Things from my Newsblur; 2018 Part III

Time for another edition of “Things from my Newsblur”.   Our Man has recently been thinking a lot about how to use time more productively, so today’s edition begins on that note.  It soon diverges into more lighthearted fare including LaCroix flavors and the Muppets.   As usual, the most investment-related stuff is at the end. 

On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs

Anthropologist David Graber has just published a book – “Bullshit Jobs” – that stems from this article written 5-years ago.  After the article’s publication, hundreds of people across the world reached out to Graeber to talk about their white collar bullshit jobs!  Our Man will let you guess which of Graeber’s 5 categories - Flunkies, Goons, Duct Tapers, Box Tickers, and Taskmasters – he might fall into!  (David Graeber, Strike Magazine)

For those who’re curious about the book; Nathan Hellers, in the New Yorker, has a good review.

Maker vs. Manager: How Your Schedule Can Make or Break You

Most office jobs impose the same work rituals on people, yet different types of work require different types of schedule.  This concept was originally described by Paul Graham of Y Combinator in 2009.  He defined the two broad types of schedule – Manager and Maker.  The Manager’s schedule reflects the traditional appointment book, with the day broken up into blocks (typically of an hour) and meetings pre-set for these blocks.  The Maker’s schedule is less fixed and the units are larger (perhaps half-a-day), since you can’t write or think or program or even analyze an investment well in units of one hour.  As office jobs have consistently migrated to the Manager schedule, how do people whose job consists of both Managing and Making adjust?  What about those who are Makers in a Manager-styled firm?   The secret is in creating and defining your schedule, especially setting aside dedicated time for the Making even if that is at odd (i.e. very late night) hours.   This is something that Our Man is wrestling with as he thinks about investing (Maker) and ‘working’ (Manager, as it entails some investing, but mostly internal meetings, responding to clients, presenting, dealing with legal/tax/etc. questions, and all the other things that surround investing).  (Farnam Street Blog)

What’s the Most (and Least) Popular LaCroix Flavor?

Our Man is no fan of fizzy water, but he does live in Brooklyn where LaCroix is a thing!  Like Oat Milk is a thing!  Yeah, Oat Milk!  I know, people are weird!  So for all you Brooklynites, and fizzy water fans, here’s some research on the most popular LaCroix flavors.  (Pricenomics, and Oh My Green) 

It’s Not Easy Being Evergreen: An Oral History of the Muppets

The Muppets started as adult-focused entertainment on variety shows, before hitting the big-time on kid-targeted Sesame Street.  They eventually secured their own show in the late 1970s, but it was produced in England after no US network was willing to take the chance.  Despite numerous efforts, including recent movies (quite successful) and a 2015 TV show (not so successful), they have no hit the same heights since.  (Studio 360, Slate)  

Why Doesn’t Anyone Answer the Phone Any More

The headline says it all – unless you’re in OM’s contacts, the chances of him picking up the phone are almost exactly zero!   Sure, over the last decade Whatsapp, iMessage, WeChat, Twitters, Facebook, etc., have all become alternative ways to communicate.  However, the answer is simpler; spam and robocalls.  Answering these only ensures you’ll receive yet more of them!  (Alexis C Madrigal, The Atlantic)   

Facebook’s Gollum Will Never Give Up Its Data Ring

The recent debate about Facebook and ‘your’ data has largely missed the point.  Facebook doesn’t sell ‘your’ data, it merely leases it!  What folks should be more worried about is how it gets that data; by seeking to capture as much attention of as many people as possible, in just about any way possible.  The leasing of data from this, well that’s just how it monetizes you.  (Azeem Azhar, NewCo Shift)

Azeem is also the curator of the excellent free weekly Exponential View newsletter; let OM know if you’re interested in finding out more!  

The Luck of a Gecko

OM is in the midst of writing a blog post about his investment philosophy, and it’s thus timely to share this old article (2013) with you.  The article looks at the impact of GEICO on Benjamin Graham’s and Warren Buffett’s Success.  In particular, it’s the investment that Ben Graham (the father of value investing) built his reputation on; the profits from GEICO were larger than those from all of his other investments combined.  It’s also an investment where Graham broke numerous of his own investment rules; “the one company for which Graham threw out the playbook was also the company that accounted for most of his success”.  (Mark Hebner, Index Fund Advisors)

For those after a longer, and more detailed analysis, read the Wedgewood VIC presentation from 2013.