famed film composer Hans Zimmer live on the Oscars, flushed with excitement, clutching his new statue onstage. It wasn’t his first Oscar, but his expression told you that the thrill doesn’t fade. He looked down the little gold dude,
This week’s weird idea Any ad, for any product or any service, on any screen or any app, is designed to to do one universal thing: make us unhappy. We can’t be sold things (eyeliner, accounting software, political parties) if we're in a state of satisfaction.
But first: I ❤️ Minneapolis I want this newsletter to be a place of rest, renewal, and hopefully a call to optimistic creation. So I try not to lean into news & politics. But as I write this, some of our fellow citizens are out braving Arctic conditions, and so very
Happy New Year to you. So glad you made it. I could comment on the vast frying pan of 2025 that we have all just trekked across, but you know what happened. You know what you endured. Instead, let’s just step back from the latest fastball being launched at
If you are reading this, you have officially made it through the entirety of 2025. Good going, you. You are a badass. Until we talk again, I remain, Your pal, Jamie