Busy Earnin'
w.251 | Big Ideas, Pedagogy, Concert Tickets, & Value of Time
Dear Friends,
It’s such a busy time of the year. I’m conducting final diligence on a few deals, working through various tax optimizations, and researching topics as diverse as data labeling, homeschooling, and health savings accounts. But I thought this week I would write something besides all that.
It’s that time when you wrap up the year and think ahead to the next. My friend was tying a bow on 2024 and said that the key question he was asking himself and his close friends was, “What surprised you the most this year?”
We also started moving away from ‘what do you want for next year’ and instead considered ‘what life would look like for us in ten years.’ I found that to be a much different and more interesting framing.
One year and 10 years feel a world apart.
Around the holidays, people also tend to reflect, including revisiting the meaning of their work. I was reviewing my blog on Best Holiday Movies Ranked, and it’s interesting how that relationship with earning flows through.
I have an unpublished draft essay on how It’s A Wonderful Life is a key piece of cultural defining Americana. Would you read it? Asking to assess whether I should put in the hours to get it ready for release here.
Today's Contents:
Sensible Investing: Trends
Follow-Up on Pedagogy
Song of the Week: Busy Earnin’
Sensible Investing: Grab Bag
Big Ideas in Tech 2025 from a16z: Smart of them to get ahead of the New Year's predictions. These are mostly reasonable, but they are also a good reminder of what a behemoth this firm is.
Mistakes from My Failed Startup in Scalping Concert Tickets. And why you will never get Taylor Swift tickets at face value. I always enjoy reflections and learnings from projects that didn’t pan out.
Woj’s Next Chapter: Why the Preeminent NBA News Breaker Walked Away. H/T Michael Billings. I don’t know the characters involved here, but I appreciate the message, and it’s on topic with the song of the week.
Time isn’t in endless supply.
Cancer didn’t force him out, Woj insists. But it did bring some clarity. “I didn’t want to spend one more day of my life waiting on someone’s MRI or hitting an agent at 1 a.m. about an ankle sprain,” he says. In May, Woj traveled to Rogers, Ark., for a memorial for Chris Mortensen, the longtime NFL insider who died in March from throat cancer. Mortensen spent more than three decades at ESPN. When Woj arrived in Bristol in 2017, Mortensen was among the first to welcome him. Many ESPNers made the trip to Arkansas. What Woj was struck by was how many did not. “It made me remember that the job isn’t everything,” Woj says. “In the end it’s just going to be your family and close friends. And it’s also, like, nobody gives a s---. Nobody remembers [breaking stories] in the end. It’s just vapor.”
Follow-Up on Pedagogy
Last week, I posted a link about Math Academy and its pedagogy. This was by far the most clicked link. Mike Goldstein, the founder of various schools and EdTech companies, a deep expert in learning design and pedagogy, and a respected former Chief Academic Officer sent me thoughts on the topic after taking a deeper look. In short, he’s skeptical.
First, an article about how people often get confused about Bloom’s 2 Sigma research. I agree with this completely, and it is frustrating how often it’s over-extrapolated, but the article traces back the study to its flimsy base.
Below is his full take:
With respect, I’m skeptical!
1. I agree with him on some points—automaticity, for example, is essential, and schools don’t go there. I'm glad he anchors there.
2. Some claims are true but somewhat overstated or decontextualized…
3. And some stuff I disagree with. Like his claim that his stuff is 4x more efficient than a traditional math class. 4x! C’mon.
Big pic:
Overall, any strong math student can productively work their way through math reasonably solo, using any reasonable thing (including GPT, including this). My 16-year-old played with doing that this summer and can teach himself some AP Statistics.
Man, is it hard to nail a curricula for strugglers, though. And from his writing—I didn’t see samples—the pedagogy does not seem well-designed for strugglers….
Good points! And, big thanks for Mike for sharing his expertise.
Since there was so much interest in that, here is a Science of Reading article shared with me this week. H/T Dan Carroll. It’s just a reminder that it’s all more complicated than you think, and the field isn’t doing a great job of translating research from what we know works into classrooms. Sigh.
Follow-Up on US vs the World
Another few charts for thought.
Song of the Week: Busy Earnin’
Here on YouTube.
Dropping us onto the dance floor with an undeniable beat, Jungle crafts an inviting and cautionary narrative, mirroring society’s relentless drive for wealth and success. But behind its funky façade lies a complex exploration of life’s trade-offs and the value we assign to our time.
The relentless repetition of ‘busy earnin” acts as a mantra for a generation entrapped by the weight of economic expectation.
It’s a catchy song!
“Busy Earnin’“ by Jungle
So, you come a long way
(Huh, woo-hoo)
But you're never out late
Never had plans for a normal life
It's crime, too busy earnin'
You can't get enoughSelfie of the Week
I can’t think of a better person to highlight for Busy Earnin’ than my dear friend Raheel, whom I spent time with this week. We met many years ago when we were both living in London.
There are many things about Raheel that I admire and respect. I’ll only share a few notables.
Raheel grew up in Karachi and was uniquely gifted in science and math. He was one of two top students in Pakistan in his year, battling for all the awards and prizes (I’m close friends with the other, one too :)). Like all those in a fragile country, he wanted to go to university, but he had his eye on Oxford.
Upon applying, he did not get it.
What happened next? His response: “I’ve aced every exam, and I have perfect grades. I’ve done all these extra activities. What more could I have done?!”
And you know what they said? “You’re right. We made a mistake. Please accept our apology and enroll.”
And he did. I have never heard another story of someone who brazenly challenged a top school’s admissions process and got a reversal.
Raheel takes culture as seriously as he does work (not too busy earnin’). While we were friends in London, Raheel was beginning to figure out who he was independent of being a high-achieving brilliant kid from Karachi. He targeted the community where he felt most at home: Berghain. Berghain is one of the top nightclubs in the world, and it is based in Berlin. It’s known for being difficult to get into because you have to exude a certain unspoken vibe. Famously, the club turned Elon Musk away at the door.
Being deliberate, diligent, and persistent, Raheel researched everything possible about getting into Berghain.
A decade later, the results: “I’ve only gone three times this year. But if I go, I probably know about 100 people there on any given day.” Going from an outsider to the ultimate insider.
The second notable cultural artifact in my life that I attribute to Raheel is the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Billed as ‘the world's greatest platform for creative freedom,’ it’s 25 days in August, where 10,000 live performances take over every stage, corner, and city niche. It’s a quasi-preview or rehearsal before the acts go on tour in the fall. I’ve been twice (in 2013 and 2015), and every year, when August rolls around, I wish I was there.
Raheel reads 1000s reviews and optimizes four days of back-to-back plays. From way back when, one of the highlights was seeing Kumail Nanjiani, in a theater with about 15 people. At that point, he was an obscure act.
I would put it on your list.
Thanks for reading, friends. Please always be in touch.
As always,
Katelyn