Kotkin is a Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/r...

Over the past 12 months, the world said goodbye to an array of exceptional people. Each lived a life that was singular and complex. Yet their stories offer universal lessons. Here are lessons, big and small, from noteworthy people who died this year:

As Google Maps tells me it’s “rerouting” —> “Missed benchmarks didn’t cancel the pursuit. They changed the route. The goal didn’t require constant proof that it was “working” to remain worth doing. It only required a decision to continue” www.thedaily.coach/p/goals-buil...

In addition to $1 trillion investments expected in transmission and distribution systems between 2025 -2029, fuel prices, storms and wildfires, and temperatures affect customer bills 🔌 #energy www.wsj.com/business/ene...

"In addition to food, expenses for labor, utilities, rent, insurance and other basics needed to run a restaurant are up" 🐄#economics www.wsj.com/business/hos...

“But there’s also a more immediate concern, which is that social media apps leave you mentally fatigued, which in turn directly compromises your endurance and decision-making abilities” www.outsideonline.com/health/train...

The world will always knock rattle.com/the-opportun...

Great essay on the lack of sleep -> "Half of all adolescents get less than seven hours of sleep on weeknights. By the time they are seniors in high school, according to studies by the University of Kentucky, they average only slightly more than 6.5 hours of sleep a night" nymag.com/news/feature...

“Our reporting…found these chain restaurants survive through a careful mix of nostalgia, industrial efficiency and, increasingly, social media virality” www.npr.org/2025/12/19/n...

“Humans do not have consistent preferences, especially when it comes to weighing current advantage against much greater gains from deferred gratification. It’s remarkable how much future benefit people will forego for a little instant gratification” #economics www.wsj.com/arts-culture...

Small airports are great…when the weather is perfect and there’s no mechanical issues and the stars align ✈️ www.wsj.com/lifestyle/tr...

Sven Beckert to discuss Capitalism: A Global History online Sunday, Dec 28 marketing.gilderlehrman.org/l/941553/202...

A lot to unpack here and worth a read whether you participate or not open.substack.com/pub/huddleup...

Quiz time ✍️ apnews.com/article/test...

If everyone stopped drinking coffee there would be more for me ☕ www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Well played, Wheaties 👏 musebyclios.com/film-tv/timo...

2026 looks better, with a 7.1% increase expected, up from 6.1%. The outlook reflects two trends driving this rise: less impact from tariffs than feared and more impact from AI 📈 www.wsj.com/articles/ad-...

“He knew that brand perception couldn’t be outsourced. Every display, every piece of packaging, every interaction mattered” open.substack.com/pub/collabfu...

Now would be a good time to know the difference between arabica and robusta beans ☕️ www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

“Cart abandonment, it turns out, knows no regional bounds” —> @behscientist.bsky.social behavioralscientist.org/why-dont-peo...

👏👏👏 Wordle 1,615 3/6 ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

🤷‍♂️ —> Dorsey, who helped shut down the original Vine in 2016, is backing the new platform through his nonprofit “and Other Stuff” www.newsweek.com/divine-every...

“…it's not fear that gets in the way of us being brave with our lives and our work. It's the armor we reach for to self-protect when we’re afraid…” www.thedaily.coach/p/brene-brow...

Adding to the reading list 📕 umbrex.com/resources/be...

These promos are unbearable www.wsj.com/business/hos...

“It excels at analyzing large data sets, organizing notes, checking spelling and grammar, even pointing out possible flaws in a story. But, as with much of technology, it comes with significant risks," Stephen Adler, former editor in chief of Reuters www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/b...

My reminder to keep singing in the car. Music therapist Elisha Ellis Madsen says singing regulates the nervous system through rhythmic breathing and vibration. nicenews.com/health-and-w...

50 years ago today, the Edmund Fitzgerald, a 729-foot ore boat, sank in the Great Lakes. Being from Michigan this story was discussed regularly at home, school and work www.npr.org/2025/11/06/n...

Weekend vieiwng 👽 youtube.com/watch?v=a6lz...

College and high school students who received $400 to pursue what mattered most to them scored significantly higher than non-recipients on measures like latent well-being, sense of purpose and sense of belonging, according to a study out of Cornell. https://wapo.st/3JxnrAG

Quite a view to wrap up Wednesday 🙌

Team culture does not form during meetings or scheduled activity. It forms during the in between moments. The cool down conversations, the shared anxiety while awaiting a race, the adventures once the performance is complete and you have got hours to kill in a different city.

MIMS: The “unsung heroes of AI, the ones actually transforming business processes and workforces, also happen to be the smallest, fastest and cheapest.” @mims.bsky.social 👀 www.wsj.com/tech/ai/larg...

"The @financialtimes.com AI paywall doesn’t just decide when to show a paywall. It decides what kind of offer to show" 🤖https://digiday.com/media/the-financial-times-ai-paywall-drove-conversions-up-290-now-its-learning-who-stays/

"So far, the steep duty has caused havoc in the $340 billion U.S. coffee industry, leaving importers with stranded cargoes of Brazilian coffee, roasters paying a fee to cancel deliveries and consumers spending as much as 40% more for their morning brew" ☕ www.reuters.com/world/americ...

Important info 🌭 www.thetakeout.com/2005277/hot-...

Such a good show but there’s always some latitude🪉 www.esquire.com/entertainmen...

🛑 🫂 😂 💡 ♥️ open.substack.com/pub/untether...

Unbearable conditions apnews.com/photo-galler...

Questions of who we are or what we’re worth can send us into a tailspin. But the very same processes that pull us down can propel us up, too. Why We Spiral By Gregory M. Walton: behavioralscientist.org/why-we-spiral/

5. Approach creations like chapters in your life fortheinterested.com/rick-rubin-c...

New research suggests even light alcohol consumption can increase dementia risk. The study challenges previous beliefs that moderate drinking was beneficial for brain health. https://wapo.st/4opEzak

At least 1.2 million enrollees will lose current plans. Stand-alone drug plans drop to 360 from 464. Industry projects first enrollment decline in 15 years www.wsj.com/health/healt...

The philosophical lessons from 5 horror stories 💀 bigthink.com/books/5-horr...

I took @Opinion.bloomberg.com’s AI-dentity quiz. My AI-dentity is: Pro-Markets Skeptic. What’s yours? www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

"Threads is now on par with X, in terms of daily active users, and is even exceeding it on some days" www.socialmediatoday.com/news/data-su...

“A glue player is the team member who multiplies everyone else’s results, helping the team win. They have unusually high emotional intelligence and know how to move the group forward” 👏👏👏 www.wsj.com/lifestyle/wo...

A good Nobel explainer on this theory of innovation 🥇 open.substack.com/pub/noahpini...

"If we know that care fuels creativity, why keep clinging to systems that drain it." magazine.shots.net/news/view/wh...

Your story isn't about you. Your story is about your message. jayacunzo.com/blog/tell-me...