Just finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book Talking to Strangers. I’ve liked Malcolm Gladwell books in general, have found them fun to read and though provoking. This one is… a bit darker. It’s still written in the engaging Malcolm Gladwell style but the topic is not really a business trick but more of what is … Continue reading Talking to Strangers – Book Notes
The tech news story of the last few months has been WeWork. A private company with a meteoric rise to an almost $50 billion valuation is about to go to an IPO, but the questionable math spooks investors, the IPO goes bust, the company is written down by ~$40 billion and the CEO is kicked … Continue reading Icarus for Startups — Bug or Feature?
Travel Reflection This was what I posted to my Instagram after arriving back to the US. After about four months traveling, many countries and continents, just got back to the US. I met so many good people along the way from all over the world, I feel very lucky. 🙏 Thanks to all the very … Continue reading Travel Reflection
Notes from Japan I spent about a week in Japan, which was the last stop on my trip. Right away you notice the trains. It’s a train culture. It seems to be one of the most effective train systems, both within Tokyo and intercity among other Japanese cities. I walked around and one of the first … Continue reading Notes from Japan
South Korea Notes I spent some time in Seoul, South Korea, here are a few notes from my trip. I spent the full time in Seoul. Though I had planned originally to go to Busan as well, I had been hopping around a lot of cities so just wanted to stay in one spot. I did … Continue reading South Korea Notes
Trump and the US Government as an International Embarrassment is an Understatement I’ve now been to a lot of countries in the last four months, and maybe met people from 50+ countries. It’s a common question to ask: “where are you from?” I say I’m from the US, and so some people ask about politics. … Continue reading Trump and the US Government as an International Embarrassment is an Understatement
Visiting a Chinese Propaganda Museum in Shanghai with a Russian Couple In Shanghai I met a nice Russian couple and we hung out and explored for a few days. One of the things we did was go to see the Propaganda Poster Center. It’s a hidden spot, in the basement of an apartment building, and a … Continue reading Visiting a Chinese Propaganda Museum in Shanghai with a Russian Couple
Sites in Shanghai Here were some of the spots I went to a few days in Shanghai: FridayMuslim food marketM50Mao Zedong residentJing’an temple. French concessionPolo/ baolo dinnerThe BundBund tunnelPearl tower. Muslim food market was a busy Friday market, the biggest line was for the lamb skewers. M50 was a pretty interesting art gallery area. There was one … Continue reading Sites in Shanghai
China: A tough place to travel China really challenged me. I found it pretty difficult to travel in China relative to other countries I have visited. I think it was also the only country I came out of liking it less after I visited. First off it was the most difficult visa that I obtained. I … Continue reading China: A tough place to travel
Payment methods around the world One thing I have randomly been quite interested in is how the payment methods work around the world. Cash is one way. Credit cards are another way. M-Pesa was a common method of mobile payments in Kenya. The Octopus Card was a common method of contactless payments in Hong Kong. It’s … Continue reading Payment methods around the world
