March, particularly early March, feels like a different time. Anyway, here are some links I saved (only one is coronavirus related).
On and off, I have worked with Andrew McGarry for over five years now so I’ve seen a bit of what is going on and what he is doing with The McGarry Agency.
In this piece for Search Engine Land Andrew talks about some of the personal challenges he’s faced in growing his company; particularly how the traits and aspects of his personality the he thought were strengths were actually holding him back.
I came to realize in my own career journey that the success we can achieve in our careers is influenced by our chosen identity and the work we do on a daily basis
Andrew and I do not have the same personality, but we do have some things in common so I wonder how many of these lessons apply to me and how important learning them will be for my continued growth over the next few years.
The faux folksy “brand voice” of innocent [it doesn’t have a capital “i” and it is really hard for me to write it this way] and it’s many imitators is one of the perils of modern life. [I could write a sentence like that at the start of March!]
The creator of the brand identity comes clean in this confessional and admits to regretting it all. I’m not sure I forgive him.
I remember hearing about “Moose Boulder” which is an island on a lake where the lake is contained on an island which is in another lake which is on another island in Lake Superior. Which is pretty cool!
Turns out it is all an online hoax and this is the story of one man (and his Mum!) trying to figure out what was going on.
Mathematician Scott Aaronson was asked by a friend in early February what he thought about the risks from coronavirus. He told them that the risk from ordinary flu was much greater. He regrets this now and writes about how he should have told her something different.
With hindsight, the signs of this approaching epidemic were all there in early February and many online commentators were (correctly) predicting what was coming. But official channels played down their concerns and this is the main reason for Aaronson’s advice to his friend.
It’s worse to be so afraid that you fail adequately to warn your friends when you see an exponential function coming to kill their loved ones.