#WritingOutput/Newsletter
Random Walk Newsletter, Issue 28#
The first Newsletter of 2023. After sending the previous one, I discovered that there were actually two subscribers. It has been about a year since I started writing, and breaking through the zero-subscriber mark is a cause for celebration. Thank you to the two subscribers for giving me the motivation to continue writing.
Observations & Insights#
Digital Prison
In this article 数字化监狱，现代人如何抵抗同质化暴力？ - 少数派, I came across the following passage:
The Internet Thieves believe that learning is not a performance for others. The process of learning is painful, and the effort put into learning does not necessarily correspond to the rewards gained. It is impossible to easily and happily absorb knowledge through carefully simplified courses on paid knowledge platforms or through annual speeches by self-media.
I agree with 95% of this statement. The only point of contention is the word "impossible". In this fragmented era, it is not completely impossible to acquire knowledge. I have also made an effort to read a book, such as "The Black Swan" by Taleb and "A Random Walk Down Wall Street". However, the reading process was agonizing, and I could only remember a few key points. Interestingly, I listened to the audiobook first before starting to read. I found that the content I obtained from reading did not significantly surpass what I obtained from listening to the audiobook. This may be due to my own reading ability, but it also suggests that some people can acquire knowledge through audiobooks and shared articles.
The Difference Between Brightness and Darkness
"I have noticed that when all the lights are on, people tend to talk about what they are doing — their outer lives. Sitting round in candlelight or firelight, people start to talk about how they are feeling – their inner lives. They speak subjectively, they argue less, there are longer pauses."
An interesting observation. When all the lights are on, people prefer to talk about external matters. However, when sitting in candlelight or firelight, people start to discuss their inner feelings. Upon reflection, I can relate to this. For example, when the lights are turned off at night and I can't sleep, that's when my inner thoughts are most active. I remember in middle school, when I listened to a new cassette tape (revealing my age here), I would turn off the lights and play it on repeat. The atmosphere just wasn't the same when the lights were on. Perhaps dimming the lights often signifies a moment of stillness?
Focus and Noise Reduction
"What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn’t have any doubt—it is sure to get where it is going, and it doesn’t want to go anywhere else."
After reading this sentence, I was reminded of something I read before. Having a clear goal not only provides direction but also filters out a lot of distracting information, reducing noise.
Self-Control
I uninstalled the app "JiKe" again because I succumbed to a lack of self-control. I don't even know how many times I have installed and uninstalled it. During the week I had JiKe downloaded, the number of unread newsletters reached over 20. After uninstalling it, my current phone doesn't have any social media apps, and I don't even know what I can do on my phone anymore 😄. The immediate effect was that I was able to catch up on half of my newsletters, leaving only 10 unread.
Audiobooks & Books#
Underlying Logic
I had heard about it before, but now I learned about variance. Values calculated using variance can indicate diversity. For example, when you often hear that the average monthly salary at Tencent is 80,000 RMB, using variance calculations can reveal that the distribution is highly uneven.
In addition, Mr. Liu Run summarized a formula: Sales = Traffic × Conversion Rate × Average Order Value × Repurchase Rate. Let's say a company has four salespeople, each contributing 1 million in sales. The total sales would be 4 million. If one of the salespeople has an exceptional performance and doubles their sales, will the company's total sales double? No, it will only increase by 1 million. However, if each of the four salespeople is responsible for traffic, conversion rate, average order value, and repurchase rate, and each of them doubles their performance, the total sales will be multiplied by 2, resulting in 8 million. You see, this is the power of cooperation in different dimensions.
After reading the above example, I was indeed slightly moved and gained a small understanding of the power of cooperation in different dimensions.
Café at the End of the World
The author quit their job at a popular magazine to document their travels and self-published a book. They originally intended to share it with family and friends, but unexpectedly sold millions of copies.
The book mentions Warren Buffett's advice on the 5 things in life. He asks a person to list 20 things they want to accomplish in life and then choose 5 from that list. The advice given is to devote all your time and energy to those 5 things, and as for the remaining 15, avoid them like a plague and don't even touch them. In other words, concentrate your efforts and resist other temptations.
The book also mentions a story about sea turtles swimming, conveying a similar message. In the end, the author summarizes their thoughts on the book, which I think is worth sharing: "In my opinion, John's book is a bit like an 'adult fairy tale'. Don't underestimate fairy tales. Other books try to convince you with evidence and logic, while fairy tales convey beliefs. Many times, we get lost in complex reasoning and fall into confusion. Sometimes, what we need most is a simple belief."
That concludes the content of this issue of the Newsletter. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. Thank you for reading.