PicoBlog

In my last post, I talked about how I going about searching for a new idea to work on. I’ve now landed on Remote Rocketship, a job board for remote roles. In this post, I’ll talk about how I got there, what I’ve been up to and how I’m thinking about moving forward. Before working on Remote Rocketship, I spent two weeks briefly looking into Customer Feedback Analytics for SaaS companies with many users.

I’ve had so many lovely comments, DMs, emails, and even snail mail asking about the next season of Zoë Bakeson Magnolia Network. The short reply is that there are none planned for this coming season. I really miss creating the show and baking with all of you. I am particularly pleased when I hear from all the kids who watch the show and follow along while I make pies, cake, bread, and even pâte à choux pastry.

Hello! Hello! and Aloha, too. I’m still dreaming of my time in Hawaii — it’s a tonic during these gray New England days; and still eating poke — also a pick-me-up. The word poke (pronounced “poke-ay”) means diced, sliced or cut up, and the dish, which has traveled around the world, usually stars cubed fish, most often (sushi-grade) tuna or salmon, although, like its cousins ceviche and tartare, it can be just about any kind of pristinely fresh fish.

This post was getting very long, so I broke it into two parts. This post (part one) covers the history of WeChat, chronologically going through its founding story and product evolution. Part two will cover some of the themes of WeChat.  Introduction:  If you could only use 1 application on your phone for the next month, which would you choose? iMessage? Amazon? Safari?WeChat (Wēixìn/微信), developed by the Chinese internet giant, Tencent, is a SuperApp with origins as a messaging app.

During my first few weekly hour-long sessions with Bailly, my book coach, we spent a lot of time discussing the structure of my book, which will be about writing with impact, a core theme that has run through my writing and podcasting for the past seven-plus years. After the first or second session, it occurred to me that I could use an acronym as a mnemonic device to help the reader more easily recall and apply the six-step methodology for writing that I developed to structure my book.

First and foremost, on behalf of myself and our family, I want to express our deepest gratitude for the outpouring of support, love, and sympathy from around the world. This continues to be a very difficult and painful time as we grieve a beloved husband, brother, and friend. It is some comfort to know that so many people Grant reached—countless colleagues, readers, athletes, coaches, friends, and fans—are grieving alongside us. 

Hello all! When I was decorating our last house, someone I worked with sent me a list of the “best” coffee table books. The concept struck me as a bit odd. To me, the “best” coffee table books are the ones that reflect the owner’s unique interests or passions or even their sense of humor. Why would I buy books on topics I wasn’t interested in, even if the color of the cover coordinated with the rest of the room?

Bahala na is often used as an expression of exasperation, to let go of the worry of consequence. Scholars seem to agree that bahala comes from Bathala, the supreme deity of the early Tagalogs. Thus one might say that bahala na implies “Let God handle it.” A popular saying that comes to mind in relation to this is, “Nasa Diyos ang awa pero nasa tao ang gawa” (God has mercy for those who act).

Welcome to my first crack at this newsletter thing. I thought I’d have a little more time to plan out how this thing would go, but when I said I’d get the ball rolling once 500+ people signed up and you made that happen in a couple of hours, that moved the timeline up a bit. But it was really cool — and if I wasn’t already a lost cause in eternal self-absorption, it would be quite humbling — to see so many people sign up so quickly.