Kevin Connelly

If you have kids, you know that if they enjoy something once - you better be prepared to do it dozens of times… So, like many parents I’ve read the same books over and over. Some are great, some are terrible. I had an idea… I wanted to make a short picture book based on The Man In The Arena. Put something god into my son’s subconscious. Last year, AI image generation still stunk so I put the project on ice. But now, @ChatGPTapp images are tremendous, and the time is ripe to skillsmax (h/t @sama). So, I revived the project while my newborn has been napping on me the past few afternoons. It’s short, but I think it’s great. Check it out in the link below.

@Jason what's #1?

Gladiator is my second favorite film of all time… had never seen this clip. Extraordinary

My man takeaway doing rite of passage: One arm pressing a heavy KB is tremendous for core strength.

@mariolopezviva Then once you get good at one, try another. I’m the man at my jiu jitsu gym. My main training partner used to box. One day we boxed (light) and…I was humbled once again

Happy $vtsax dividend day to all those who celebrate. Especially @JLCollinsNH

Just learned about Ken Isaacs' "Superchair" (1967). Built-in book rest, shelves, lamp, drink tray, and a seat back that folds into a bed. A place for "inventive work and the individual search for peace of mind", as he put it. It was meant for people to build it themselves, hence the almost unfinished look. Blueprints were published in Popular Science in 1968.

Prepping

Yes, The Spark is one of the chapters I continue to go back to. From that chapter, carved in stone: Problems are inevitable Problems are solvable.

love your reading list. we have a lot of similarities. (I've got even Pavel Tsatsouline ;) Most books offer comfort. Deutsch offers something rarer: a structural argument for optimism. Every problem reduces to a knowledge problem—which means every problem is, in principle, solvable. "The Principle of Optimism: All evils are caused by insufficient knowledge." -- David Deutsch, The Beginning of Infinity

Confession up front: I haven't finished reading The Idiot yet, but I'm close at the time of writing—so I think you'll forgive me. And, while I’m only rereading sections of The Beginning of Infinity rather than the full thing, I’ve put enough of a dent in it to include it here with a clear conscience. I'm reading The Idiot with my friend, Jake. This is the fourth Dostoevsky novel I've read, and I must say, Dostoevsky was on another level*. The fact that he wrote this nearly 200 years ago in another language, yet it remains so readable and relatable, continues to surprise me. The premise of the novel is this: what would happen if a Christ-like figure entered (then) modern-day Russian high society? How would people treat him? Would society corrupt him? The story makes you think... and the character development is tremendous. I picked up Targeted: Beirut after finishing Jack Carr's final James Reece thriller, Red Sky Mourning. I have some Lebanese roots and have read most of Carr's work, so I figured I'd continue with his non-fiction. Ironically, I finished the book the day before war broke out with Iran. This book helped me understand the history of that region. The author argues that the so-called "war on terror" really starts here, in Beirut, with the 1983 bombing of the US Embassy. The author does his best to honor those who died that day; you learn about the individuals the attack killed, not just the broader geopolitical landscape. What stood out to me is that Reagan called the families of the fallen personally. We could use that personal touch in our public officials today. Less memes, more human connection. The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch is a book I continue to revisit. I keep it in my living room and read it on the weekends when my son and I settle in for a nap. It gives me a dose of optimism for the future every time. Highly recommend. Supercommunicators is a great follow-up to How to Win Friends and Influence People. (Side note: my wife hit me with a great burn while I was reading this. As I often do, I sat silent, lost in thought, until she asked me a question and then replied, "Okay, supercommunicator..." Well played. I’m still a work in progress.) That + Unreasonable Hospitality are two great reads for professional development. Check out my website (link in bio) for a full review of each. Enter The Kettlebell by Pavel is one of his older books. I'm currently following the "Rite of Passage" program the book outlines. It consists of an overhead press 3x/week with pull-ups between sets. Before starting, pressing my 70lb bell for a set of three was a PR. Now I'm doing five sets of three each week. My goal is to do clean sets of five with the 70lb bell—and eventually press my 97lb bell. That's the list. Leave a comment or send me a message with any recommendations for next quarter! --- *When I say Dostoevsky was on another level, I'm blown away by what he gets across with the written word... and what must have been going on in his mind. I get a similar feeling when reading Cormac McCarthy.

@OpenNoteGrapple if i remember correctly, sandhagen was rolling out of yan's rear body lock when they fought in '21 but he rolled into a leg entanglement i'm only 50% confident it was him i saw doing this

the rear body lock is killing action in MMA a lot of that is due to fighters not having options to defend the position besides opening hands below Chase Hooper shows how to granby out of the rear body lock

@mbrown_co love to see it

Idea that seems too obvious to be true: The best things in life really are free. We just spent spring break at my brother’s farm in Kentucky. I’ll admit when my wife suggested it, I felt a little skeptical. Last spring break we blew it out at an amazing resort in Cabo. The kids loved it, we had a blast. A part of me was worried that they would feel cheated out of an exotic trip. And if I’m really honest, it wasn’t about them. A little part of me felt cheated out of an exotic trip. But 20 minutes after we landed, I realized how silly that was. The cousins mobbed my kids, ran off in a pack, and didn’t stop for the next five days. My son (13, the oldest cousin) taught the little kids all of his fishing secrets at their pond. They caught 23(!) fish in a single day, his new record. They spent all day outside, canoeing, exploring, climbing the waterfall and catching frogs. My wife and I spent the week having thoughtful, honest, deep conversations with my brother and his wife. The kind that only take shape with space and stillness. We talked about raising children, midlife crises, spirituality, politics, AI, and countless other things. We don’t agree about everything, and we don’t need to. Here’s the point: I didn’t miss the resort and my kids certainly didn’t. They’re pretty sure this was the best week of their lives (with a little childlike recency bias). And this doesn’t mean I’m swearing off resorts for farm life. My fancy side is still alive and well. The point is noticing the story: “An expensive resort in a faraway place must be better.” Once again, I was reminded of a lesson that I’ll likely get to keep learning for the rest of my life: Everything you could ever want is right in front of you, if only you are willing to look.

@Nicolascole77 @packyM 🤔

@packyM AI wrote this didn’t it

AI writing is taking over the internet. Every fundraising announcement, every X reply, every blog post. It's not just replacing human writing, it's overwhelming it. The problem isn't that AI writes poorly — it's that it writes plausibly. And plausible-but-empty is the most dangerous kind of noise. Here's why that matters: when my brain picks up on those subtle AI tells, I write off whatever you're trying to say — even if the idea itself was good.

Yup.

@tferriss Replace "reading" with "consuming prole feed" for a modern translation.

“Reading after a certain age diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking, just as the man who spends too much time in the theater is tempted to be content with living vicariously instead of living his own life.” — Albert Einstein

@dougstafford Hell yea

Saturday 730 wake up, read, talk to kids 830 first kid goes to dance 9am listen to kid 2 piano lesson 930 listen to kid 2 drum listen 10am get Costco delivered cause im not a moron 1030 play basketball outside 11 am coach 9F soccer game 1230 lunch out 2pm coach 10M baseball or football game 4pm kids play make dinner 6pm movie with kids or out with friends/date Sunday church, repeat more games and play, Sunday dinner home quietly or out with friends/date. Perfect two days to me.

Good dinner table debate last night: What would American politics be like if you could still challenge someone to a duel?

Part two is equally good. Well done, @Jameson_Olsen Not mentioned in the pod: The soundtrack to the 2010 movie is electric. youtube.com/watch?v=pTt5KC…

RIP @chucknorris. In 1990 he founded Chun Kuk Do, which included these principles to live by: 1. I will develop myself to the maximum of my potential in all ways. 2. I will forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements. 3. I will continually work at developing love, happiness and loyalty in my family. 4. I will look for the good in all people and make them feel worthwhile. 5. If I have nothing good to say about a person, I will say nothing. 6. I will always be as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own. 7. I will maintain an attitude of open-mindedness. 8. I will maintain respect for those in authority and demonstrate this respect at all times. 9. I will always remain loyal to my God, my country, family and my friends. 10. I will remain highly goal-oriented throughout my life because that positive attitude helps my family, my country and myself.

@lexfridman sir, there is a lot of negativity in the world, and you're sitting on 2-3 hours of audio with @TeamKhabib This delay is irresponsible! I've been patient. But its been almost a month. Release the (audio) files already! Light up the darkness.

@LuizaJarovsky what do you think of Waldorf schools? They do this. Then supplement learning at home using the best of technology without the trappings.

Schools should go back to pen-and-paper only (and everyone knows it).

@nevmed big fan of how its on my google calendar as well

After years of searching for the perfect to-do list app....I've finally found it. It's been under my nose the whole time: Google Tasks. It's free. It's simple. It's perfectly synced on all devices.