Mark Cuban is a successful entrepreneur and film producer. Recently Big Think published his excellent '12 mantras for success'.

At #2 in the list was 'random acts of kindness', the idea that 'giving something back' can you make you more successful.

It is too easy to lose sight of the simple and profound power of kindness. In these small acts of compassion, we find the true essence of humanity shining through.

Today, I invite you to embark on a journey of giving back, as I present a curated list of ways to spread kindness. From the mundane to the impactful, each suggestion serves as a reminder of the impact we can have by being kind.

If you're looking for inspiration to brighten someone's day or infuse positivity into your own day, I encourage you to explore these ideas.

Together, let's create a ripple effect of compassion that reaches far and wide.

Forty Random Acts of Kindness

1. Hold the door open for someone.
2. Compliment a stranger.
3. Get in touch with someone.
4. Leave a positive note on a colleague's desk.
5. Offer to help someone carry their shopping.
6. Send a handwritten letter to a friend or family member.
7. Volunteer at a local charity or organisation.
8. Donate clothes or food to a homeless shelter.
9. Offer to babysit for a friend or neighbour.
10. Pay for the coffee of the person behind you in line.
11. Offer to walk a neighbour's dog.
12. Leave a generous tip for your server.
13. Offer to mow your neighbor's lawn.
14. Say "thank you" to someone who doesn't hear it often.
15. Let someone go ahead of you in line.
16. Send flowers to someone who could use a pick-me-up.
17. Leave spare change in a vending machine for the next person.
18. Donate blood.
19. Offer to help someone with their homework or studies.
20. Send a care package to a friend who lives far away.
21. Write 3 positive reviews for local businesses online.
22. Leave a kind note in a library book for the next reader.
23. Offer to tutor someone in a subject you're good at.
24. Leave a generous tip for your barista.
25. Offer to drive a friend to the airport.
26. Offer to run errands for a neighbour.
27. Give up your seat on public transport.
28. Offer to help someone move or pack for a move.
29. Share your umbrella with someone on a rainy day.
30. Offer to fix something for a friend or neighbour.
31. Bring medicine or soup to a sick friend or family member.
32. Offer to teach someone a new skill or hobby.
33. Donate your old books to a local library.
34. Offer to mentor someone who could benefit from your experience.
35. Plant a tree or flowers in a public space.
36. Offer to help organize a community event.
37. Share your knowledge by teaching a free workshop or lunch and learn..
38. Offer to help someone with their CV or job search.
39. Pay for a stranger's meal at a restaurant.
40. Offer to listen to someone who needs to talk.

I'm late to seeing this film, which came out in November 2023. We took a first visit to the Pavilion Theatre in nearby Dun Laoghaire, which has a Monday night film thread.

The Old Oak is set in the north-east of England. It tells the story of the landlord of a failing pub, who opens his premises up to support Syrian immigrants.

The pub has seen better days, once a draw for the local miners. Since the pit has closed, custom has diminished save for a few hardcore drinkers. They seem adrift, and over influenced by social media towards xenophobia. Plummeting house prices and an influx of refugees have left them fearful. The fear generates some vicious reactions.

The story starts with the arrival of a bus of Syrians, escaping a war. Yara is a young woman with a passion for photography. She forms an unlikely friendship with TJ, the pub landlord.

Over time, they discover the bonds that eating together can bring. Pulling their community together in back room of the pub for communal meals. The indigenous locals struggle with the change, and there is tension along the way.

The Old Oak was beautifully acted, with a real local feel. The dialogue and script seemed authentic and honest and the setting was 100% on location. Throughout the film, there were real tears and some heartbreaking scenes. When the lights went up in our cinema, there were few dry eyes.

Ken Loach rarely goes easy on the viewer. Together with writer Paul Laverty, they do not sugarcoat anything in The Old Oak. There are some brutal scenes, and troubling language, but nothing feels fake.

Yet, there was true kindness from a population disenfranchised from systems of government. And, in the final moments there was some hope for community and togetherness.

I adored this film, which told a story I recognised in post-Brexit Britain. Even from my privileged outlook, I could see how people were becoming stranded at the margins. The moral of the story that 'it takes a few heroes to make a difference'. My worry is that there are too few heroic acts.

If this is Ken Loach's final film, it's a stunning ending to an outstanding career.

Hey everyone, I’m Matt!

My goal is to help you get the best out of yourself. Each week, I seek out great content to support our personal growth. I’ll couple that with some links that I know you’ll find interesting AND a musical recommendation.

Elsewhere, you can find my daily notes here, and I’m posting on Threads as well.

Thanks for joining me - now, onto the good stuff!

Monday Motivation.  Let this week be the one where you start building some processes that move you towards your big goals. Hitting big targets is difficult, so process goals are better than outcome goals. 

Life. What if you could wake up happy every day?  This is a lovely site that sends you an uplifting message from life every day.  I've been subscribed for a week now, and the messages are lovely highlight in my inbox. 

Interviews.   How to recover if you don’t know the answer to an interview question.   Some sound advice here,  I'm in favour of #2. 

Focus.  If you’re struggling to focus, this one minute exercise can help you. 

Change.  We spend a lot of time looking for magic moments or silver bullets, but change is often imperfect and slow - but can still be radical.   In praise of slow change.  Which reminds me of the principle of Nemawashi. 

Harajuku.  You don’t need more self-help advice.   You need an epiphany that turns a nice-to-have into a must-have.  Tim Ferriss explains how to find your beautiful and painful reckoning.  

Sleep.   How sleep deprivation can warp your reality.  A good time to reshare my article on optimising your sleep habits. 

Social.  How to comment on social media.  A brilliant,  tongue in cheek guide to being your 'best' self on the socials.   This pairs well with these warning stickers which are great for managing replies!

Cardio.  Aerobic exercise doesn't have to be all lycra and sweat.  Welcome to a new era of Cozy Cardio.   Maybe cosy cardio can be coupled with this gentle fitness tracker which allows some self compassion into the coaching mix. 

Earworm.   Why that song is stuck in your head.  The psychology of what is happening when you find yourself with a song on endless playback in your mind. 

Loneliness.  Mapping an invisible epidemic. An extraordinary social study from Pudding.  

Questions. What is the natural enemy of the duck? A collection of posers from customers of the New York Public Library.  

Finally. Name that Nation.   Excellent quiz for learning the locations and names of countries. 

🔈 Stuff to Listen to...

🎧 Over on Threads, there is a vibrant community of music and vinyl lovers and recommendations flow thick and fast. This week, someone suggested I have a listen to the new album by The Bony King of Nowhere.

Everybody Knows is the 2024 release from Belgian singer/songwriter Bram Vanparys. I enjoyed this 11 track collection, with a similar vocal sound to Thom Yorke, but I could hear Blur and Nick Cave in some of the influences.

A lovely album well worth a listen. And thanks to Threads!

Stuff someone said.
Accept graciously, let go easily.
Marcus Aurelius. 

Every week, I share something I learned in the previous seven days.

This week, I learned that the plague is back. A disease more associated with medieval times, is back in Oregon. Don't panic though, all is under control.

An Oregon resident was diagnosed with the plague. Here are a few things to know about the illness

Officials in central Oregon this week reported a case of bubonic plague in a resident who likely got the disease from a sick pet cat.

AP NewsREBECCA BOONE

Not everything makes it into my weekly newsletter, here's a roundup of the interesting bookmarks that didn't quite fit this week.

How to Address What’s Really Causing Your Avoidance - zen habits

By Leo Babauta When we are procrastinating, avoiding exercise or some other habit we want to create, or avoiding taking on a difficult project … the underlying cause is rarely what we think it is. We think that all we need to do is do the thing we’re avoiding, and stop procrastinating. Simple! But then […]

zen habitszenhabits

Pinball Map

The Pinball Map website and free mobile app will help you find places to play pinball! Pinball Map is a high-quality user-updated pinball locator for all the public pinball machines in your area.

Pinball Map

Heart rate variability: How it might indicate well-being - Harvard Health

…

Harvard HealthHarvard Health Publishing Staff

34 Transformative Prompts to Unlock Your Writing, Courtesy Kelly Link

This first appeared in Lit Hub’s Craft of Writing newsletter—sign up here. Writing is hard work, and often frustrating, unfruitful, or downright excruciating. I spend a great deal of time avoiding …

Literary HubKelly Link

I have been meaning to watch this for a while, finally got to see it on Apple TV.

A true story, of Billy Moore, an Englishman who ends up in a violent Thai jail where a long standing Heroin addiction is not helped by an active drug trade. The prison is an overload on the senses - with extreme violence, gangs, rape and torture.

Gradually Billy finds his way to the gym in the prison where he builds up some esteem and conquers his demons by finding focus in Muy Thai boxing.

Joe Cole is superb in this, playing a bewildered addict in a foreign place brilliantly, in the next moment he can be vicious and extremely violent.  The remaining cast are Thai, with very little English spoken.

The film was made in a Thai prison, and the dialogue appears to be deliberately without subtitles to increase the feeling of alienation. The sound design is intense, and scenes are filmed hand held and close up.

The boxing scenes are furious and realistic. The violence  comes frequently and seems fitting for the setting.

I highly recommend this, but warn against the assault of every sense you'll feel.

Hey everyone, I’m Matt!

My goal is to help you get the best out of yourself. Each week, I seek out great content to support our personal growth. I’ll couple that with some links that I know you’ll find interesting AND a musical recommendation.

Elsewhere, you can find my daily notes here, and I’m posting on Threads as well.

Thanks for joining me - now, onto the good stuff!

Monday Motivation. Let this week be the one where you tick off some needle tasks. These are the small but draining tasks you keep putting off, but they are making you anxious. This life hack can help.

Free.  Ten MORE free websites that you should bookmark.  No-one should have to pay for useful tools that will increase your effectiveness. 

Loops. The Zeigarnik Effect is the reason why it is so hard to stop thinking about everything we have to do, and it’s so difficult to remember what we have done. The open loops have a powerful control on your mind. This is the reason I recommend using a DONE template to ensure you keep track of your success.

Career. The happiest workers ignore this piece of common piece career advice. Harmony, not balance is the key.

Content. This method can change the way you read,and write. Using Plain English in your communication can make your words more powerful.

Points. The platforms that we use for connection and improvement are built on points systems, but do we want our lives to always be a game?

F*cks. A unified theory of f*cks. Some awesome advice about where to focus your care and attention.

Found. A fascinating gallery of shopping lists. Ephemera from around the world.

Loneliness. Will AI companions like Kuki help with an epidemic of loneliness? One in Three people are lonely, maybe technology can help. In the meantime, I have a way that you can help someone right now.

Minimalism. Asset light living. An opportunity to save time, space AND money. As Derek Sivers says, you have ENOUGH.

Poetry. Using AI to make poems out of the days news. Disconcertingly good poetry.

Thrillification. The dictionary of online behaviour explains some of the new words popping up online. Pleased to instameet you!

Cry. Science shows that a good cry can reduce stress for up to a week. This site can help you feel something.

Print. Get a beautifully bound copy of the internet, on paper. I like the idea of keeping the best internet writing for posterity.

Finally. Ridella. A daily riddle to guess, childish but harder than it looks!

🔈 Stuff to Listen to...

🎧 Kali Malone is an American composer and organist who has just released an album entitled 'All Life Long'. I have mentioned previous work before, but I am very much enjoying this latest release.

All Life Long is a collection of ambient/drone music composed for a variety of instruments and voices. Where Malone differs is in the use of unusual tuning and recording techniques which create unique sounds. In previous albums, they have used microphones inside pipe organ tubes and made some great new vibrations.

I love the gentle progressions of the tunes on this album, which sound more like a collection of songs than previous work which has felt like a single cycle.

I recommend checking out Kali Malone for something unique and meditative.

Stuff someone said.
Instead, when we address the actual issue, when we name the fact that it’s the transition that’s bothering us, we can get back to the reason we’re transitioning in the first place.
Seth Godin talks sense on change.

Every week, I share something I learned in the previous seven days.

This week, I learned jigsaw puzzles are now a competitive sport. Enter the world of Speed Puzzling where 500-piece jigsaws take just 37 minutes.

Speed Puzzling .com

Speed Puzzling .com

Speed Puzzling .com

This is a brutal story of moral gymnastics.

People stayed in their seats as the credits rolled, silenced by what they had seen.

We follow the quotidian activities of the Höss household in the shadow of Auschwitz. A family living an idyllic lifestyle whilst Commandant Höss 'manages' mass extermination.

The shock of the mundane is in every scene.

There are deliveries that include luxuries taken from prisoners. Children playing in their swimming pool whilst plumes of smoke rise. Screams and gunshots from behind the wall. A child playing with gold teeth taken from the camp.

There is NO action from inside the camp, we barely see a prisoner, but we hear them. The family ignore screams and the permanent hum of the furnaces. We see signs of locals leaving apples for prisoners on work details. There are cowering servants in the house, but we do not see beyond the wire.

There are moments of unspeakable cruelty in ordinary acts.

One brother locks another in a greenhouse as a game and imitates the hissing sound of gas. The mother of the house threatens a maid with having 'her ashes spread on the ground'. The Commandant abuses a prisoner in his house, whilst his family sleeps in centrally heated luxury. Father and children swim in a river, until bone fragments and ash start to flow towards them.

The 'presentation' of improvements to the camp is absolutely chilling. A quest for efficiency where only permanent delay will do.

The film is beautifully made, shot in bucolic light against the grey of the prison wall. The soundtrack from Mica Levi is stark and disturbing, especially in the short dream (?) sequences.

The acting from Christian Friedel as Rudolf Höss is superb. He plays the duality of being vulnerable and murderous perfectly. Sandra Hüller as the mother, and the supporting family are excellent, especially the children.

My only note, is a jarring sequence towards the end with footage from modern day Auschwitz. This seems to be there to needlessly remind us that this wasn't fiction. This movie is far from holo-kitsch, and I didn't need to be prompted.

Zone of Interest left an indelible impression on me. There was no graphic horror. Watching people perform the mental acrobatics of ignoring their charnel surroundings is enough.

Highly recommended.

Not everything makes it into my weekly newsletter, here's a roundup of the interesting bookmarks that didn't quite fit this week.

The 10,000-Hour Rule is a Myth - Scott H Young

Why the 10,000-hour rule, popularized by Malcolm Gladwell, does not provide practical value in the pursuit of mastery.

Scott H YoungScott Young

24 Exceptional Subway Artworks to See in NYC

You don’t need to visit a gallery or museum to experience the works of well-known artists, from Romare Bearden in the Bronx to Katherine Bradford in Manhattan.

HyperallergicElaine Velie

This Is Your Brain on Books - Public Books

“Reading occupies a strange position in today’s world, being at once physiologically unnecessary and culturally central.”

Public BooksMegan Cummins

Frugal vs. Independent

Here’s an important distinction about people who spend less than they earn.

Morgan HouselMorgan Housel

The Biggest Travel Trends to Expect in 2024

From home swapping to astrotourism, these are the trends shaping travel in 2024, according to our editors and contributors.

Condé Nast TravelerCondé Nast

The Nobel Prize-winning theory on why the gender gap is still a thing - Datawrapper Blog

The first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics prize solo was announced this Monday: Claudia Goldin. Let’s chart her theory.

Datawrapper BlogLisa Charlotte Muth

Nobody should have to pay big money for useful tools. Here are ten MORE sites I recommend you save.

Previous edition here.

• Archivebuttons.com: Multiple ways to remove paywalls to view an article (if you find yourself using this a lot for one site, then it's time to pay for the content)
• KeySmash.no: Improve your typing by playing this free/simple game.
• Spike.news: Aggregated news feeds from multiple sources. I visit this site at least twice per day.
• JustWatch: Which streaming site will have the TV show or Movie you want to see.
• Coverletters.Work: Input a job description and your CV, and let AI generate a cover letter.
• Thsrs: Enter a long word, get a shorter & simpler one back.
• Howlongtoread.com: Get a good estimate of how long a book will take you to read.
• Nearbywiki.org: Wikipedia entries plotted on a map, a superb way to find out interesting and historic things near your location.
• Ambiph.one: Customised background sounds (and music) to help you relax or focus. Super simple to use.
• JetPunk.com: Free general knowledge quizzes. Hours of fun to be had here.
  

I was inspired by 'The Accidental Journal' by Rob Walker, to scroll through my Amazon purchase history to see some 'time capsules' of my life since I discovered the online store that stocks everything.

I looked at each year of orders and tried to recall the significance or joy for each purchase:

• 2023 - This Lego set, the skyline of Paris sits in our house in Spain as a signifier of where my wife comes from. It sits opposite a skyline of London.
• 2022 - 100 stick-on googly eyes. I laughed remembering these. I bought these to stick on my webcam to remind me to look there when I am talking. A top hack.
• 2021 - Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. A hybrid biography/self-help book, bought on impulse but a lovely read.
• 2020 - Kardia Mobile EKG sensor. Covid made a mockery of my brain, there are a lot of medical gadgets in 2020.
• 2019 - Funky Hawaiian Shirt. The year I went to Las Vegas for a sales kick-off conference, this was my shirt for the fancy dress day.
• 2018 - Doctors coat / Nurse Outfit. His and hers fancy dress outfits for a 40th party.
• 2017 - Brio, My First Railway. A first birthday present for a relative.
• 2016 - A folding guitar stand. My son was learning to play the guitar, this still sits in our spare room waiting for him to visit.
• 2015 - A Microsoft Band. Does anyone remember this short-lived gadget that would try and transform our lives?
• 2014 - Of Mice and Men (GCSE Pass Notes). Hard to believe those important exams were ten years ago for my son.
• 2013 - Marrakech Travel Guide. Such a fantastic short trip, great memories.
• 2012 - Tallula Rising by Glen Duncan. I loved Duncans books, I need to go back and reread some of them.
• 2011 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. My son and I played this for hours and hours on the Xbox.
• 2010 - The days run away like wild horse by Charles Bukowski. I bought this to read a poem at a funeral. I'd forgotten about that.
• 2009 - House Season 5. We were obsessed with Doctor House, I remember buying this so we could see the new season just a few weeks before it started on Channel 4.
• 2008 - The Distance Manager. I'd obviously just started managing my first distributed/remote team. I invested in a bunch of books to help get me up to speed.
• 2007 - Rummikub Travel. This still goes on a lot of trips with us.
• 2006 - Dualit Toaster. Struggling to believe that this is 18 years old, still in our kitchen. Possibly my favourite kitchen gadget over time.

I watched this on a plane home from the US. There is something about 40,000 feet that heightens the intensity of a movie, so I guess this review should be tempered accordingly.

Set in the early 1970's, The Holdovers is a story set in a New England boarding school. The Holdovers are the students who cannot travel home for Christmas. Guarded by a misanthropic history teacher and a recently bereaved school cook, the winter break is something of a torture for everyone involved.

The history teacher is played by Paul Giamatti. He is a flatulent and malodorant curmudgeon who torments his students. The school cook is played by the marvellous Da'Vine Joy Randolph, who has lost her son in Vietnam.

Over the course of the winter break, one pupil (Dominic Sessa) begins to form an unlikely bond with them both.

I enjoyed this a lot, the school and the setting remind me of a lot of 1980's National Lampoon movies, and the casting is just perfect. Giamatti and Randolph are superb as the babysitters, and Sessa is an excellent, awkward teenager.

The 1970's setting is great for the costumes, sets and cars... and a scene set in a local diner is terrific.

There is just the right amount of humour, but well balanced with a tender and sensitive story about loneliness and connection.

Four stars for me.

Hey, Matt here!

Welcome to a new week. This week's mail comes to you on a lazy St Brigids Day in Ireland. Big thanks to the new subscribers since last week, if you haven't done it for a while, maybe YOU could help me by sending this mail on to a few trusted friends? They can join the fun here.

A reminder that you can find me on the web and on Threads AND that I'm writing (nearly) every day in 2024, you can catch up with my daily notes here.

Thanks for joining me - now, onto the good stuff!

Monday Motivation.  Let this week be the one where you get more done, by doing less things simultaneously. Discover the joy (and benefits) of single tasking. 

Review.  My weekly review process can help supercharge your progress.  Just 10 short questions that will help you reflect and get focused.

Visibility.  Do you feel unnoticed by your boss?  This TED Podcast talks about ways to fix that problem. 

Difficulty.  Some amazing life and career advice from Sir Michael Caine.  It's a really short video, but a cracking example of stoicism in action. 

85%.  We're conditioned to believe that nothing less than maximum pressure will get results.  The truth is that you might find it is much less than that. It's about working smarter, not harder. 

Stress. How stress drains your brain and makes you forgetful, and what you can do about it.  This TED talk explains what is happening and some simple solutions.  

Organise. The excellent Zen Habits explains simple ways to find the joy of being organised.  This is some top level, easy to follow advice that will help everyone.   Savouring the deliciousness of clearing down is something I enjoy, my favourite hour of the week is emptying my email inbox. 

Gezellig.  If you've ever been to Amsterdam, you'll know the feeling.  How to be cosy like the Dutch. 

Light.  Morning light is crucial for happiness.  Some practical ways to get it, even if you're not a morning person. 

Crown. Bonhams are auctioning off all the props from The Crown.  Ideal if you want to own the gates from a fake Buckingham Palace, or a dress worn by Claire Foy. 

Monopoly.   Fascinating insights into the hidden world of Monopoly.  Not quite the celebration of capitalism that I originally thought it was!

Untranslateable.  This was in one of the very first Stuff newsletters, but the site has been updated.  Words and phrases from around the world that are difficult to translate.  You can discover what poireauter means, or when to say Qué Sopa.

Finally.   QWERTLE.  Utterly baffling (and very clever) daily word game based on the keyboard positions of the letters you guess.  

🔈 Stuff to Listen to...

🎧 Andy Weatherall was a pioneer of the underground dance music scene. With an ever evolving and truly eclectic style, he was the finest of DJ's across multiple styles and genres.

He's a true hero of mine. My monthly mixtape is inspired by the range and fearlessness of Weatherall as a curator.

Alongside hundreds of DJ mixes, productions, remixes and live memories - Weatherall also created the Black Notebooks, a series of playlists spanning multiple styles of music.

After his death in 2020, these were put online as a fantastic memory of a renegade spirit. With only 90 tracks, this is a perfect playlist.

Highly recommended.

Stuff someone said.
Why love your work? It won’t, of course, love you back.
Mandy Brown

Every week, I share something I learned in the previous seven days.

This week, I learned that someone dug a hole that is 12km deep. To put that in context, Mount Everest is 8.84km high.

Kola Superdeep Borehole - Wikipedia

Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.Contributors to Wikimedia projects