May 2024
Hey all,
Over the past decade or so, I've seen the same trend happening across two seemingly unrelated groups: productivity gurus and tattoo artists.
After college, I worked counter at a piercing and tattoo studio for about four years. During that time, I learned a little bit about how tattoos age—the difference between how a fresh tattoo looks vs how that same tattoo will look in 5-10 years.
Today, I see way more tattoos that look good fresh, but know will age horribly. This is largely due to the rise in platforms like Reddit and Instagram, which reward the immediate "after" picture and caring much less about how the tattoo will look later.
Similarly, I see so productivity "gurus" today showing off complex note-taking systems that look super impressive, but will be IMPOSSIBLE to maintain in the long term. I can guarantee that in even one year's time, practically none of their impressive system will still be in use.
Social media rewards those shiny, new things while ignoring practicality.
I've mentioned that I've been making YouTube videos documenting my own note-taking process, and that's the philosophy when building my systems. I think it's what sets me apart from a bunch of other creators.
If you're working on something similar yourself, don't create systems based on how you aspire to work, build systems based on who you are today and then slowly add on brick by brick. It's the only way to have long-term success.
Have a great month, y'all.
-Dann
🥦 Criss-cross you don't stop
It's not often that a new vegetable bursts onto the scene, but that's exactly what's happening with Baby Cauliflower. Sort of a cross between cauliflower and broccoli, these lengthy florets are absolutely freaking delicious.
I've been grabbing mine at my local Trader Joes. To cook, just heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the baby cauliflower, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder (or your seasonings of choice) and maybe a little garlic. Then, cook the same as you would broccoli.
For me, one bag makes a perfect two servings. I'll eat half immediately, and the second half I'll have the next day as cold leftovers. I may even like the next-day cold version even better than hot.
As with any of my newsletter food recommendations, I encourage you to act fast if you want to try them. I'm most definitely a “harbinger of failure,” which means I don't expect this product to be available very long...
👋 Farewell certainty
I was struck by this Pew Research Study showing that "38% of webpages that existed in 2013 are no longer accessible a decade later." But my thoughts about this study might surprise you.
What if it's a good thing that large chunks of the internet are disappearing forever?
In the story of human history, the idea of "permanence" is almost non-existent. Something was "permanent" only if it was etched in stone. Ideas were fleeting, libraries could burn, and tapes could disappear.
If you missed an episode of a TV series, you either had to catch the one-time-only re-run, or just accept that missing it was your fate. If you were out with friends and couldn't remember an actors age, you had to be okay with that until maybe you caught a celebrity rag in the checkout line of the grocery store someday.
There was a level of impermanence (and associated uncertainty) that was simply inherent to the human experience.
Then the Internet came along and offered a different narrative. Maybe all information was archivable forever, and accessible whenever you wanted. It changed humans' very relationship with information and ideas and facts.
There was no longer room for "I'm not sure," and there were voices stating as fact every single opinion that anyone could have. Suddenly no one was okay with anything being fuzzy—humans became militantly I'm-right-you're-wrong once the idea of "permanence of all things" came around.
So I say farewell to the very concept of permanence. It's only been a part of the human experience for a few decades and it's done more harm than good. Maybe it's that sense of uncertainty that actually holds society (with all its varying viewpoints) together.
Good riddance.
👓 Search and rescue
It's been easy to miss (like a frog in boiling water) but Google Search has been declining in quality over the years. Today, top results are either ads or search engine optimized trash. Most people add the keyword "reddit" to any search to yield useful results.
Like any meaningful decline, the story behind the downfall is very interesting. The man who killed Google Search (according to that article) is Prabhakar Raghavan, the specific Google employee who decided to push for growth over quality.
The author of this article also claims that this is part of a larger trend, where power at tech companies is shifting from the builders to the managers, from the innovators to the consultants. The result? The enshittification of the Internet.
As for me? I stopped using Google Search over a year ago in favor of a paid alternative called Kagi (I was actually just interviewed for Monocle Radio in the UK about my experience with Kagi, hear me at 6:05). In fact, I've been working on leaving as many Google services as possible over the past several years. Because it doesn't have to be like this.
I see this story about Google Search as a cautionary tale. Even the slightest misalignment in goals can have catastrophic effects.
🇨🇦 Canada Goose-bumps
If you want me to stop sharing Bobby Fingers' videos, he's going to have to stop making them so damn good. In his most recent video, the Irish multi-hyphenate artist and sculptor has tackled the infamous Fabio vs Goose rollercoaster disaster.
If I could plug into the matrix and download a new set of skills instantly into my brain, I'd choose Bobby Fingers' skills wholesale. He's one of the few artists that I watch with both joy and envy.
Anyway, this time he even partnered with Adam Savage (of Mythbusters fame) for a bit of the video. It's fun to see him connecting with other well-known celebrities.
🎶 To see or not to see...
Lastly, I wanted to share an exciting upcoming New York City event: the city is getting the first-ever revival of the 1965 musical Skyscraper in November. It's a "fun, fast-paced musical comedy by Peter Stone, Sammy Cahn, and James Van Heusen."
That musical duo was basically the Frank Sinatra house band during the Capital Records era. Hits include "Come Fly With Me" and "Love and Marriage" (you know, from the sitcom Married...with Children).
One of the reasons I'm so excited for this is because it's being co-produced, directed, and choreographed by my wife, Avital Asuleen.
Her and her team are currently knee-deep in a fundraising campaign to help cap off the final dollars in their budget.
In case you're outside the NYC theater scene, producing Off-Broadway theater got significantly more expensive after the pandemic. All the cheaper rehearsal spaces disappeared and costs for venues, casts, and crews shot up. The fundraiser, therefore, is geared towards offsetting the cost difference between pre- and post-pandemic producing. Because so much has come back since COVID, but theater is still reeling.
If you're in the New York City area, we'd love to see you there. If you're not, maybe you'd want to support the fundraiser at a tier that buys a ticket for a deserving artist. Either way, you're helping independent theater get back on its feet after some huge setbacks.
End note
If you've enjoyed this, I'd love it if you shared it with a friend. You can send them here to sign up.
I'll be sending out these emails once per month, and I'm happy you're along for the ride. I'm trying to make it one of the best things that arrives in your inbox each month, so thoughts and feedback are always appreciated. You can just reply to this email.
Also, if you find anything interesting, send it my way.
Thanks for reading. Until next time,
Dann
The Dann Chronicles: May 🌳