In Tribute
Tippets by Taps #163: Writing again, Square Cash, parenting, Icelandverse, and more!
A warm welcome to new Tippets readers who are getting this for the first time. Thank you for letting me be a small part of your week. As a reminder, Tippets is where I share my thoughts on topics I find interesting, usually centered around technology and psychology, with some fun pieces here and there to mix it up!
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Dear readers, I hope this issue of Tippets by Taps finds you well. It's been almost five months since I last hit publish on this once weekly newsletter. A unique concoction of things most simply called "Life" has occupied my headspace over the last few months. There are physical occupations. Parenting two amazing kids who, despite being only three years old and ten months old respectively, somehow always seem to be conspiring against their mom and me. A new, work-related journey I look forward to sharing more about soon. Spending time with my parents who have been visiting. Then there are the mental hurdles. Feeling a lack of time. A lack of inspiration. A lack of something to say. The need to step away to reset. This video is a great representation of some of the mental challenges.
I'm now back at the keyboard because I have been itching to write. To create. To start tapping away with just scraps of ideas floating around in my head, without a plan or clear destination in mind, to see what happens.
I am also writing in tribute to a dear friend (out of respect for his family's privacy, I'll call him Max). Max passed away a few weeks ago, leaving us far too early.
Max and I met in 2016, both early employees at a fast-moving, early-stage company. Working closely together in the trenches of startup life forged our bond. The late nights poring over financial models and customer contracts, when the conversation would often turn from payment terms and exclusivity clauses to discussions about life, family, siblings. Weekend calls strategizing about upcoming partner meetings and who to start in fantasy football.
We became very close over those three years. No matter how frustrating or seemingly daunting the situation, Max was always ready with a quick smile and a positive outlook. He had the best combination of a 'whatever it takes,' and 'no job is beneath me' attitude, always willing to step in to lend a hand to whoever was in need.
He helped me get better. Helped me grow both in work and in life. He pushed me to operate outside of my comfort zone and wasn't afraid to call me out on my shit when needed.
And he was one of Tippets By Taps' most active readers. He constantly sent me encouragement and feedback after an issue went out, often with suggestions for different things to read or explore. When I didn't hit publish during a week, I knew I'd likely be getting a "Where's this week's issue?!" text at some point on Monday.
Max's death is a reminder to me of the beauty and fragility of life. How important it is not to take anyone for granted. How each day, surrounded by those we love, is a blessing.
I happened to speak to Max the day before he passed. Our call lasted only a minute, frustratingly cut short due to his iPhone battery dying. We went back and forth via text that night, promising to connect the next day. His last text to me read: "You always my brother... Let's catch up tomorrow. I really life hope life is excellent."
You left us too soon, my brother. I miss you. Thank you for always making my life excellent. Cheers to you.
Other Tippets from Around the Web:
Square & the Holy Grail of Payments
My friend Jareau Wade (long time Tippets readers might remember his name from my piece Your Startup is Not Your Baby) wrote a great piece discussing the current payments ecosystem and Square’s attempt to build, as he calls it, “the holy grail of payments - a closed-loop payments network that rivals existing payment networks” by bringing their Cash App and Seller app ecosystems together. For my fintech readers, this one is a must-read (oh, and sign up for Jareau's substack while you’re at it).
What Becoming a Parent Really Does to Your Happiness
This is one of those articles I found myself nodding along with, and then just sitting with for a while. All my parent readers, I highly encourage you take a read.
Our experiencing selves tell researchers that we prefer doing the dishes—or napping, or shopping, or answering emails—to spending time with our kids … But our remembering selves tell researchers that no one—and nothing—provides us with so much joy as our children. It may not be the happiness we live day to day, but it’s the happiness we think about, the happiness we summon and remember, the stuff that makes up our life-tales.
When I say that raising my sons is the best thing I’ve ever done, I’m not saying that they gave me pleasure in any simple day-to-day sense, and I’m not saying that they were good for my marriage. I’m talking about something deeper, having to do with satisfaction, purpose, and meaning. It’s not just me. When you ask people about their life’s meaning and purpose, parents say that their lives have more meaning than those of nonparents. A study by the social psychologist Roy Baumeister and his colleagues found that the more time people spent taking care of children, the more meaningful they said their life was—even though they reported that their life was no[t] happier.
The Untold Story of Sushi in America
A wild read about the rise of sushi in the US, and how a Korean preacher is at the center of it all. Cool visualzation utilized by the NYT as well.
Introducing the Icelandverse
My guess is by now you’ve at least heard of the metaverse, especially after Mark Zuckerberg presented his vision for it, complete with a rebrand of Facebook as Meta. But have you heard of the Icelandverse?
Talk about one of the best board of tourism ads ever created. The whole team needs to get a medal of honor.
Chris Dixon and Naval Ravikant — The Wonders of Web3, How to Pick the Right Hill to Climb, Finding the Right Amount of Crypto Regulation, Friends with Benefits, and the Untapped Potential of NFTs (#542)
Speaking of the metaverse, web3, and all things crypto, if you’re at all curious about this podcast between Tim Ferriss, Chris Dixon, and Naval Ravikant is worth a listen. I’m no expert on any of these topics and have not found the time to immerse myself as much as many, and found this conversation digestible and thought-provoking.
Quote I’m thinking about: “Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” - Steve Jobs
Please share what you’re reading! If you have insight on anything mentioned above or have any interesting links/papers/books that you think would be worth sharing in future issues of Tippets, please reach out! Click here, reply to this email, or DM me on Twitter at @taps.
How did you like this week’s Tippets? Your feedback helps me make this better every issue.