Erick Widman

@marcportermagee @AlexNowrasteh @grok How will this impact the economy of states with low enrollment?

I don’t think people have fully absorbed just how big the declines in student enrollment are going to be. Eight states are projected to experience DOUBLE DIGIT declines by 2031.

@chrisfralic I heard he also drove a beater civic to stay under the radar.

In 2010 I took a picture of a car with no license plate in a Cupertino office parking lot

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working". —Pablo Picasso Via @CloudCult newsletter this week.

I think I have unreasonable, insatiable cravings for joy that can make day to day life dissatisfying. But then I remember we humans are high maintenance because we were designed to live off infinite fuel.

I listened to a talk by Eric Schmidt and he summarized nicely why social media is so toxic: it maximizes revenue by maximizing outrage.

Szilvi the vizsla is very serious about daily exercise.

On a walk today I saw a huge hawk circling, looking for something to eat. Nature is brutal: the hawk and family will die if it can't drop at crazy fast speed and eat a mouse (or similar), which is also fast. Yes being a human is hard but we've got it easier than all other creatures.

Google's AI offerings have become the default at our law firm. Since we already have our email and documents (securely) on Google Enterprise "Gmail" and Google Drive, this has helped the AI integration work smoothly for us.

After twelve months reading a few pages a night (sometimes when I couldn’t sleep at 3am) I finished Tolstoy’s War and Peace last week. I’m persuaded the world would get along better if we take time to appreciate every country’s best art.

Congrats @USCIS. You'll be current on I-601A waiver cases in ten years at this pace! Side note - What happened to your promise at the HART rollout a year and a half ago to have processing times down to 12 months within a year?

@AliAbdaal I just downloaded your book on Audible. Am looking forward to listening to it!

My new book, Feel-Good Productivity, is all about how happiness and wellbeing is the key to success in all areas of your life. To get more done, you need to find a way to feel good. If you’re interested in find out more, you can check it out here 👉 bit.ly/productivityan…

If I could only share one lesson with the world, it would be this. Procrastination is an emotional problem. You don’t put things off because you’re lazy, unmotivated, or lack discipline.

@goaniniceland @hubermanlab @Cernovich This was my family’s favorite breakfast place growing up. Great memories - esp the coffee cake.

@hubermanlab @Cernovich He would also step in for coffee to Hobee’s in Cupertino, not far from the old Apple campus. It was a different Silicon Valley then.

When I was a postdoc at Stanford 2005-2010, I would often (3-5 days a week) see Steve Jobs walking the neighborhood. Yes, often shoeless and no security. I recall the lines/tents of @Apple fans outside the downtown Palo Alto Apple Store (former location) when a new iPod or phone was launched & running into Steve at the crystals & charms store nearby. It was all so off-silicon and real world. In high school he came into the skateboard shop I worked at and watched a segment of Shackle Me Not, nodded and left. Sometimes I wonder what Steve would have thought about and how he would have presented (if at all), on social media today.

@elonmusk Naturalized Americans - like my wife - are often the most patriotic citizens of the US. Immigrants found companies and create jobs at a much higher rate too. And with baby boomers retiring en masse we need immigrants to fill key positions.

Illegal immigration needs to stop, but I’m super in favor of greatly expanding and simplifying legal immigration. Anyone who proves themself to be hard-working, talented and honest should be allowed to become an American. Period.

@FitFounder I’m finally going to try taping after your great post here and reading about it in “Breath” book by Nestor. And since Erling Haaland does it that’s the clincher.

For the past year I’ve been mouth taping for sleep and it's changed my life. Here’s what I learned: Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. Keep in mind that there are limited studies around mouth taping. Also, people who have sinus issues, severe cases of sleep apnea, or who are morbidly obese should not try this. Lastly, this worked for me. I'm not saying it'll work for you. As always do your own research and your mileage may vary. What is mouth taping? Mouth taping is a treatment used to encourage nose breathing during sleep. Some people also use it during the day to train themselves to breathe through their nose. Why mouth taping? I originally did mouth taping for my oral health. Mouth breathing can disrupt the oral microbiome, especially at night. When I started doing it I realized the major impact it had was on my sleep. Ever since I was a kid my sleep had always been horrible. Getting to sleep was hard. I would also wake up multiple times a night I’d struggle to get back to sleep. What I didn’t know was mouth breathing was harmful to my sleep, teeth, and overall health. People who mouth breathe are more likely to develop sleep disorders & invite tooth decay. This is because mouth breathing forces your lungs to take in too much air, which can cause snoring & can affect your oral health. Nose breathing benefits for the brain and body Researchers at the University of Korea did a study on mouth breathing. They found that people who breathed through their mouths had decreased function in their brains (1) A recent study done by Baylor University found that exercising using nasal breathing increased blood flow to the brain (2) Nasal breathing is also beneficial for your sleep, teeth, and overall health. Nose breathing puts your body in a relaxed state & can reduce symptoms of sleep apnea. It assists in creating a healthy oral microbiome as saliva helps keep your teeth clean while increasing nitric oxide production. Breathing through the nose allows for better cognitive function. Although mouth taping is fringe at the moment high level athletes are starting to use it. One of the top footballers on the planet Erling Haaland tapes his mouth to go to sleep every night. The world's #1 women’s tennis player Iga Swiatek practices with a strip of tape across her mouth to improve her endurance. That said, here's what I learned from a year of taping my mouth to sleep: Lesson #1 - Sleep improved dramatically My sleep scores went up by a factor of 5-10% instantly. I was getting to sleep faster and I was able to stay asleep throughout the night. Every morning I’d wake up more refreshed as a result of getting deeper sleep. Lesson #2 - My oral health improved At the next cleaning, my dentist noticed a change in the amount of plaque buildup in my teeth. I went from having to get my teeth cleaned every 4 months to every 6 months. Lesson #3 - You either use your nose or you lose your nose. The less you use the nose the harder it will be to breathe through it. The more you use the nose the easier it will be to breathe through it. The more I taped my mouth for bed the more I found myself breathing through my nose throughout the day. Lesson #4 - Increase in energy Because I was getting better sleep my energy levels increased by a slight margin throughout the day. Lesson #5 - Sleep is the lead domino I've always dealt with multiple sleep disruptions at night. After taping my mouth most nights I go to sleep with almost zero disruptions. Getting better sleep helps with recovery & heart health, which affects my energy & mental health the next day. Lesson #6 - Better focus I started to tape my mouth while doing work in front of the computer. I found that I can focus for longer periods of time breathing through the nose as opposed to the mouth. Lesson #7 - I’ve slowly become a natural nose breather I used to breathe through my mouth as the primary means of taking in oxygen. When I tried to breathe through my nose it would be hard and uncomfortable. Now that I’ve taped my mouth for sleep I’ve found that it’s easier to use my nose for breathing and I automatically keep my mouth closed throughout the day. How do I tape my mouth? I first used a cheap 3M non-allergenic tape from Amazon. I taped the top & bottom of my mouth shut before I slept. That worked okay. Since then I’ve tried every brand of mouth tape available and settled on a brand called Better Sleep mouth tape. I find the material and the way it’s designed acts as an effective way to keep the mouth shut while sleeping. Here’s a link to the brand: bettermouthtape.com What now? I'm going to continue to tape my mouth to go to sleep because it's improved my life immensely. Having more focus, more energy, being able to sleep through the right and improving my dental health is a blessing. I'm experiencing too many benefits for me to stop doing it now. What are your thoughts on mouth taping? I'd love to hear from you in the comments section. Also, if you got value out of this then please share it with your friends and follow me @FitFounder Sources: 1: tinyurl.com/2g75vj7y 2: digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/is…

@TaylinSimmonds Free - thanks

My first 12 months on Twitter, I made $164,500. But I could’ve done it in 6 months if I had a course to follow. ↳ So I said screw it and made Digital Identity 101. ✧ Like ✧ Comment “free” I’ll DM you a link to the free email course. (Available for 24 hours only)

Peter Thiel founded: • PayPal • Palantir • Founders Fund & was the first outside money in Facebook. Here are 7 of his best ideas: 1. Zero to One In a world where many iterate, Thiel emphasizes originality. Moving from nothing to something, from 0 to 1, creates unique value. Are you or truly innovating, or merely improving? The pioneers get the most. The imitators share the scraps. 2. Contrarian Thinking Yep, Peter Thiel's also a contrarian. He believes in going against the grain — questioning prevailing notions. He likes to ask: Where might the majority be overlooking or misjudging? Hidden paths often lead to untapped treasures. 3. Definite Optimism Don't just hope for a better future — plan for it. Most hope & dream, then wonder why they don't get anywhere. You need a plan – a blueprint: • Have a clear vision for your future. • Reverse-engineer how you'll get there. • Execute. Simple, not easy. 4. Competition is for Losers Being the best in a crowded market? Meh. Dominating a niche you've carved? Gold. Monopolies aren't about crushing competition. It's about being so unique, competition becomes irrelevant. Stop comparing. Start creating. 5. Power Law Dynamics In the startup world, a few companies outperform all others. And in venture, these investments generate the lion's share in returns. • Do your research • Find outliers • Make sure you're part of them Go deep, not wide. 6. The Importance of Secrets Thiel believes every great business is built around secrets – a truth few people see or acknowledge. Ask yourself: What important truths do very few agree with me on? Find these and double down on them. This is where outsized returns lie. 7. Skepticism about Formal Education Thiel questions the value of higher education. He even has a Thiel fellowship where he gives $100,000 to young visionaries who want to build rather than sit in a classroom. Challenge norms. Find your own path to wisdom. Thanks for reading. If you liked this, follow me @Codie_Sanchez for more on business & contrarianism.

@BethMooreLPM Am currently listening to the excellent biography of Benjamin Franklin by Isaacson. Fascinating and entertaining.

Y’all have any great audiobook novel or biography recommendations? I’ve got some good nonfiction books going right now but I also love a fabulous plot to get lost in when I’m on a long drive. I’m itching for a great reader telling a great story. Any recs?

“If a person gave away your body to some passerby, you’d be furious. Yet you hand over your mind to anyone who comes along, so they may abuse you, leaving it disturbed and troubled—have you no shame in that?” — Epictetus

“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.” — Søren Kierkegaard

@marshal Thanks for sharing - it’s funny I just realized my mother in law from Hungary lives with us half the year and does the same thing (though I better not call her our personal chef…)

Our chef cooks in our kitchen every Tuesday for the entire day. She arrives at 10am and is done by 5pm. She typically makes: - 2 breakfast options - 2 lunch options - 4 dinner options We eat on all of it throughout the week.

8 weeks ago I hired a personal chef for my family. 👨‍🍳 It's been the best thing I've delegated recently. - Healthy meals all week - Saved time (no more cooking or deciding what to eat) - Improved quality of life Here's how much it all cost: