I have been reading Ribbonfarm for sometime now and I really like how Venkat analyses things. But to me, the problem starts after I finish reading those articles as I really don't know what to do with that knowledge.
So I have started to summarise what he says which incidentally is the exact opposite of how he likes to write i.e. write long pieces with almost every conceivable point covered.
And to me, the TLDR version of most things he says on his blog is this:
- Life is messy so don't look for smooth contours. Instead, indulge yourself into the messiness.
This is quite similar to what I felt when I (partially) read Antifragility by Taleb. I am sure there are many nuances but there was one TLDR version of that book that kept popping up in my head and it was this:
- "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." So the best strategy is not to avoid death but to make sure you get yourself into situations where death is a real possibility.
This idea of applying crash-only principles to life and business reminds me a lot of how Hubertus Bigend [1], a character in William Gibson's [2] late period trilogy [3]. This was especially apparent in the third book, Zero History [4].
The point went between software, business, life, and biological systems with no segue at all.
And it doesn't ring true for me. If you just collapse on the ground, you can recover and pull yourself up, and heal your wounds. But it's much more advisable to lie down gently on a soft surface.
So I have started to summarise what he says which incidentally is the exact opposite of how he likes to write i.e. write long pieces with almost every conceivable point covered.
And to me, the TLDR version of most things he says on his blog is this:
- Life is messy so don't look for smooth contours. Instead, indulge yourself into the messiness.
This is quite similar to what I felt when I (partially) read Antifragility by Taleb. I am sure there are many nuances but there was one TLDR version of that book that kept popping up in my head and it was this: - "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." So the best strategy is not to avoid death but to make sure you get yourself into situations where death is a real possibility.