Rolling cycles of blistering heat & humidity, a massive storm, and a pleasant aftermath mark summers in the Midwest. This year's been no exception, and we used the recent temperate weather as an excuse to visit a driving range near our house.
The nice thing about golf is that the feedback is immediate. At the range, there are literal benchmarks to measure yourself against. On the course, if you find yourself spending a lot of time search for your ball, the odds are pretty good that your game needs some work (Spoiler alert: you do not want me on your team).
This particular range has gone a step further and added digital technology to the mix. Each stall has monitors that track all kinds of telemetry; How far you drove, the arc of your shot, any slice, and so on. Those in a group can also gamify it, but the real value add here is a battery of instant feedback you can use to course correct.
Contrast that with the real world. In many offices, feedback only comes in the form of an annual review. For people in the creative economy, that's a lagging indicator (sales volume, click rates, comments on posts, etc.).
What if you could the same real-time feedback as you can get on the range? Would you take it? How might that affect your workflow or creative processes? If it was coming from someone you knew would that change your answer?
My older son was eating the data up. With each shot, he'd look and see the results and adjust his next swing accordingly. I don't know that he would've been so open to it if it had been coming from me or a buddy of his (my terrible shot notwithstanding).
I'm not going anywhere in particular here; it was just something that crossed my mind as I was spraying balls everywhere, and I'd love to hear your thoughts. Let me know in the comments.
On to the good stuff:
I just learned I only have months to live. This is what I want to say
By Jack Thomas for the Boston Globe
As death draws near, I feel the same uncomfortable transition I experienced when I was a teenager at Brantwood Camp in Peterborough, New Hampshire, packing up to go home after a grand summer. I’m not sure what awaits me when I get home, but this has certainly been an exciting experience. I had a loving family. I had a great job at the newspaper. I met fascinating people, and I saw myriad worldwide wonders. It’s been full of fun and laughter, too, a really good time.
I just wish I could stay a little longer.
At The 'Quarantine Hotel,' Olympians Deal With Isolation And Shattered Dreams
By Leila Fadel for NPR
Then two men walked toward him and moved him away from everyone else.
"Right then I knew that it had to be something to do with the test," he said.
They whisked him off to the makeshift hospital in the Olympic Village and tested him again. Positive. His Olympic debut would not happen. He was taken to the isolation facility.
Some people in Missouri are getting vaccinated in secret to avoid backlash from loved ones, doctor says
By Aya Elamroussi for CNN
"They did their own research on it, and they talked to people and made the decisions themselves," Frase told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "But even though they were able to make that decision themselves, they didn't want to have to deal with the peer pressure or the outbursts from other people about them ... 'giving in to everything.'"
The Sky Thief
By Tim Dickinson for Rolling Stone
How did Beebo Russell — a goofy, God-fearing baggage handler — steal a passenger plane from the Seattle-Tacoma airport and end up alone in a cockpit, with no plan to come down?
“I wasn’t really planning on landing it,” Russell told air-traffic control from the cockpit. ”I just wanna do a couple maneuvers — see what it can do before I put her down, ya know?”
Turbulence: Everything You Need To Know
By Patrick Smith for Ask The Pilot
For all intents and purposes, a plane cannot be flipped upside-down, thrown into a tailspin, or otherwise flung from the sky by even the mightiest gust or air pocket. Conditions might be annoying and uncomfortable, but the plane is not going to crash. Turbulence is an aggravating nuisance for everybody, including the crew, but it’s also, for lack of a better term, normal.
Two for the road:
1. To Declutter Faster, Identify What You Need
2. 76 Songs, 31 Days of Summer
Thanks for being here,
Kevin—
P.S. Looking for newsletters better tailored to your interests? Check out The Sample. I’m still having a lot of fun with it, and think you will too.
