Friends, it’s great to be back with you.
I’m writing this edition of the Jungle Gym from the delivery room, as we await the birth of our son (#3). Like his older sister, our new guy is arriving three weeks earlier than expected. Given the weather in SF right now, I can’t blame him.
Sitting in the hospital, I can’t help but remember the birth of our oldest. It was June of 2021. COVID restrictions had just loosened so that husbands could be in the delivery room. Ash and I had obsessed over everything. We’d put together the nursery, read all the books, and were still wound tight with anticipation.
This time couldn’t be more different. We haven’t even set up a bassinet for the baby, but somehow everything feels so much more manageable.
Anyway, I’m excited to introduce you all to the little guy, once he arrives. In the meantime, here are eight things:
When I was in New York a few weeks ago, I helped my dad get fitted for a pair of AI-enabled hearing aids from Fortell. He’s been struggling to follow conversations at restaurants for years, and watching him hear clearly at dinner was amazing.
Fortell designed their hearing aids to isolate human voices from ambient noise.My dad was blown away when he heard the difference for the first time.
Note: To get fitted you currently need to travel to a clinic in NYC. They’re planning to expand around the country in the coming months.
For the past year or so, I’ve been mostly reading either sci-fi or fantasy. I tend to gravitate toward gritty novels and don’t rely on too much fantastical tech or magic. That’s one reason I gravitated toward the Hierarchy series by James Islington.
His first book, titled The Will of the Many is set as a fantasy version of Ancient Rome where lower classes cede a portion of their mental and physical energy (their Will) to the class above them. The book follows Vis, who infiltrates one of the elite academies at the center of the hierarchy. I’m currently about halfway through the second book (The Strength of the Few) and have been loving it.
With AI, unproductive hours feel a lot more consequential than they used to. My initial impulse was to respond by working more hours and running more agents in parallel.
I’ve started experimenting with the opposite. Before I sit down for a few hours of focused work, I figure out the one thing that will actually move the needle, sometimes with AI’s help, sometimes not. Then I spend the time on that.
Even with AI doing the heavy lifting, work still taxes you cognitively. You’re making decisions and getting into the minutiae. Ten agents on ten different tasks feels like leverage but it’s really just a ton of things to manage, none of them done quite as well as they should be.
I’ve been a fan of the constraints. Just pick the thing in advance, give it a few hours, and see how much progress you can make.
Casa is the closest service I’ve found to having a household manager, without actually employing someone.
The app builds a 3D model of your house, including appliances and finishes. Any handyman who shows up already knows what they’re walking into. You submit a request through the app and they coordinate the rest. The subscription includes a block of handyman hours each month, and unused hours roll over. I’ve used it for things I’d otherwise have let sit on my to-do list forever.
A few months ago I replaced my AirPods with a pair of wired Apple earbuds. The purchase was meant as a deliberate downgrade.
The wired buds are a lot less comfortable and much more annoying to deal with – which is the point. Since switching, I’ve gotten better at not popping headphones in just to fill silence.
Breathing through my nose is one of the best ways I’ve found to improve how I feel after a night of sleep. That said, I can’t stand mouth tape.
Instead I’ve been using the Intake system. It consists of a set of reusable magnetic bands with disposable adhesive tabs. It pulls the sides of your nose open. The result is better breathing and, for me, more refreshing sleep. The adhesive can be a bit itchy but the feeling is worth it. If you’re a night-time mouth breather trying to avoid tape, give it a shot.
Ash and I went on a double date here a few weeks ago. Copra is an upscale Indian restaurant on Fillmore and Post (in SF) that uses Northern California ingredients to recreate Southern Indian dishes.
The room commits fully to its design and you feel it the moment you walk in. If you want a great vibe and food you haven’t had before, this is the spot.
I recently published an essay for anyone who’s looking to build a life/career in San Francisco. If it resonates, share it with someone who’s considering (or has already made) the move.
That’s it for this edition. Send good thought to our new little guy as he makes his way into this magical world.
Until next time,
Nick
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