Welcome to Stuff, I hope this week finds you safe and well.
I've made some changes and given the newsletter a little summer spruce up, I hope you like it. Don't forget, I love feedback. You can hit the thumbs up/down buttons at the bottom or just reply. I answer ALL my emails!
The list has retired, but I'm keeping all the great content - diving deeper into topics that are close to the heart of what Stuff is about, and touching more gently on the lighter stuff.
I'm going to keep evolving Stuff, it's never complete. As always, I thank YOU for joining me on our collective journey of curiosity.
Till next Monday...enjoy!
👓 The Big Stuff - change is difficult
When you have something that works, or is maybe even successful, why on earth would you change things and put your prize at risk?
When things remain the same for a time, life can become dull and repetitive and human nature can demand something new and interesting. If you are working towards a goal, then some change might be necessary to keep you moving forward.
Making a significant life change can be a huge challenge, thankfully there are some frameworks that can help you navigate or even make the initial decision for change.
“In order to design a future of positive change, we must first become expert at changing our minds.” - Jacque Fresco
When change comes as a result of entirely external influences, it can be especially hard to adapt. You haven't yet had the chance to change your mind, and yet you are still handling the pivot. It helps to think about reasons WHY this change MIGHT be good, creating pathways that will help you adapt and overcome.
The more pathways or options that you create, the easier it can be to move forward, knowing that if something gets f*cked up, you have another path to jump to.
Having a flexible mindset will help you make those jumps.
🧠 The Other Stuff
- The return to office drive is starting. Google, Meta and Salesforce are all trying different tactics to get people back into work.
- JustWatch is one of my most used apps/websites - it helps you find out where you can watch that show you've heard about.
- The gap between how old you think you are, and how old you actually are. Turns out we average a 20% difference.
🌞 The Little Stuff
Slide to Unlock - phone or tablet required. All about bricks, really. How groovy music works - headphones on! Pi is your personal AI, say Hi. The 15 friendliest cities in the world, is yours there? Finally, a daily maze.
🎧 Aural Stuff
On the Stuff Speakers this week...
My musical treat this week comes from Israeli musician Dudu Tassa, and Radiohead genius Jonny Greenwood.
Jarak Qaribak is a journey through classic love songs from across Jordan, Algeria, Egypt and Morocco performed by guest vocalists accompanied by a mixture of middle-eastern instrumentation alongside drum machines and western sounds.
The result is beguiling, updating traditional folk songs to make them more accessible, without losing any of the original passion and artistry.
This will end up on many end of year charts, so it's worth grabbing a chance to listen to this before the hype catches up.
Listen on Spotify here:
👂🏼 Stuff Someone said:
“Gratitude is not a passive response to something we have been given, gratitude arises from paying attention, from being awake in the presence of everything that lives within and without us.”
