#SoGv2 - #5onF - 5 Links for the weekend (070619)
#5onFriday - 07062019
Friday!
Friyay!
FriYAY...
Ok then. So, today is Friday and that means that it is #5onFriday day. That means that I will send a list of 5 things that I read in the week gone by that were incredibly out of the world. Today these are from sports, venture capital, Hollywood celebrities and journalism.
But these could be from any of the disciplines that I am interested in. The list includes sports, poker, crypto, travel, fashion, films, writing, events, branding, Apple, entrepreneurship, philosophy, futurism, investing, wisdom, longevity and a million other things.
Without further ado, here's the list.
1. Mt. Everest.
So, its the Everest climbing season and that means that media is rife with pieces about the best route to climb, the inherent dangers, the commercialisation, the crowds, endurance required and what not. And each piece makes my resolve to go climb that mountain stronger. Let's see when I do it (have to do it before Jan 1, 2026, and thus in 2025 climbing season).
Of all the pieces that I read, the one that I would love you to read this piece on Edmund Hillary (one of the first two people to have climbed the Everest) and his background.
***
2. Keanu Reeves
I am a big fan of John Wick series. So much so that I ignored the Bollywood-ish plot and screenplay and cheered for him as he killed the bad guys. If you are interested in the business of Hollywood, you must read about how Reeves got this film and how this was totally unexpected! The thing that I want you to read about Reeves is this piece on Guardian (around the time John Wick 3 released) where he opens up about his life and past. While you are at it, you may want to read this older piece on Esquire when John Wick 2 happened.
And if you have more time, do read about him. Apparently, he is one of the nicest people in the showbiz and lives rather simply and ensures that his team is well taken care of.
***
3. On Journalism
This one is not a link per se, but a thread on twitter (lately I've taken a fancy to threads and I love the medium). Do read to understand the dynamics of the business of journalism. As an events manager, I had my two cents. Read em here.
***
4. Serena Willams, the tennis player is also an active investor.
This piece on Forbes talks about her investments - some of those are Brandless, Coinbase, Lola and others (most of these are great concepts for the US as a market - do check those out in case you want inspiration for emerging businesses in India). Oh, and did you know that she is the world's richest self-made woman? Her company, Serena Ventures as What is different is that she is investing in diverse profiles (more than 50% of her investments are in women-led companies). Do read if you want to understand how celebrities can do good! It's high time celebs in India followed suit. No?
***
5. Yet another Ponzi piece!
I have this fascination with Ponzi schemes - I love them and I hate them. Love - so much money to be made by fooling people. Hate - so easy to invite people to get greedy and take money from!
As I write this, I am at a Starbucks and there is this guy that is trying to lure a young kid into an MLM scam. And I am this close to going to him and talking about how they are misguided. But then, like I read in the morning, not my monkey, not my circus.
So, the last piece that I'd recommend for the weekend is this piece where this couple created a business that would lease solar generators to large companies and make money. Except they did not make these generators and the revenue they were apparently making was the money they raised from new investors (and using to pay back older investors/debtors). And then on top of it, add a layer of tax credits that the US gave them for using renewable energy.
Do read it. It is on Bloomberg.
***
Chalo, that's it for the day. I have a movie to catch (yes, Salman Khan's Bharat) - things that you are forced to do when you run a Bollywood website! If you are in the mood for entertainment, see KRK's review of Bharat.
And this is the last letter till Tuesday (I send you letters on T, T and F). There are "blogs" that I send to some on the other days as well. Lemme know if you want to get these on all 7 days.
Hope you have a great weekend and even better next week. See you guys on Tuesday.
Thank you for your time!
With gratitude,
@saurabh
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TAGS: Hollywood, Venture Capital, Mt. Everest, Scams,
STREAK: 7
Please note that with SoGv2, I have split my letters in three,
1. SoGv2. Sent every Tuesday and Thursday (unless I am on the road). In each SoGv2, I try to touch upon a thing that I believe can make us better. By standing on the shoulder of giants.
2. #5onFriday. Weekend read. Like this one. Sent every Friday evening for your weekend reading pleasure. This is a compendium of the best of what I saw, what I read, what I recommend et al during the week gone by. This will have things from various disciplines that I am interested in - sports, poker, crypto, travel, fashion, films, writing, events, branding, Apple, entrepreneurship, philosophy, futurism, investing, wisdom, longevity and a million other things.
3. #1KWAD. 1000 words. Sent on the other 4 days of the week. More like a blog post that I would ideally make on my personal blog. Sent to only those who choose to subscribe. You will have to explicitly tell me to add you to this list (hit reply).
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