What You Need to Know Today: January 18
Good afternoon, Early Risers!
Here’s what you need to know
TECH
What Bitcoin, Nixon and Warhol have in common. “Bitcoin is the currency equivalent that is underpinned by mockery. Bitcoin is mocking central banking the same way Marcel Duchamp mocked art, the same way This is Spinal Tap mocked rock band tours, and the same way Jon Stewart mocked world events,” says The Observer. If you think the block-chain technology is going away, think again.
Non-tech guide to cutting cable (even your mom will get this). “The second iteration of the Chromecast is the one we’re giving our mothers. It’s easy to set up, works for just about everything, and there’s no remote to lose — it all works off your smartphone,” says Andrew Groble of GQ. This easy 4-step plan to cut cable is perfect for sports and HBO fans.
CAREER
The psychology of simple. I recently bought an iPhone (save the groans and applause). After playing with it for a bit, a friend messaged me: “Welcome to team iPhone!” I didn’t have any contacts added yet so I replied: “Thanks. Who is this? I’m still figuring out contacts.” Then my friend sent this — which surprised me: “It’s Sam. Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out fast. iPhones are for idiots.” Boom! My friend, who is about the least tech-savvy girl I know, was right on the money — Apple products are made for idiots. They’re intentionally designed so anyone can use them. They’re simple. What’s ironic about simplicity is how complex reaching simple actually is. If you’re an entrepreneur, a writer, or a even a musician, you need to know these 3 characteristics of simple.
The biggest problem plaguing new entrepreneurs. “If you look across the country, entrepreneurship is at a 24-year low and most young people are not starting businesses, online or otherwise. They’re looking for jobs in Baltimore, Detroit, New Orleans, Cleveland, St. Louis, Providence, Cincinnati, San Antonio, upstate New York, and wherever else to pay back loans and maybe start a family. Entrepreneurship in these other cities looks quite different than it does in the Valley. It’s unsexy and gritty, measured in credit card debt rather than VC meetings, by getting customers instead of visitors or users, by changing the neighborhood instead of changing the world. Companies are started not with a desire to be huge, but because there’s a problem to be solved. These entrepreneurs look up to the people in the Valley for inspiration…” There’s a big problem with new entrepreneurs idolizing Silicon Valley’s tech rockstars. I know, because I’m guilty myself. Read this.
LIFESTYLE
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. This could be the biggest scandal in sports since… FIFA 2015. BuzzFeed News and the BBC revealed findings that suggest a massive match-fixing scandal in tennis involving a “core group of 16 players — all of whom have ranked in the top 50 — but none have faced any sanctions and more than half of them will begin playing at the Australian Open.”
The world is not ready for your subscription service. Birchbox, Dollar Shave Club, Adore Me, all these subscription-box services might have you believing continuity programs are the be-all, end-all in business. The truth is they’re not.
#NOWYOUKNOW
I I’ll ha ha haave a bluuuue Monday.
Don’t let ‘Blue Monday’ kill your vibe today. It’s a hoax.
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