Iterate Weekly - Issue 6
Welcome to Issue 6 of the Iterate weekly newsletter! My name is Chris Jennings. If you really have no idea who I am and why you’re receiving this e-mail, take a look at the about page for a reminder.
You’ll see that the content here is broken down into 4 categories.
Tech - This will be the main focus of the newsletter. I’m dedicated to helping people improve their relationships with technology.
Learning - I consider myself an autodidact and like to examine the concept of learning how to be a more productive learner.
Health - None of these other topics are important if you’re not healthy enough to enjoy them.
Grab Bag - This could be something personal, something silly, something fun that doesn’t quite fit the other categories.
Finally, we’ll wrap things up with a quote of the week and a piece of content that I recommend you check out.
Yes, there may be the occasional affiliate link to a product I recommend, but no one is paying for placement in this newsletter. Thank you so much for reading, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment and let me know what you think of this format.
Tech
Coinbase HQ Shutdown
Recently, Cryptocurrency-trading startup Coinbase announced that they will be shutting down their San Francisco headquarters. This story impacts me in a few ways. As a resident of the Bay Area, it’s a little unnerving to see companies shutter or downsize office spaces. San Francisco/Silicon Valley has long been the home of the majority of global tech startups. It’s one of the reasons why I live here. Neighborhoods will certainly change as tech companies move to more dispersed workforces.
But as someone who appreciates the remote-work lifestyle, I see this as a smart move. It’s especially important for a crypto company to embrace this. A decentralized financial system is akin to a decentralized workforce. Kudos to them for seeing the possibilities of spreading out their employees while still keeping a cohesive culture.
I do believe that remote work is the future. Even when it involves closing offices in my own backyard, it’s a step in the right direction.
Learning
Focus as a service?
Recently I’ve been using a service called Caveday to help me be more focused and productive. The company offers guided “caves” where you work on one task at a time while being on a Zoom call with dozens of other people.
It may sound crazy, but it really helps keep you on task. There is the accountability of knowing you’re on camera along with the scheduled time to get deep work done. Deep work can come in all different shapes and sizes for people in the cave. Some people write, some answer emails, some might meditate or read.
If you aren’t already holding your own deep work sessions, you should absolutely give Caveday a try.
Health
Fasting can be easy with the right tech
I have been fasting intermittently for exactly one year this week. This has been much easier to keep track of thanks to the Zero Fasting App. Zero acts as a companion to help you keep track of your fasts and better understand how they impact your overall health.
For me, I typically start my fasts around 9 pm and end them around 3 or 4 pm the next afternoon. Some days I feel great and may extend it a bit, other days I feel the need to eat earlier. Weekdays are usually more strict than weekends. But I’ve found myself feeling great by sticking to a 16-18 hour fasts on most days.
Yes, you can absolutely do this without an app. It may seem silly for some people to check an app to know what time they should eat food. Zero acts as more than just a feeding timer. They offer a “fasting coach” that helps keep you on track. There is also plenty of advice from experts on how to best navigate your fast to achieve your health goals. Fasting certainly isn’t for everyone, but if you’ve been wanting to give it a try, Zero is an easy way to help you keep track.
Grab Bag
Why sports referees wear black & white
This story comes out of the world of sports. Or more specifically the sartorial side of sports.
Most of us probably have an image in our heads when we think about a referee at a sporting event. Black and white stripes perhaps? Zebras? Well, it wasn’t always that way. A great Mental Floss article looks back at the origin of the black and white uniformed sports referee. It turns out that most officials wore a white shirt with white pants and a hat before the advent of the stripes.
After getting mistaken for a player far too many times while in this getup, referee Lloyd W. Olds of Eastern Michigan University decided it was time for a change in his wardrobe. He worked with a local sporting shop owner to craft a garment of vertical black and white stripes. The new-look went into effect in 1921.
Some spectators were perplexed by style, but it served its purpose. Olds appeared much more visible while in the field of play. The teams were able to navigate around the official with fewer run-ins. Fast forward 100 years and a majority of sports referees are still wearing the same pattern, all thanks to one clever Michigander.
Quote of the Week
“The best of all medicines are resting and fasting” - Benjamin Franklin
Content Recommendation
The Midnight Library
This week my recommendation is the book “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig.
If you’ve ever wondered if you made the right choice at a crossroads in life, you’ll love this book. It takes a look at a woman who is given a chance to relive different moments in her life to see how her actions impacted her future.
There is an infinite number of ways our life stories can play out. You can think of life as a book and your personal library holds all of the different iterations of your life written as different volumes.
It was a book that I couldn’t put down. If you’re looking for a great fiction read, you won’t be disappointed.
You made it to the end of my newsletter, nicely done! If you enjoyed this and know of someone else who may enjoy it, please share it with them.