hey welcome to the 21th edition of cool stuff i found! there’s a lot happening in Palestine, so I hope this edition of the newsletter can give you a bit of a mental health break.
if you’re new here:
“Cool Stuff I Found” (formerly “Cool Shit I Found”) is a series where I create a highlight reel of cool stuff I’ve come across in the past week or just in general. I hope that this newsletter will inspire meaningful conversations and connections. As always, thanks for joining me on this journey of exploration and self-discovery.
This newsletter is broken up into the following:
I. My Work
II. Articles + Essays I’ve read
III. Visual Art + Media
IV. Music I’ve been listening to
I. My Work
featured essays:
for this week i’ve penned not 1, but 2 essays! and they’re about friendship. i explore what i believe to be integral to all friend groups which is the idea of a “friendship lore" or what i’d like to call the secret sauce to friendships. join me as i figure it out as playfully as i can.
II. Articles + Essays I’ve read
the real work takes time by nix
this line caught me off guard because i distinctly remember feeling this way throughout my 20s. i suppose the thing they don’t teach you in school is that a large part of your life is going to be about creating, crafting, and optimizing your own feedback loops. you’re the best judge of your growth and effort considering that, usually, you’re also the one who will enjoy the fruits of labor.
Being patient with problems by henrik karlsson
in this piece, henrik discusses the mental model of engulfing a problem to be solved versus trying to attack it head on. most of us have assumptions on how to solve a problem, i.e. we should try this then that and then this AND that. it’s quite systematic and robotic. however, not all problems can be solved this way. henrik delves into the wisdom of mathematician Alexander Grothendieck and pulls out some pearls — as per usual.
III. Visual Art + Media
Matt Rife & Good Writing Advice
the advice? "Write 5 minutes of (standup) material a day. In a week you have 35 minutes, and out of those you'll have 1 golden minute. 52 weeks later, you'll have 52 golden minutes. And that's the goal" Yeah I spoiled it for you, but I still think you should watch this. follow along on the journey of a rising star!
IV. Music I’ve been listening to
i’ve been going full swing back into the gym these days, and it’s brought me back to a happy place that i remember from back when i started lifting in high school. chop suey is one of those drum heavy songs that just set my energy levels on fire. hope you jam out to this like i did!
A brief note: i once again was unable to carve out time to write my usual series this week. but hey i got 2 thoughtful essays out the way!
and forever and always: Free Palestine 🇵🇸
Thanks for reading this edition. Share this with your friends, your grandma, or your neighbor. And if you made it to the end of this essay and you didn’t just scroll, dm me a 🇵🇸 on either twitter or instagram. or leave a comment! As always,
Sincerely,
Haroon
P.S. Check out my previous newsletter if you’re curious: Cool Stuff I Found #20