Yeah, absolutely the Bay Area is like that. To some extent I get it - startups are likely to fail as is, so working hard should improve your odds to some degree. But it does feel a little like targeting a measurable metric vs what really matters sometimes. When you say you want to push on it, what does that mean?
Slouching Towards Bethlehem is a collection of essays (and also the name of the title essay) by Joan Didion that talks about her observations of the cultural chaos of the 60s. It's one of my favorite books and I highly recommend it. The title itself comes from a line in the poem The Second Coming by Yeats that was written in the aftermath of WWI. I just really like the vibe of both of those works, and feel like they apply to our current troubled/uncharted/chaotic times.
Speedrunning is a concept from video games where you try to make it as quickly as possible through a level or game. Basically a race. People compete to see how quickly they can beat Super Mario from start to finish, etc.
So combining the two ideas: instead of slowly slouching our way towards some unknown future, this time we're speedrunning towards it faster than ever.
Love the problem statement. I've wrestled with this myself. How does one find meaning? eager to hear where you go next.
Also, I appreciate this line:
"even if you love grind culture (honestly, really? in 2023?)"
Bay Area culture feels like a cult of productivity, as if your worth is tied to the hours per week worked. This is something I wish to push on.
Yeah, absolutely the Bay Area is like that. To some extent I get it - startups are likely to fail as is, so working hard should improve your odds to some degree. But it does feel a little like targeting a measurable metric vs what really matters sometimes. When you say you want to push on it, what does that mean?
Terrific read Brian. Enjoying your notes :)
What does "Speedrunning Towards Bethlehem" refer to?
Thank you!
I should write a longer post about it, but I talk about it briefly here https://www.brianshih.com/about
Slouching Towards Bethlehem is a collection of essays (and also the name of the title essay) by Joan Didion that talks about her observations of the cultural chaos of the 60s. It's one of my favorite books and I highly recommend it. The title itself comes from a line in the poem The Second Coming by Yeats that was written in the aftermath of WWI. I just really like the vibe of both of those works, and feel like they apply to our current troubled/uncharted/chaotic times.
Speedrunning is a concept from video games where you try to make it as quickly as possible through a level or game. Basically a race. People compete to see how quickly they can beat Super Mario from start to finish, etc.
So combining the two ideas: instead of slowly slouching our way towards some unknown future, this time we're speedrunning towards it faster than ever.