Writing Rhythm
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Notes

Note / 👤 https://open.substack.com/pub/simonw/p/i-think-anthropic-and-openai-have?r=88hnr&utm_medium=ios

Pricing as proxy for PMF!

The best advice I ever heard on pricing a product was that your customer should suck air through their teeth and then say yes. Uber’s budget overrun and Microsoft’s seat cancellations look like that effect playing out in practice.
Simon willison using notes on Uber and Microsoft reducing licenses of Claude Code due to budget overruns: Somehow this fragment turned into headlines like Uber’s COO says it’s getting harder …
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Note / 📖 The Coaching Habit, p.27

Habits as seen by Philosophers

Ovid - nothing is stronger than habit (good or bad)

Winston Churchill - we shape our buildings, and thereafter they shape us.

 

 

Note / 📖 Games People Play by Eric Berne, p.23

TA101 - The Child

actually, the child is in many ways, the most valuable part of the personality and can contribute to the individuals life exactly what an actual child can contribute to the family life: charm, pleasure, and creativity.

There are two forms of the child: the adapted child and the natural …

Who knew that the Child could be so interesting, and I always thought of it so negatively?
I am a mom. I should be able to accept these better. But …

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Note / 📖 Games People Play by Eric Berne, p.27

TA 101

The first rule of communication is that communication will proceed smoothly as long as transactions are complimentary. It's corollary is that as long as transactions are complimentary, communication can in, in principle, proceed indefinitely.

The converse rule is that communication is broken off when crossed transaction occurs.

these …

It's interesting that if there is a Child in front, the only two responses can be parental or adult. And if I am a child, I am also looking for …

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Note / 📖 From Dongri to Dubai, p.22

Kala Babu and Kaala Paani (Vardha Bhai)

The black liquid was a message sent to The officials that Kala Babu, was on his way to the police station. A police man, who did not wish to be named, says,'Those days,it was his way of saying: I am coming to meet you. Make necessary arrangements. He had the …

Knowing system design is a way to win in life, not just in product management. This is another anecdote.

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Note / 👤 Victor Cheng

Why people say 'yes' to you

  1. They are familiar with your track record and trust you.
  2. They have a pre-existing relationship with a history of benefit to them.
  3. You come highly recommended by someone they trust.

They do this for 2 reasons:

  1. As a thank you for previous …
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Note / 📖 Daring Greatly, p.16

What we know matters, but who we are matters more

Being rather than knowing requires showing up and letting ourselves be seen. It requires us to dare greatly, to be vulnerable. The first step of that journey is understanding where we are, what we're up against, and where we need to go. I think we can best do that by …

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Note / 📖 Pixar storytelling, p.77

The two kinds of villains - evil vs troublesome

Pixar films often feature two main antagonists - one benevolent and one malicious - Buzz/Sid, Princess/Hopper. Ratatouille has three main antagonists: one evil (Skinner), one benevolent (Linguini) and a third, Anton Ego. Ego isn't malicious the way Skinner and Muntz are, but I wouldn't call him benevolent either. He is …

If I am perceived as a 'good' villain, and in my story, I am the protagonist, how do I change the perception to be a protagonist in ALL stories? Perceptions …

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Note / 📖 Pixar storytelling, p.45

The relationship between conflict and change

Change always comes with a price.

The best kind of conflict offers a chance for both destruction and construction, which would have a fortifying effect against the antagonistic forces.

Change is the measuring unit of conflict.

Note / 📖 Pixar storytelling, p.38

storytelling and conflict

In a way, stories are a series of conflict - questions presented and answered. Some deal with external forces and some with internal forces.

Note / 📖 Pixar Storytelling, p.37

Opinions are fuel for conflict

If a character cares deeply about something, a storyteller must explain the emotional constitution that allows the character to have these opinions - formally known as exposition.

Note / 🔗 EdX in a Rhetoric Course

AI in Rhetoric

Since AI and large language models work by scanning texts that are already available—including texts already generated by AI—the result seems expansive, but in terms of rhetoric it is limited and may, like copying a document repeatedly, introduce errors, reduce sharp focus, and lessen impact.

The style of writing …

The style will be, as noted above, mediocre, at best an average of whatever AI or the program has scrapped off its available sources: the Internet, certain published books (not …

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Note / 📖 Maybe, p.307

Differ between ‘patient’ and ‘client’

With 'unconditional positive regard'.

Unconditional positive regard is an attitude, not a feeling.

But unconditional positive regard doesn't mean the therapist necessarily likes the client. It's a framework for valuing and respecting the person right to determination, even if her choices are at all with yours.

 

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Note / 📖 Maybe you should talk to someone by Lori Gottlieb, p.304

Misery: the battle between integrity and despair

Pain can be protective - staying in a depressed place can be a form of avoidance. Her inner critic serves her. "I don't have to take any action because I'm worthless". And there's another benefit to her - she may feel that she stays alive in her kids' minds if …

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Note / 📖 Maybe you should talk to someone by Lori Gottlieb, p.301

Forgiveness is overrated. Do this instead.

"So what i say is this: you can have compassion without forgiving."

Granted, for some, forgiveness can serve as a powerful release – you forgive the person who wronged you, without condoning his actions, and it allows you to move on, but too often people feel pressure to forgive, …

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Note / 💡 Me

Managers and org gaps

Inspired by a leadership style of leaning in when there is an org gap (you dont want to do it and the junior either needs grooming or can't or won't do it), so that you do the IC work while simultaneously ensuring youre closing the gap through external hiring.

Note / Reddit

Foundations and wealth

"The visible layer gets the hype. The foundational layer gets the wealth."

Same for Lists - basics like filters and search are the foundation for user desire. Working on them will provide the foundation for monetization.

Note / 👤 Saran

Superiority complexes and fixes

You don't have to curb superiority... you have to upgrade others to come to your level. And the key to that is acceptance.

The core reason of mediocrity is when when people curb their superiority and come down to other people's level and then try to manage them at …

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Saran
Note / 📖 Long story short by Margot Leitman, p.12

Jokewriting is about finding extremes in quirks

"Find the recurring themes in your life, then look for extremes."

Write down a list of quirks about yourself. Then find stories that explain these quirks.

Dont hide your quirks - take a close look at them. They may be the key to a great story.