Digital Postcard #1: Opening Appetizers

Welcome!

Thanks for being one of the first 9 subscribers to my digital postcard. I prefer the description digital postcard (rather than newsletter) cuz it feels more casual, personal and specific to a moment in time.

It’s an intimate group right now. We could probably all share this week's appetizers in my apartment living room. I appreciate you being here with me as this metaphorical space evolves.

In this postcard I’ll share updates, anecdotes and links to things I enjoyed recently. I’m committed to weekly publishing, but not yet tied to a particular day of the week. The arrival will have the same element of surprise you get with a traditional postcard.

Weekly Anecdote

Last week was the final live session of Write of Passage (WOP), Cohort 7. This is what I shared with the group about how WOP changed me:

“There’s this idea that hell is seeing the version of you that could have been... the best possible version of yourself that you weren’t. I feel like Write of Passage is such an accelerator toward that trajectory that you do want to be... towards the best person that you can be.

Prior to WOP, I had thought of the internet as either an inhospitable or hostile place. Sharing my creative ideas felt like trying to plant a seed in Antarctica (where the seed will just die in isolation) or a desert (where vultures will peck it to death)…

Write of Passage is like nutrient-dense soil. You’re ok to put the seed out early, because you know it’s going to get nurtured and supported.

Podcast Recommendation

#189 - David Sinclair: Extending the Human Lifespan Beyond 100 Years | Lex Fridman Podcast

The podcast episode above is a fascinating conversation on longevity and the future of medicine.

Longevity: “...Whales are top of the food chain. They can breed slowly + create a body that lasts...”
Future of medicine: “...We wouldn’t drive a car without a dashboard, so why would doctors do the same (re: lack of data in medicine)… Right now we’re still in a place where doctors ask 100yr questions (how are you sleeping etc). It’s a lot of crude intuition + extrapolation. Soon the financial case for wearables and biomedical tracking data will be so obvious and evident it’ll become standard...”

Brown Noise

Many of us are familiar with white noise (airy, static-fuzz soundscapes). On the podcast above, Lex Fridman discusses running to ‘Brown Noise’ which has a deeper tone, like ocean waves. He found this audio stimulus helpful for concentration during exercise, or while coding.

I recently published the article Albums that Work: Write, Study, Focus + Flow, to share some of my favourite music. I was intrigued by the idea of using brown noise instead of melody, so I tried it out.

I find brown noise works surprisingly well! Particularly when I'm mentally saturated, and more in search of sound immersion than musical momentum.

I’ve been using Brown Noise Sound Machine (12 hours) (which was the first link that came up when I searched Spotify) and enjoying it.

Laugh

That's all till next week!

I’m excited to see this format evolve over time. Thanks for sharing appetizers with me in this apt-living room size debut :)

In the meanwhile, I encourage you to check out my new website to see what I'm up to now, read some of the writing or watch a video.

Thanks for reading,

Tommy

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PS. Replies Encouraged :)

If you have 42 seconds to jot an impression of this postcard, please do!
I know each of your lives bustle with activity. If it helps, think of the reply as a text (rather than an email).
A gloriously typo-ridden: “Pic at end mde me luagh 😂” is valuable signal of where to re-invest :)

Tommy Lee