MNTS #37
MNTS #37
[Week 4/ Year 2024] Book Notes, Ametora, Variation, Carnegie, Agency, Momentum, Future Islands, Zab's
Mainly, Notes To Self - my weekly attempt to compress everything noteworthy I read, watched, listened to, and discovered during the past week
New Post-Book Notes
Reading
Ametora How Japan Saved American Style by W. David Marx - working in the apparel industry early in my career, I’ve been aware of Japan’s exuberance for Ivy and American Traditional style, but this book provides a detailed timeline of how this phenomenon emerged.
Ametora, the Japanese slang abbreviation of “American Traditional”
…there was something chic about how Ivy students wore items until they disentigrated— holes in shoes, frayed collars, on shirts, patches on jacket elbows. Many nouveau riche Japanese would gasp in horror at this frugality, but the old-money Ishizu saw an immediate link between Ivy League fashion and the rakish, rough liij of hei’i’ habo, the early twentieth century phenomenon of elite students flaunting prestige through shabby uniforms. Ivy clothing signaled status through subtle underplay, something that Ishizu could feel in his old money blood.
Understanding Variation: The Key to Managing Chaos by Donald J. Wheeler - the straightforward simplicity of a process behavior chart is blowing my mind. How is this not more mainstream?
By causing the potential signals to stand out, the process behavior chart will also minimize the number of times that you will miss a signal. Thus, process behavior charts are the beginning of knowledge because the help you ask the right questions.
Everybody needs this kind of help.
Andrew Carnegie by Joseph Frazier Wall - This behemoth is the next book from Poor Charlie’s Almanack recommended reading list.
How to be More Agentic by Cate Hall
In my way of thinking, radical agency is about finding real edges: things you are willing to do that others aren’t, often because they’re annoying or unpleasant
Momentum, Intellectual Humility, and Missing Pieces of the Model by Byrne Hobart
momentum exists at many levels:
It's much easier to keep working on something than to start it; divide your day into five-minute slices and you'll see productivity feed on itself, and also see that even minor interruptions that break the flow of concentration can put a stop to it. Habits accumulate, especially when they get to the point that you're building them into your schedule. The transition from "it takes mental effort to do this" to "it takes mental effort to skip this" is surprisingly short.
Listening
A few weeks back, the algorithm pushed a 2014 clip of Future Islands performing on Letterman that was so perfectly unhinged I had to investigate. I file this firmly under the “not for everyone” category, but I’ve been thoroughly enjoying their back catalog, and the new album dropped yesterday. It’s great.
Be sure to peruse the comments section for some absolute gems
"it's like if the high school PE teacher was given a slot at the talent show and blew everyone away."
All four members of the band express their emotions through the vocalist
Random
Zab’s Hot Sauce. This sauce has taken over as my go-to morning hot sauce; I’m two bottles in and absolutely hooked. Cool branding, clean ingredients, and perfectly subtle slow burn hot sauce.
Until next week!
Stay spirited, stay resilient.
Andrew