Web Miscellany: Compilation #29

Hello friends–

Remember that wonderful, young lady I met while browsing for a Valentine’s Day card. Well, we met for coffee the other night and I highly suspect she’s part of some multi-level marketing get-rich-quick scheme. Girl, I already have money, mentors and self-motivation! I was just looking for a new friend. Haha! I’m looking forward to piecing this gem of an experience into a fun story.

Next week, I’ll be participating in a big onsite audit at work, undergoing food allergy testing and celebrating three months at my current job. I was brought on at a lower wage as part of a  90-day “growth-based incentive program” so I’m anticipating a salary bump and (hopefully) title promotion in the coming weeks. Fingers crossed!

Here are some interesting things I’ve picked up across the web. Feel free to share anything that’s captured your attention recently–books, quotes, shows, articles or pictures.

1. Leaving Room for the Beautiful Flowers.
2. How gymnastics at the Olympics has changed over time.
3. Why does Amazon pay so little in taxes? The main reason Amazon as a corporate entity does not pay much in taxes is because the company so vigorously reinvests its profit. Fascinating.
4. Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know. I’m looking forward to picking up Malcom Gladwell’s upcoming book.
5. What is it like to live without Google? I’ve been eliminating Google from my life slowly over the last five years. While inconvenient at times, I feel that the increased privacy and security that come with open-source alternatives are worth it.
6. A consistent seven to nine-hour sleep each night is the most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health.
7. Need to name something? This site will help you.
8. Productivity has become a core part of our identity. But who are you when you’re not in pursuit of success, achievement, and happiness? Wonderful podcast episde from Hurry Slowly.
9. Quote I’ve been thinking about: “Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.” ― Cal Newport, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
10. In this time lapse filmed by Jan van IJken, the embryo of a salamander is shown transforming into a hatched tadpole, from a single cell to a complex organism in a three-week process that’s condensed into just six minutes of video.