PicoBlog

As a newer sport that lacks any central organization, competitive bikepacking has been impressively resistant to change. What started as an underground, self-supported, mostly solo endeavor a few decades ago is still largely the same. Unlike gravel and endurance mountain biking, no large corporations have swooped in to take over the sport’s most popular events (à la Life Time Fitness with the Leadville 100 and Unbound Gravel.) No government agencies have swooped in to shut down unpermitted events.

I started getting questions about Netflix’s new gut-health documentary before it even came out. The trailer for “Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut” was pushed to multiple people in my life (including me), presumably based on our past viewing habits—I don’t typically watch things like that for fun, but I’ve been using my account for research purposes recently, so now I’m getting served all the wellness-y stuff. But it was also pushed to family members who don’t really go for that sort of thing, so maybe the algorithm is casting a wider net with this one.

The Washington Commanders have hired Dan Quinn to be their new head coach. Quinn was the Cowboys defensive coordinator and had previously been the head coach of the Falcons from 2015-2020, so he’s not exactly the popular choice among Washington fans who had been hoping for the exciting young offensive coordinator profile to pair with a potential rookie quarterback with the second overall pick. With Quinn being defensive minded and previously having had a head coaching job, many fans are comparing him to Ron Rivera.

Quick note: I’m cribbing heavily from the ‘Learning to Drop Your Familiar Tools’ chapter in David Epstein’s ‘Range.’ Instead of reading me awkwardly summarize the case study, I recommend reading the book for yourself. Harvard Business School has a fun case study called Carter Racing. In it, students are asked a question: should the Carter Racing team compete in the biggest race of the season which begins in one hour? The argument in favor of racing follows the same principles that NHL GM’s have to compete: sound business.

CVS just bought Oak Street Health—a digital health primary care provider—for $9.5B. I’ve been impressed by Oak Street Health for a while. They’re one of the few digital health companies that nail the care model, revenue model, and technology. Here are some observations about what Oak Street did well, as well as how the next generation of Oak Streets will be different. What is Oak Street? A payvidor done right.

The Washington Commanders drafted TCU offensive lineman Brandon Coleman in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Coleman played mainly left tackle in college but did move around some, playing left guard at times during his final season at TCU. That led to many draft analysts debating if his best position in the NFL would be tackle or guard. After the draft, general manager Adam Peters was quick to explain the Commanders see Coleman as a tackle at the next level, but having that flexibility to slide inside to guard was a nice fallback option.

Let’s talk about Friends.  Despite already being in re-runs by the time I was old enough to watch (perhaps I’m showing my age), Friends was the first adult sitcom that really drew me in, while I would never claim it as my favourite sitcom, as a self-declared connoisseur of the genre, I have always seen it as an important moment in television history. It’s also one of a handful of sitcoms where my enjoyment and perspective on it has changed dramatically with time.

On Friday November 17th, 2023, six months after Jackie Cuscuna and Brian Smith had regained control of their beloved ice cream brand Ample Hills Creamery, the couple was called into a meeting at Camp David in Industry City where their production facility is located. Smith had recently finished churning his latest flavor, one that, unbenowst to him, would be his last. It was called “Spread Love the Brooklyn Gives Way;” it was a vanilla and malted ice cream base, with cascades of rainbow cookies.

The Washington Commanders selected Dominique Hampton in the fifth round with the 161st overall pick. Hampton played safety in college for the Washington Huskies and due to the Covid pandemic, spent six seasons with the Huskies, working his way up from a reserve all the way to a starter in their run to the National Championship game against Michigan this season. Hampton’s athleticism really stands out over everything else. He measured in at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, which is a very good size for a safety, but his testing numbers were fantastic too.