Welcome to the forty-second edition of '3-2-1 by Story Rules'.
A newsletter recommending good examples of storytelling across:
Let's dive in.
Around 26% of The Netherlands is literally under sea level. How do they keep the water out, especially during high tide? This video gives you a good visual idea of their elaborate system of dams and dykes to keep their country above water.
Any implications for those worried about rising sea levels around coastal cities?
We are all privileged. I loved the line - 'Where other people's dreams end, your struggles begin'.
Hahaha, also Chennai folks and Mumbaikars.
βa. 'Should we believe Americans when they say the economy is bad?' by John Burn Murdochβ
In this data story, FT Journalist John Burn-Murdoch argues that there is a strong divergence between data and public sentiment in the US.
(In the chart below, the red line represents actual consumer sentiment, while the blue line is the prediction based on real econmic indicators. In short, sentiment is bad in Europe because of poor economic indicators, while sentiment is bad in the US, despite good economic indicators.)
Here's how John concludes his post:
Incidentally, it's interesting to see some of the Twitter reactions when someone posted this article. Granted, these are just a few people's opinions, but the engagement they have on Twitter is quite high:
It's always challenging when the data contradicts lived experience.
Jeff Bezos had said that: "...the thing I have noticed is that when the anecdotes and the data disagree, the anecdotes are usually right. There is something wrong with the way that you are measuring it."
Maybe the data needs cross-checking. Maybe people need to update the stories in their heads.
Or maybe someone from the US government just needs to tell a better story!
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βb. 'Money Stuff: Robots Make Good Junior Analysts' by Matt Levineβ
In the article, Levine quotes a Bloomberg article for some examples of how ChatGPT is already transforming work in several professional service firms:
This is fascinating - if ChatGPT is doing all the grunt work, what exactly will the junior employees do? And from where would the firm get future partners?
His closing note - don't worry, humans will figure out a way to replace the drudgery with something else (more drudgery? Or some client-facing time?):
Excel just replaced one form of drudgery with another. Wonder what ChatGPT has in store...
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βa. 'Peter Attia - The Portfolio to Live Longer' on Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessyβ
(Hat/tip: From Sajith Pai's newsletter)
Dr. Peter Attia is a longevity expert, whose recent book 'Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity' offers science-backed ideas on how to live longer and better.
In this conversation, Patrick and Peter dive into quantifying the risk factors for a long life (e.g. how much worse is smoking vs. diabetes) and also quantify the impact of factors that push the needle in the good direction (exercise, diet, sleep, mental wellbeing).
Spoiler alert: Smoking is really bad, while exercise is the best tool on the positive side.
One interesting insight was the framing of medicine into 3 eras - Medicine 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 and the concept of fast death and slow death.
1.0 is the pre-Industrial Revolution era (emphasis mine):
And then came the medical revolution of the 2.0 era - along with it's shift from 'fast death' to 'slow death':
The issue? We are treating slow death with the same tools we used to beat fast death:
That is indeed a sobering stat.
Over the rest of the conversation, Dr. Attia shares some broad strategies on how not to depend on the government or the health system (both of which are still stuck in the Medicine 2.0 era) and instead take your health into your own hands.
And there's some counter-intuitive advice on eating right - mainly that you don't need to overthink it:
That's all from this week's edition.
βRavi
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A Storytelling Coach More details here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishankar-iyer/
As I hoped last week, I did get in some book-writing time this week. The chapter I'm writing? Humour in storytelling! That's right - I'm writing about fun (yet safe) ways to use humour in workplace communication. Can't wait to share all of it, along with the other chapters, by sometime late next year. (I know - it's such a long way away!). Meanwhile, here's a great quote I'm keeping in mind even as I write the chapter: "Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. They both die in the process."...
Phew - it's been a busy week with 4 training days out of five and I'm a bit exhausted! (In a rare state of affairs, I'm writing this newsletter at 8.30 pm on Friday night!) Having said that, I did manage to catch a movie during the week (Thalaiva's Vettaiyan; would NOT recommend for Jailer fans). Hopefully, next week will be easier and I can get in some book-writing time. And now, on to the newsletter. Welcome to the eighty-sixth edition of '3-2-1 by Story Rules'. A newsletter recommending...
Earlier this week, I saw this fascinating movie called 'CTRL' on Netflix. Boy, was my mind blown. Sure, you could say that it was Black-Mirror-inspired. But the way it was adapted for the Indian context was superb. The writing was gripping throughout. The cinematography (mostly using phones or involving laptop screens) was raw and authentic. And the acting was fabulous - I'm a fan of Ananya Panday for her unfiltered and vulnerable portrayal of the young Nella Awasthi. Catch it if you haven't...