Jobs, Hastings, Ukraine, Idiots, Problematic. And a girl with balloons.
RWL #450
Greetings from the LHH![i] It rained last weekend. Lest you think this not a noteworthy thing, it was the 14th weekend in a row where it rained. Durham is not Seattle. We do not get 14 weekends in a row of rain just because, you know, it is what it is (which is a terrible saying). We need a sun dance or something to get us out of this rut so we can get started with summer! I’m actually pretty sure it rained most of July last year, so maybe it just is what it is. Uggh.
I was gifted some watercolor crayons and I’ve been playing around with them this week. They work like crayons that you know – you color them on to paper – but then if you brush over them with some water, the crayon markings melt into watercolor. I’m trying to think of clever ways to use them. Pic above is an example of the experimentation (this is a continuous line drawing in case you’re wondering why it’s kind of weird).
I’m beginning to hear from my students out on their internships – everyone is doing well. I’m starting to schedule my site visits – it’s going to be a very busy July driving around and seeing everyone. I think I have 24 sites to visit, but they are all relatively close this year, so I might not even clear 1,000 miles. It really is one of the best parts of my job – getting to see the students flourishing in their internship sites.
OK – to the links. As usual, willing good for all of you!
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Read
What: WSJ, Ukraine’s Drone Strike Is a Warning—for the U.S.
Why: If you missed it, Ukraine launched a drone strike on Russia’s strategic bombers… from inside Russia! It’s amazing. They had a major impact on Russia’s strategic capabilities, and they did it mostly with relatively simple drones. I was thrilled to see this result. But this editorial points out that if Ukraine can do that in Russia, our enemies might be able to do the same on US soil.
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What: NYT, What’s So Problematic About ‘Problematic’?
Why: John McWorter works through the etymology of the word “Problematic” in a humorous fashion. From the article:
These days, the plural “problematics,” as wrinkle-browed exegesis of complex academic issues, is a marginal term. So is the straightforward sense of “problematic” meaning “full of problems,” as in “Sunflowers are problematic as a large-scale crop.” The word is in wide circulation, but its current incarnation is as a euphemism for a very specific kind of problem or a very specific kind of person.
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What: The Dispatch, Useful Idiots for Hamas
https://thedispatch.com/article/protesters-hamas-intifada-peace-violence/
Why: We are beginning to see the fruit of the seeds of antisemitic theories that are promoted on campus, with innocent people being murdered because someone thinks they support Israel. Political violence isn’t acceptable in a free society. I wrote that in the wake of the murder of United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson in December of last year, and I see it now with the cold-blooded murders of Israeli embassy aides Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, and just a few days ago, a maniac lit people on fire with a homemade flamethrower during a peaceful protest demanding Hamas return the hostages they kidnapped.
From the article:
Most of us see a clear difference between peaceful speech or protest and disruptive or violent criminality. But there is a long tradition on the radical left that regards these actions as part of a singular spectrum of political behavior. Political violence, in this view, is justified by the same principle as political speech: They are both valid insofar as they are a means of resisting oppression.
Kids look for ways to be transgressive. It’s part of growing up. It’s unfortunate when they get suckered into also being evil.
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Watch
What: Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address (15 min)
Why: Steve Jobs was the founder of Apple, in case you don’t know. He was an incredible creator. I quoted this speech in last Sunday’s essay. He talks about “connecting the dots” – that things you learn can be brought together. You may not know right now why you are learning something, but eventually if you pay attention, you might be able to connect the dots and create something new and wonderful. He has a couple of other messages that I think are worth listening to – “stay hungry, stay foolish” – so take a few minutes and listen to this brief speech.
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Listen
What: The Knowledge Project, Reed Hastings: The Netflix Playbook for Culture, Judgment, and Scale (72 min)
Why: Reed Hastings is the founder of Netflix. I didn’t mean to have two tech founders featured, but that’s how it worked out this week. I really like listening to Hastings. I hope he’s as interesting in person as he is when he speaks. Jobs was something of a charismatic jerk according to some people, so… Here he talks about his hiring practices, his motivations, what he looks for in a hire, and so forth. A wide-ranging, interesting conversation with someone who has had incredible influence on our world.
[i] The LHH is the Last Homely House. But also, I just want to be super clear that the opinions expressed here are my own, not those of UNH or any related organization, nor are they TLW’s, who frequently tells me I am off my rocker, nor any other person who might be embarrassed by my musings. They are mine, all mine.