Musing of the week
The world runs on language, not numbers
Numbers describe reality but don’t modify it.
However, language modifies how we interpret reality which modifies how we act which modifies reality.
It’s language that resulted in money being invented, corporations being born, and nations persisting.
Even LLMs, which operate via numbers, only work because language already runs the world. Language gives numbers meaning.
Unsurprisingly, the people at the top command narrative:
Founders → vision
Politicians → framing
Media → stories
Religions → narrative
The implication: language matters.
Pay attention to the words you use and the narratives you create. Language shapes the world.
Health of the Week
Testosterone vs estrogen optimization
Whilst my testosterone is currently top 2% (937 ng/dL), my estradiol is also higher than I’d like.
See the Superpower AI chat reasoning that estradiol is the bigger lever:
After digging further, I suspect high stress and a history of toxin exposure drives this.
So, I’m experimenting with two supplements to balance estradiol:
DIM — 100mg daily
Calcium d-glucarate — 1,000mg daily
I’ll do this for a month, and then re-test my levels with superpower.
Brand of the Week
Ayocin
I love beautifully designed real-world products.
Ayocin built the first air purifier that doesn’t look hideous:
In fact, it actually is strikingly beautiful:
Ayocin’s whole website and brand is one to check out.
Space of the Week
Turkel House
Frank Lloyd Wright doesn’t miss. You could put any furniture in this place (or none) and it would blow your breath away.
Article of the Week
Hume, On Taste
Hume's "Of the Standard of Taste" (1757) grapples with a tension we debate to this day: is taste subjective or objective?
We all accept that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," and yet we also all agree that Shakespeare is better than a random hack.
How do we reconcile this?
Hume’s argument, in essence:
Taste isn’t purely objective, nor purely relative (some judgments are better than others). It’s intersubjective, based on the collective responses of qualified critics.
In my view markets operate in a similar way. They form a ‘collective subjective’ which is ‘true’.
Quote of the Week
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
The importance of maintaining your individuality is one of my favorite themes. It reminds me of Jeff Bezos’ last shareholder letter where he urges us to fight to maintain our distinctiveness.
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Until next time,
(P.S. Let me know what you think! I read all replies)
