Roland Dane shares the underdog backstory of Brodie Kostecki’s ascent to the 2023 Supercars champion. 🏎️

”As 2020 loomed, Brodie had nothing on the table. The family team had been disbanded post-Bathurst 2019 and he was left with no programme, apart from couch surfing. Enter Paul Morris and the Egglestons. Paul persuaded Ben and Rachael to give Brodie an opportunity in one of their Super2 cars, on the basis that he’d earn his drive through helping Ben with the preparation of the cars. This wasn’t some young bloke coming through the door with a swag of dollars to buy a seat.”

To what degree should we think of Charles Dickens' works as fairly tales? I am thinking of A Christmas Carol specifically, but this could potentially apply to other works. This thought was brought up in a conversation between Ken Myers and Vigen Guroian on Mars Hill Audio Journal 158. 🤔 📚

Thinking about AI and (my) work in the architecture field. 🤔 There is pressure to see how AI can be used for input (ideation, creative process, etc…) and output (renderings, plans, etc…). The big advantage being sold is saving time and/or handing off tedious work to AI. I currently see two problems with this line of thought.

1. There is a lot of value to the creator who develops the input/ideas and the output/drawings. That is how we learn and develop new ideas. Remove that and we inhibit our ability to learn and develop new ideas.

2. There is a difference between working through a process and producing deliverables with an eye on the desired outcome and going through the process and producing deliverables in response to a prompt. The former will produce a better outcome every time.

Currently reading: From What Is to What If by Rob Hopkins 📚

Our idea was a simple one: What if, we wondered, the change we need to see in response to the biggest challenges of our time came not from government and business, but from you and me, from communities working together? What if the answers were to be found not in the bleak solitude of survivalism and isolation, in the tweaking of ruthless commercialism, or in the dream that some electable saviour will come riding to our rescue, but rather in reconnection to community? As we put it: If we wait for governments, it will be too late. If we act as individuals, it will be too little. But if we act as communities, it might just be enough, and it might just be in time.

The last two statements provide a great summary. Working together, on a small scale, may be the best way forward.

It’s going to be hard to miss this car at the Adelaide 500. Well done, Tickford Racing. 🏎️😎

Like Will Lyon, I frequently have thoughts about transitioning to a “dumb” phone. I spend a few minutes on the Punkt website, think about how I could do things differently to make it work.

After a few minutes I realized the same thing. Nobody is making me use my smartphone like a smartphone. I can be a “dumb” as I want it to be. I need to change me, not my phone… 🤔🤣

Blair Enns on writing as a means to develop thoughts and ideas

I think about this a lot. I’m biased in that I know I cannot. I have to write to generate original insight. I can ingest other people’s ideas and make them work in my domain or apply them to the problem I’m working on. I can even talk about those ideas in a podcast or on a stage. In doing so I will share valuable information that will help others. I will look smart. And I will BE smarter for having learned. BUT can I generate my own deep insights—something approaching original thought—without writing? No, I cannot.

Being on the art/design side of things, I experienced the benefit of sketching not as an end but to help develop ideas. Blair has convinced me that I need to be writing more - not to publish but to think. 🤔

With Mint shutting down January 1st, anyone have a recommendation for a low cost budgeting app (less than $50 per year)?

A great finish to Race 26 at the Gold Coast in Supercars. More of this, please. 🏎️

I agree with the comments form Max Verstappen on Las Vegas here and here. I think this is where Liberty Media and F1 officially jump the shark.

I wouldn’t be shocked if there was a red flag halfway through the race for a “halftime show.” 🏎️

Listening to: Johnny Costa Plays Mister Rogers' Neighborhood by Johnny Costa

After listening to Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood coming back from vacation (the kids were watching it in the backseat), I became aware of the piano in the background. It added a new, wonderful dimension to an already great show.

“Savings in time feel like simplicity.” -John Maeda

I haven’t read his book The Laws of Simplicity, but I find this statement compelling - especially as there is a continued push for convenience (especially in certain sectors of Retail) which leads to a more complex “back of house” to create the simple feeling “front of house.”

I like the concept of sharing “Minimum Viable Ideas,” riffing off the Minimum Viable Product (MVP). It creates a space to share and get feedback without the expectation of the idea being fully worked out. This would land somewhere between a brainstorm and refining of concepts. 🤔

First Brodie and now SVG returning to join him at Indy. Then throw in IndyCar with Scott McLaughlin, Will Power, Scott Dixon, and Marcus Armstrong. Any chance “Enforcer and the Dude” will show up?🏎️🤔

After reading this from Ted Gioia, I think the quantity approach to AI is a dead end. Nobody has time, or wants to, consume all of that content. Sharing and debating ideas with other people has greater potential to have a good outcome than a whole lot of random stuff nobody asked for. If AI can assist with that effort, then maybe it will be useful in the future. 🤔

I now prefer thinking of future events in terms of potential and probability vs expectation. Potential acknowledges the probability of outside forces to disrupt, while to expect something assumes a higher probability than is (typically) reasonable. 🤔

I love the Tamiya Wild One Max concept. I wish more cars were as simple, clean, and straightforward as this. Well, it looks like it would be a lot of fun to drive (responsibly) too… 🚗

Currently reading: How To Think: A Survival Guide For A World At Odds by Jacobs, Alan , 1958- (author.) 📚 Why this book? Looking for a counterpoint to De Bono on creative thinking. Both authors touch on dealing with polarization (in different ways) and how to keep an open mind. Creative thinking is, after all, thinking…

Listening to: [Best of Ladysmith Black Mambazo] (https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-ladysmith-black-mambazo-shanachie--mw0000617085) 🎵 No collaborations, just the group by itself. I love it.

Currently reading: Lateral Thinking by Edward de Bono 📚 A solid tactical book (so far) exploring creativity from the angle of lateral thinking. I like how de Bono connects lateral thinking with both insight and humor.

Paused for Later: The Rise by Sarah Lewis 📚 I appreciate the key theme of this book, but only scanned it as it is full of stories. Nothing against stories, but sometimes I prefer to get to the point. The last chapter pointed to Angela Duckworth’s book Grit. Looking forward to checking that book out.

Currently reading: The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly 📚 Starting to scan this book. I like the emphasis on forces vs specific technologies but am not impressed by the idea that we must all submit to wherever tech is taking us - as if the forces of tech are somehow stronger than the forces of the world in which we live (aka. reality).

Looking forward to seeing SVG coming to NASCAR for the street race in Chicago. Also interesting to see will be how much carnage there will be with the concrete barriers… 🤔🏎️

What was “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” seems to be “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Innovate” (usually with a digital solution). Recycling and Innovation seem to be a longshot, while Reducing and Reusing have potential to make an impact. But they also require a cultural and (dare I say) spiritual shift… 🤔

Listening to: Handsome Boy Modeling School’s White People (Instrumentals) 🎵 I have been exploring instrumental hip hop albums for background music while working. I like to avoid vocals when possible. 🤫