MNTS #38
[Week 5/ Year 2024] Pod Notes, Ametora, Ritual, Data Driven, Crossing the Chasm, Togo Lounge Chair
Mainly, Notes To Self - my weekly attempt to compress everything noteworthy I read, watched, listened to, and discovered during the past week
New Post-Pod Notes
Reading
Ametora How Japan Saved American Style by W. David Marx - finished reading. Book notes forthcoming.
Ritual technology by Gordon Brander - I really loved this piece. H/T to Michael. It articulates well a lot of what I believe to be true about the power of rituals. A maxim of mine is Ritual belays consistency. If you want to be consistent at something, start by designing a ritual.
Ritual technology operates on a different timescale. Underneath the fast twitch of compulsion loops is the slow thrum of ritual. Elder feedback systems. An antidote to algorithmic engagement addiction
Becoming Data Driven, From First Principles by Cedric Chin - incredible breakdown of some of the same concepts from Understanding Variation: The Key to Managing Chaos by Donald J. Wheeler book I shared last week. This type of stuff really gets me excited. Down the W. Edwards Demming rabbit hole, I go.
The key idea here is that a large change is not necessarily worth investigating, and a small change is not necessarily benign. What you want to know is if the change is exceptional
Listening
This caught my attention because I’ve had the book Crossing the Chasm in the want-to-read stack for a couple of years now. I only got about half through this podcast, but so far, the conversation has made me want to read it more. No pun intended.
Random
I splurged and bought a replica Michael Ducaroy Togo lounge chair, which arrived Friday after a two-month build process. To me, it conjures a cross between a baseball glove and a giant cockroach out of a bad sci-fi film. It’s very strange, very 70s, and very comfortable. I absolutely love it and have high hopes this will be a forever piece.
Until next week!
Stay spirited, stay resilient.
Andrew
Nice chair, not surprised the kids love it