Decoder had a great episode where Hank Green interviewed Nilay Patel, the Editor-in-Chief of The Verge, about his experience of building and maintaining the business. It covers a lot of topics like the state of the media nowadays, why creating content for platforms can be a mistake and the importance of distribution channels.

The Verge focused on their website and building a sense of community that attracted people back to the site. There are many media companies that suffered by allowing social media companies like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube to act as intermediaries between them and their audience. Email and RSS feeds, while not likely to go viral, can provide a more sustainable foundation for businesses to build on.

This does not mean ignoring social media. It builds on the POSSE (Publish Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere) concept promoted by IndieWeb.

A story that stood out is one where Patel was traveling with Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft. They were going through the list of things that Nadella had done during the day. Patel asked how he got so much done. Nadella looked at him and said:

It's your time. You have to be selfish about it.

Satya Nadella according to Nilay Patel (Guest host Hank Green makes Nilay Patel explain why websites have a future/Decoder)

This reminds me of a quote:

People are frugal in guarding their personal property; but as soon as it comes to squandering time they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy.

Seneca

Maria Popova wrote a piece on The Marginalian on Seneca and the Shortness of Life that expands on his thinking about this subject.

One of the wonderful things about cover versions is how they can introduce a new audience to an old artist. They can also introduce old audiences to new artists. I had never heard of Luke Combs when he covered Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" in 2023. Chapman and Combs performed a beautiful duet of the song on during the Grammys in 2024.

Kara Swisher devoted an episode of her podcast, On with Kara Swisher, to the resurgence of interest in Chapman's self-titled debut album since the Combs cover was released titled "Tracy Chapman's Timeless Earworms". Timeless as an apt descriptor because the most notable aspect of Combs' version is how little he changed. It's close to the original version but the song is so good that it can stand on its own over 30 years after it was written.

The guys on The QAnon Anonymous Podcast had Arif Hasan on to discuss Aaron Rodgers evolution over the past few years. It's an interesting listen if you're into that sort of thing.

QAnon Anonymous Episode 263: Aaron Rodgers feat Arif Hasan

Tadhg Hickey is an Irish comedian, actor and writer who published a wonderful book last year, "A Portrait of the Piss Artist as a Young Man". I read it after Philip O'Connor named it as The Global Gael Book of the Year 2023.

The book tells his story growing up in Cork, his relationship with his family and his use of drink and drugs. There are a lot of laughs to go with the tales of self-destruction.

An important message is how being an alcoholic is not all tears and tragedy. It may end that way but it is not whole story. He writes:

But the truth of the matter is that I know very few alcoholics who didn't have an absolute hoot on their way to eventual despair. We wouldn't be so preoccupied with drinking if it weren't absolutely brilliant. And I do think it's important to say that because I've always found the best way you can help someone struggling with addiction is to be honest with them. If you come in hot with the 'drink and drugs are evil' routine, you run the risk of alienating them. Drink and drugs are superb until they stop working.

A Portrait of the Piss Artist as a Young Man by Tadhg Hickey (Chapter Six - A Snowball's Chance in Hell, Page 99-100)

Philip O'Connor interviewed Hickey on The Global Gael podcast where they talk about the book among other topics.

https://youtu.be/cPmp92U6nLE?si=qjG2E-Z_mRitO00I

I also liked this passage towards the end of the book about recovery. It can be a depressing thought when you start your recovery and look back all the time and opportunities that have been wasted. It's never too late to get started.

If you're open and honest and you're willing to put the work in, life is just about to start, not end. You won't need to be drunk anymore to cope with the burden of being you. You'll wish your drunk buddies well but you're no longer feel compelled to join them. You won't be smug or judgemental; you'll neither be better nor worse than your fellows. You'll just feel alright. You'll reach an unimaginable summit in an Irish context: having booze-free fun. Imagine that.

A Portrait of the Piss Artist as a Young Man by Tadhg Hickey (Chapter Twelve - Nice Things to Be at When You're Not Demented, Page 218-219)

I listened an interesting interview on the 'Protestant work ethic' and its lesser known, progressive alternative on The Gray Area with Sean Illing. The interviewee was Elizabeth Anderson, a professor of philosophy at the University of Michigan.

She recently published a book "Hijacked: How Neoliberalism Turned the Work Ethic against Workers and How Workers Can Take It Back" about how the unrelenting accumulation of more has led to the exploitation of working people. Whether you agree with the premise or not, it is a conversation worth listening to.

There is also a profile about her in the New Yorker.