Siddhesh Recommends - October 2023
The best stuff I've listened to, watched, and read last month.
Siddhesh Recommends is a series in which I share the most memorable stuff I come across each month.
Click any of the titles below for the links.
You can view all previous recommendations here.
Superlinear Returns (essay)
“One of the most important things I didn't understand about the world when I was a child is the degree to which the returns for performance are superlinear.
Teachers and coaches implicitly told us the returns were linear. "You get out," I heard a thousand times, "what you put in." They meant well, but this is rarely true. If your product is only half as good as your competitor's, you don't get half as many customers. You get no customers, and you go out of business.You can't understand the world without understanding the concept of superlinear returns. And if you're ambitious you definitely should, because this will be the wave you surf on.”
Another PG classic.
On Neil Armstrong, Nerves, and Psychopathy (essay)
“In 1964, [Neil] Armstrong’s house caught fire in the middle of the night. After escaping with his wife and baby, he realized that his six-year-old son, whom he had woken and instructed to run outside, had remained cowering in his bedroom. With a wet towel over his face, the father rushed back into the burning house.
Armstrong, who traveled 240,000 miles to the Moon, would later say that the 25-foot crawl through the smothering, scorching smoke to retrieve his son was the “longest journey” of his life.”
A beautiful piece that touches on a number of themes.
Is Chess a Waste of Time? (essay)
“For those conflicted about their relationship to chess, I would suggest an unusual tactic: consider quitting. Really consider it. Many people say they are “addicted” to chess, but you could quit if you really made up your mind to. What would you do with your newfound time? Would your life be better?”
Good piece about a question I’ve often asked myself.
Good Movies as Old Books (picture series)
Customizable Countdowns (website)
Good to have as the default ‘new tab’ page, especially if you have a goal in mind.
Vampire Weekend, Danny Brown, Heems, Despot - Step (song of the month)
Some Great Tweets (screenshots only)
Selective Attention Test (2 min. video)
Oldie but goldie.
Leo Messi Goal vs Real Madrid 2017 - Insane Commentary (3 min. video)
This is obviously an iconic and monumental goal, but I’m sharing the video for Roy Hudson’s deranged, hyperbolic commentary. Includes gems like “you could throw a tarantula into his shorts and he’d still be cool.” LMAOO.
Washington’s Dream (SNL) (4 min. video)
Laughing my ass off every time I see this. Pitch perfect.
Conan Visit’s Intel Headquarters (8 min. video)
Conan being the 🐐 as always.
Health Anxiety - Standup Comedy by Abhishek Upmanyu (24 min. video)
Full special is out but this is by far the funniest stretch.