Notes for April 28th 2023
- I was watching some live music recorded via the French TV station Arte Concert, which has an incredible output of high quality artistry. And I wondered why it's basically impossible to access Irish art without knowing where to go. Ireland currently has a state broadcaster that has two main TV stations; RTÉ One and Two. I don't understand why Two isn't repurposed in the evenings for art. Music, short films, etc. Instead of a vague attempt to be BBC 2 or 3.
- I was in London last week for work (again) and just need to note how absolutely incredible London City Airport is. It is effectively featureless. It's on the DLR line (which is massively convenient for my office), has those new security machines where you don't need to empty everything from your bag, and only has 1 runway and 1 aircraft type capacity. There's piss all to do, very little in the way of entertainment. But because you're through security so quickly, you arrive as close to departure as you can. Incredible.
- I've noticed my workload increase dramatically. I could put that down to a number of factors (layoffs last year having an impact, people wanting my brain more, etc.) but I actually think it's just taken 18+ months to really have an impact, know enough to be dangerous, etc. I'm really enjoying it. But I really need to optimise my vacation times now, because otherwise I can feel the stress will hit. Luckily Q3 will probably die down, as is tradition.
- One of the things I miss about the lockdown/pandemic situation was having Friday drinks in my kitchen over Zoom. Part of it selfish. We had just had our first baby so were trapped with him regardless, so it felt like the world had rotated towards us and our needs. As I was coordinating nights my wife can take the kids, which friend is in the area on which week against when I'm away or busy with work, I realised just popping onto a Zoom would have completely solved that.
- We're heading into a new review season at work and it feels like a real time to reflect. I will hit 2 years of tenure soon, which means I've settled into the business nicely, starting to have real impact, and have a reasonably established team around me. I have a guy departing to another team internally, a promo, etc. It's all very normal cadence stuff. Which is interesting because it was something I was so used to in my prior life, having been there just shy of a decade. Seeing that cascade into normalcy when I think I should still feel new is an odd one.
- Separately, it also makes me seriously question folks who jump around to different jobs all of the time. How do you ever achieve anything if you only last 18-24mo at any given time?!
- Walter Isaacson, in his biography of Steve Jobs: In return for speaking at the retreat, Jobs got Murdoch to hear him out on Fox News, which he believed was destructive, harmful to the nation, and a blot on Murdoch’s reputation. “You’re blowing it with Fox News,” Jobs told him over dinner. “The axis today is not liberal and conservative, the axis is constructive-destructive, and you’ve cast your lot with the destructive people.
