_^08/09/2024 #### Ahoy Townspeople #001 Welcome to the first edition of *Ahoy Townspeople*! This is a bi-weekly newsletter where I share my random thoughts, found treasures, and other interesting things I come across. #### Findings - Rory Sutherland Self proclaimed "direct marketer" and Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, Rory Sutherland is a fascinating character. Loved his ability to connect seemingly unrelated dots and his take on human behavior. Some of the gems of his or ones that he shared are: - "The opposite of a good idea can also be a good idea." - "Buy two dishwashers." - "Human beings don't just use reason to make decisions, we use reason to justify decisions that we’ve already made." - "It's easier to be fired for being illogical than it is for being unimaginative." - [FreeFaces](https://www.freefaces.gallery/){target="_blank"} Curated collection of typefaces that are available under a variety of free licences somewhere on the interwebs. #### Miscaellanea - The guy who sold an imaginary nation to willing but gullible buyers was called [Gregor MacGregor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregor_MacGregor){target="_blank"}. I have no sympathy for the buyers, who would believe a man called Gregor MacGregor? - Internet made race to the bottom the new norm for many industries, or at least turbocharged it. - There's an open source project that can lock pick your lock. For more, check out [unlocked](https://github.com/etinaude/unlocked){target="_blank"}. - Started on the carving of three lino blocks. One of them is a secret for know but the other two are: | | | |:-------------------------:|:-------------------------:| | | | #### Books A brief list of books that I’ve recently added to my to-read list: - How to Have Impossible Conversations | Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay - The Alignment Problem | Brian Christian - Roadside Picnic | Arkady and Boris Strugatsky - Algorithms to Live By | Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths - Social Acceleration | Hartmut Rosa - The Long Earth | Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter - The War with the Newts | Karel Capek - The Sellout | Paul Beatty - Obvious Adams | Robert R. Updegraff