Some things and ideas: December 2021
Some things and ideas: December 2021
Some random thoughts on articles that caught my attention in the last month. Note that I try to write notes on articles immediately after reading them, so there can be a little overlap in themes if an article grabs my attention early in the month and is similar to an article that I like later in the month.
My monthly overview (Monthly recurring piece)
I'm going to start putting this piece in at the start of every month. I just want to highlight two things
I do four things publicly: this blog / substack (the free side), the premium side of this blog, my podcast (Spotify, iTunes, or YouTube), and my twitter account. You can see my vision for the podcast here, and my vision for the blog and premium site here. If you like the blog / free site, I'd encourage you to check out the pod, follow me on twitter, and maybe even subscribe to the premium site!
I try to be as helpful as humanly possible to anyone whose research / writing I enjoy. In almost every post I do, you'll notice I link to other subscription services or investors who I like. I don't get referral fees or anything for that; these are almost always organic links and highlights that I do not because I was asked to but because one of my goals with the (very small) platform I have is to shine light on other people who are doing good work and make sure they have a platform big enough to encourage them to keep doing good work!
If you're launching a subscription service, or a new blog, or you're an investor who has done some really good research and wants to get some more eyeballs on it, please drop me a line and let me know. If the quality is there, I would love to link to your blog post or subscription service or research (and if the quality isn't there, I'm happy to provide feedback! I have done so with several services and I think my advice is good / appreciated / helpful!), and I'd love to have you on the podcast to talk about all of it. I can't promise anything, but most podcast guests / people I've linked to have been very happy about the reception / feedback they've gotten (I've even been called the king of the sub bumps / almost as good as Twitter / a big sub bump, and I've generally heard from investors with LPs who come on the podcast that they're delighted by the response). My DMs are always open, so feel free to slide into them if I can be helpful!
Fessing up
I’ll admit it: I mailed in the monthly links a little this month. I had a little mishap with some of the links I was planning on posting, which cost me a lot of links, and I was too focused on closing out the year, getting some predictions up for 2022, and prepping my annual navel gazing pieces to find all of those links again or write a bunch of thoughts on things catching my eye (plus, I got really into looking at a bunch of retailers; I’m pleased with some of the fruits of that effort, but I can’t tell you how many nights I looked up and it was suddenly bed time and I had done nothing but look at retailers all day!).
So this month’s links piece is a little lighter than usual. Hopefully you won’t hold that against me / still find something interesting!
Podcasts (Monthly recurring piece)
I launched the Yet Another Value Podcast in August 2020 and provided a longer piece on my vision for the podcast at the start of 2021. They've been a blast so far.
A big update: I have created yetanothervaluepodcast.substack.com; I’ll be posting each podcast there as well as a transcript of the podcast. Would very much appreciate feedback on the site if you have any; I’m still trying to figure it out!
This month’s podcasts
Also, this isn’t a podcast per se, but I went on Idea Brunch if you’re interested in reading an interview I did!
Nerd Corner (Monthly recurring piece)
There’s no hiding it; I’m a massive nerd. I read 3-4 fantasy books a month, my favorite past time is playing board games with my wife and friends, and I religiously watch every new entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and listen to fantasy show recaps on Binge Mode (so much so that I even did a Twitter Space talking about the MCU!). I figured a few of you are nerds like me, so I’m starting this segment to give recs of what I’m nerding out over currently, with the hope that you’ll either try it and enjoy it or recommend me similarly nerdy things that I’ll enjoy. This month’s recs:
Cradle series: I tweeted this out and recommended it last month, but I had to give it another recommendation. So many readers reached out to me and said something along the lines of “Tried the Cradle series and instantly got hooked”. I personally finished all ten books inside of two months, and I know plenty of people who got my rec in late November and are now 5+ books deep. If you like fantasy, seriously give this a shot.
Arcane: New Netflix show based on the League of Legends world. I was hesitant to try the series; in general, I don’t like movies / TV shows based on video games… but I have some familiarity with the League of Legends world, so I decided to give it a shot. And my god am I glad I did! The show does an incredible job of quickly setting up a complex world where elements of fantasy and steampunk live alongside each other, and the characters and plot are super interesting (note: I’m ~6 episodes in, so it’s possible the whole thing falls off in the last three…. but I doubt it. It’s just been too well done so far).
Spiderman: no way home. Hands down the best MCU movie yet. Run to go see it if you haven’t yet (though be careful of COVID!)
Speaking of the MCU, you can tell I’m a massive nerd because I was wondering what the effects of an MCU universe would have on the stock market the other day. So that’s a silly thought, but I’ve been extending the analogy a little bit to the real world / it’s something I’ve been pondering a little more recently: as the world moves more online, it seems like tails get fatter and fatter. Yes, we’re not going to have a “half the world’s population disappears” event, but I don’t think it’s crazy to think you could have an event where you woke up one day and a massive hack had destroyed on online business in some form. I wonder if volatility is a little mispriced in the online world going forward; it’s something I’ll be thinking about a little more.
Other things I liked (Monthly recurring piece)
Scuttleblurb business update (2021)
Three fantastic services that I love to subscribe to; very happy for all of their success
Intercity bus lines look to win over travelers with upgraded service
Cruise passengers on holiday trips deal with outbreaks: we’re sailing on a petri dish
In 2020, I got obsessed with cruise passengers. So many people, even ones trapped on COVID ships, were dying to get back to cruising, global pandemic be damned. So I’m not surprised people are going on cruises…. but seriously, why go on a cruise during a global pandemic?
I love that one woman is planning on watching all of these movies; that’s over 50 Christmas movies! Talk about getting into the holiday spirit!
Keep up the good work and happy new years
Which boardgames btw?
Andrew, you are brilliant! Thank you for your blog and ideas, and wish you and your family all the best in 2022!
You asked for opinion on transcripts for the podcast. They are very helpful, at least for me. Much easier and faster to read than to listen for an investor with a couple of kids ;)