My reading today was Exodus 32. Moses has been on the mountain with God, hearing the instructions for the tabernacle & receiving the stone tablets. The people below, who’d seen the smoke above & heard the thunder &, that very morning, filled their bellies with bread from heaven,

decided Moses & that God above were taking too long. They needed a god below who would get with it. Get with them. Get them where they wanted to go. So they gathered around Aaron & said, “Come, make gods for us!” The same Aaron of Ex 24 who’d been invited by God to see the very

pavement beneath God’s feet. Aaron & his sons & the 70 elders, “saw Him and they ate and drank.” That Aaron. So he tells them in Ex 32, Bring me your gold & let’s see what I can do. He fashions it into the image of a calf & they present it to Israel in wording shudderingly

blasphemous. “Israel, these are your gods, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” Over and over God has reminded them not to forget who had brought them out. Perhaps this started making Aaron a little nervous. Or maybe it didn’t. Maybe he just bought in. But his next move

is particularly telling. “When he saw this (the masses reacting to the gold idol he’d fashioned for them), he built an altar in front of it and made an announcement: ‘there will be a festival to the Lord tomorrow.’ Early the next morning they arose, offered burnt offerings &

Given events over recent days (weeks, months) a few quick thoughts on policy & comms during a crisis.
Caveat: this may all seem elementary to some.
Tone: offered with due humility (based on hard Whitehall failures, as well as some relative successes).

1) Communicate contingency, don’t cloak it. Every big policy decision will be dependent on events HMG can’t control. Pretending otherwise will hurt you. Offering false optimism / certainty generates corrosive public cynicism not hope.

2) Go early, go big. When the risks of (in)action are asymmetric then err on the side of swift, aggressive measures that can be unwound in the event they aren't needed. Don’t play catch-up with something contagious (virus, bank runs). Never assume things can’t get worse.

3) Work across the aisle. Crises mean co-operating with those you don’t agree with - whether in devolved govts, cities, unions or other parties. At some point you'll need them. This can be frustrating. Suck it up. Never burn trust by looking partisan when lives/jobs are at stake

4) Sequencing & co-ordination *really* matter. The public will accept painful measures arising from a new mutant strain. But will punish mistakes due to Whitehall ineptness (eg. lack of sync between economic support & restrictions). Never forget: UK = complex multi-national state

Today we come to the topic @EconTalker has called one of the more underemphasized lessons from #AdamSmith: That the Division of Labor is limited by the Extent of the Market. a.k.a Book 1 Chapter 3. #WealthOfTweets #SmithTweets

We love ya, Smith, but we see why people don't dwell on this chapter. Unless they are really into the navigable waterways of the late 18th century. (I.iii.3–8) #WealthOfTweets #SmithTweets #RiverEnthusiastsRejoice

The first two paragraphs of this chapter are the meatiest. Then things get a little...#WealthOfTweets #SmithTweets

The more people there are to trade with, the more labor can be divided. Wealth of the people included in the market increases disproportionately as the division of labor progresses. Because division of labor is special sauce. (I.iii.1-2)#WealthOfTweets #SmithTweets

This seems like common sense. No one to trade with? You won't produce stuff for trade. Instead you'll produce the things you need, and because you need many things you won't specialize. No specialization, no division of labor. (I.iii.1–2) #WealthOfTweets #SmithTweets

I do this every December — take a shot at my Top 25 Jazz Albums of the year. My 2020 list is pretty interesting, I think — inside, outside, international... some Charles Tolliver, some Sun Ra, some less familiar things. Here we go...

#25.... Top 25 Jazz Albums of 2020

Black Art Jazz Collective: "Ascension" (High

#24... Top 25 Jazz Albums of 2020

Chick Corea: "Plays" (Concord)

I'm tickled by Chick's Scarlatti...

#23... Top 25 Jazz Albums of 2020

Irreversible Entanglements with Moor Mother: "Who Sent You?" (International

#22... Top 25 Jazz Albums of 2020

Micah Thomas: "Tide"

I've been working at @podcastnotes for almost 2 years.

During that time, I've taken notes on 400+ podcasts.

Here are my top 10 favorite podcasts of all-time.

(thread) 🧵

10/ Naval Ravikant (@naval) on The Knowledge Project (@ShaneAParrish)

Taking notes on this podcast landed me the job at PN and introduced me to the vast wisdom of Naval.

I loved learning about Naval's reading system, his advice on happiness, how he views habits, and much more.

9/ Josh Wolfe (@wolfejosh) on Invest Like The Best (@patrick_oshag)

Josh is a brilliant investor with an arsenal of fascinating mental models.

A few of my favorites:

• Don't be boring (2x)
• 100-0-100 investing strategy
• Chips on shoulders put chips in pockets

8/ Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) on JRE (@joerogan)

Mike is a savage but he's also incredibly wise.

Growing up, he studied all the great conquerors from Genghis Khan to Charlemagne. What did he learn from that? The hardest thing to conquer is yourself. A must-watch podcast for sure.

7/ Bret Weinstein (@BretWeinstein) on The Portal (@EricRWeinstein)

Bret discovered that tests on lab mice were flawed because of selected breeding and that basically all drug testing should be redone.

He should've won a Nobel Prize for that discovery but he got robbed.

🔥Massive Book Thread!🔥

In 2020 I read 24 books.

Here is each book and the biggest lesson from it.

There may be more, and I encourage you to read, and learn to find them.

In 2020 I determined to "level up" and now I'm sharing a year worth of lessons.

👇

1: When by Daniel Pink

Timing is everything. And it's nothing.

When you do something has a huge impact on it's impact.

Don't worry, you can't perfectly time anything, so instead, just choose to act on what's most important NOW.

Use the concept of compounding in everything!

2: The Art Of War

The mind is your most powerful weapon. All else is just a tool.

Leverage strengths. Minimize weaknesses.

Don't fool yourself into thinking you're something you aren't.

Some days, living to fight another day is your only option. Be grateful for life.

3: The Corner Office by Adam Bryant

Meh.

The best lessons of this book are better taught by Carol Dweck and Angela Duckworth. Read Mindset and Grit.

Some CEO's have no idea how they got to where they are, and less idea how to get you there.

Stay curious and determined.

4: The Power Of Habit by Charles Duhigg

One of the best of the year.

Key habits can impact all else. Start working out and watch your desire to drink water and eat better improve.

Ignore habits forming at your own risk. They create or destroy, but you choose.

Rana's mother insisted he call his father Pitaji. Not Papa, Baba, Babuji, and definitely not Daddy. 'But Ma,' he used to complain, 'this is the 21st century, not pracheen Bharat'. 'That's why I'm not asking you to call him Pitashri', she would retort. +

On the other hand, Sweety's mother, a very modern lady indeed, made sure she (Sweety) called her father Daddy. He didn't mind being called anything. Pop, Dad, Baba, Daddykins, Popsy.. as long as he got his quota of hugs and kisses from his darling daughter. +

Rana grew into a strapping young man. Earning raised (but respectful) eyebrows, when his friends heard him call his father Pitaji. But Pitaji deserved that honour. For he was an honourable man. +

He worked long night shifts at a distant factory 6 days of the week. At home, he was kind, loving, and indulgent during the few hours he was awake. His wife cherished his diligence, discipline, and devotion to her. She fed him well, and made sure he got his rest. +

Every morning at the factory, he'd hand over duty to Daddy, the Day Manager, and head home. Daddy worked all day till Pitaji returned to relieve him. On Wednesday, both of them took a much deserved break, when the factory had its weekly holiday. +

1. Eye and Eye

2. Mr.

3. Panic in Babylon - The Upsetter
International Panic
Universal Panic
Babylon

4. LORD KITCHENER - London Is the Place for

5. MAX ROMEO - One Step

The Law of Speed

Speed has become an important element of strategy.     
Regis McKenna

I got there as they were opening the door at 8am yesterday Friday. I wanted to send copies of my books to @Rovingheights at Surulere.

After putting the books on their scale to measure the weight, I was given a bill of N30,000. I filled the accompanying form and was about to pay when the lady at the front desk of this courier company told me that the books would be delivered on Monday. I couldn’t believe my ears

You mean I’m sending books from Lekki to Surulere and it won’t get there next day? And I’m going to pay N30,000 for waiting for that long? Friday to Monday?

I took back my books and left. I checked google for another courier company closest to me. I saw one in Victoria Island and drove there. The lady at the front desk gave me a bill of N16,000 for next day delivery. The time was 9am and I insisted it should be delivered same day.

She called her supervisor in my presence and I heard her supervisor say I had to pay twice the amount if it will be delivered same day. That’s N32,000 from Victoria Island to Surulere.

1.”We are watching a movie”...

what if it’s Harry Potter?
Who will turn out to be the RATs?

2/ After all, we have #fakenews, just like the daily prophet.

3/ just like the Russia hoax and the impeachment hoax, we have false accusations and sham trials. Kangaroo courts

4/ our schools are in shambles.

5/ a shadow government run by BHO the last 4 years?

[WEBINAR]
Topic- Keys to Governance: Independence of Judiciary
The Webinar is being organized by India International Centre and D.S. Borker Memorial Foundation.
-Thursday 07 at 6:00PM-

Key Speakers:
1. Rtd. Justice Madan B Lokur, Former SC Judge
2. Tarunabh Khaitan, Vice Dean Faculty of Law, Oxford University
3. Maneka Guruswamy, Senior Advocate
4. N Ram, Former Editor in Chief, The Hindu
Moderator: Suhas Borker, Managing Trustee, DS Borker Memorial Foundation

The webinar has started.
Critical questions to be addressed in the webinar:
1. Is the SC performing its functions to defend the constitution satisfactorily?
2. Has the SC become an executive court?
3. Does the collegiums system ensure independence of judiciary?

4. Are post retirement benefits for judges compromising our judicial system?
5. Is there a need to increase the retirement age of judges?
6. Should there be a bar for restricting the post retirement jobs to judges?

7. How do you keep the government of the day at bay from exercising interference on the court?

Publishing works on long schedules, which means that long-planned books can be overtaken by events...like covid.

2020 was tough for those of us with books in trail, especially nonfiction. But for a few lucky writers, covid imparted a terrible salience to their books.

1/

One such writer is @TimHarford, host of @BBCRadio4's @bbcmoreorless, which is hands-down the greatest statistical literacy program in the world, using the numbers in each week's headlines to impart statistical lessons and render the news in perspective.

2/

Harford's latest book is THE DATA DETECTIVE (published as HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD ADD UP in the UK), which should really have been entitled HOW TO TRUTH WITH

You've likely heard of Darrell Huff's 1954 classic HOW TO LIE WITH STATISTICS, a classic, accessible guide to statistical malpractice in service to pushing an agenda. What I didn't know (until I heard Harford discourse on it) was that Huff himself had an ulterior motive.

4/

Huff was a shill for the tobacco industry, which, in 1954, was deliberately muddying the waters about the link between cancer and smoking. Huff's book isn't just a guide to statistical malpractice - it's a broadside against cancer

Thread

From “Don’t wear a mask!” to “You must wear a mask!"

A 'video timeline' of 2020, with some great clips and some quotes from WHO about the lack of quality evidence for the effectiveness of face masks.

Ignore Twitter warnings, it's just

In Douglas Adams’s popular 1979 science-fiction novel 'The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy', the supercomputer Deep Thought takes 7.5 million years to calculate that the answer to the “Great Question” of “Life, the Universe and Everything” is “42.”

A thread.

The author’s choice of the number 42 has become a fixture of geek culture, giving rise to a multitude of jokes, quips and satirical anecdotes. For example, you ask your search engine variations of the question “What is the answer to everything?” it will most likely answer “42.”

Now the question arises, why 42? If we delve a little deeper, we find that the number 42 turns up in a whole string of curious coincidences, whose significance is neither known, nor it is worth the effort to figure out, however intriguing the coincidences may seem. Let us see.

In ancient Egyptian mythology, during the judgment of souls, the dead had to declare before 42 judges that they had not committed any of the 42 sins as listed in the 'Negative Confession'.

For an interesting read, visit this link.

The marathon distance of 42.195 kilometres corresponds to the legend of how far the ancient Greek messenger Pheidippides ran between Marathon & Athens to announce victory over the Persians in 490 B.C. It is another matter that the kilometre had not yet been defined at that time!

It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work by @dhh and @jasonfried was one of the best books about work I read this year.

Here are 40+ takeaways 👇

Meetings should be a last resort.

The default for communication at work should be: asynchronous first, real-time second.

View your company as a product.

Where are the bugs? What's fast? What's slow? Do people understand how it works?

Entrepreneurship is mostly boring.

It's more of "laying bricks and applying another layer of paint."