Every Sunday, I write a quick newsletter to share some thoughts, things I’ve learned, and a few of my favorite things from the week. Enjoy!

Hey friends,

Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. While cases are surging amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a vaccine on the way which hopefully provides a light at the end of the tunnel. Over at the Laboratory for Research in Complex Systems, we are working on a software venture that aids the development of novel and urgently needed vaccines, such as the COVID-19 vaccine, and provides the infrastructure needed for humanity to be better prepared for future outbreaks and public health crises. We envision this venture promoting pandemic prevention and preparedness, so that we can collectively avoid running into a comprehensive health crisis such as the one that has engulfed the world this year. More to come on this. I also want to leave you with this great snippet from Paul Graham:

When you call someone earnest, you’re making a statement about their motives. It means both that they’re doing something for the right reasons, and that they’re trying as hard as they can. If we imagine motives as vectors, it means both the direction and the magnitude are right. Though these are of course related: when people are doing something for the right reasons, they try harder.

Have a great week!
Daniel


Things that resonated with me this week

  1. This resonated with me. There’s something about listening to music in preparation for those big moments. I started doing this in my youth before soccer games and speeches - listening to these songs during the lead-up is incredibly invigorating and gets you ready to seize those big moments.
  2. This was a great tweet. It goes back to last week’s newsletter which touched on the notion of creating your own niche and being your own category - everyone has a unique combination of interests and expertise - leverage this.
  3. I totally agree with this. I’ve always been of utmost seriousness and dedication to my career since my early teens - career productivity compounds over time.

Things I’m trying out

  • I’m meditating more and finding that Headspace and Calm are suited for different use cases. Headspace is more of a structured class if you’re dedicated to meditation over the long-term, while Calm is more suited for a 10-15min meditation if you’re trying to incorporate a quick meditation into your day.

Stuff that’s on my mind

  • The 2020 movement against racism has been encouraging and is an awakening for America that was long overdue - across corporate America to the criminal justice system to culture and entertainment. However, the events that occurred during the recent PSG-Basaksehir game illustrated the realities of the issues around systemic racism. It’s a real problem that has persisted for far too long, and progress is indeed a long road. But we’ll get there, and we have to do the best we can to root out racial prejudice and injustice. Kudos to the PSG and Basaksehir teams for protesting against racism. As Jamie Carragher mentions here: teams in the past would have kept playing. And the fact that those teams this week did protest IS big and indeed progress. I think the 2020 movement against racism has been a long overdue awakening, and it does feels like a turning point where we are now as a society acknowledging the existence of systemic racism and making firm strides to root it out. Of course, there is a lot more that needs to be done.

Quote of the week

“I would argue that nothing gives life more purpose than the realization that every moment of consciousness is a precious and fragile gift.” - Steven Pinker