Ten Years of iPhone

As we approach the tenth anniversary of the iPhone release, it's worth reflecting on how life has changed since that time. 

How do you feel when you misplace it?

How do you feel when you misplace it?

When the iPhone was released, I didn't see it for what it was.  I still saw it as a telephone with a larger screen, worse battery life and a challenging on-screen keyboard.  

It took me to four more years to realize that the development of the iPhone was a fundamental turning point in human history.  We can now hold our computer in our hands and carry it with us just like we've done with other core human innovations in the past: the pen, purse, sword, gun, compass and flask.

Today, a smart phone is a fully functional computer.  Having it in your pocket gives you on-the-go access to:

  • The bulk of all human knowledge.  (Wow!) 
  • Access to all personal information including but not limited to finance, tax, health, location, communication and images. 
  • Near infinite supply of creative content including but not limited to, music, short and long films, books, articles, blogs in almost all active languages. 

In just ten years we've made significant strides eliminating the concepts of:

All new pleasures can lead to addiction.  As I commute to work each morning I like to look at what people hold in their hands.  Looking at what (or who) people hold in their hands gives you a good sense of what people value.  The two most common objects in our hands these days seem to be our smartphone (mostly iPhones) or a coffee.  

The iPhone often outcompetes for hand time with a highly addictive drug like caffeine or the hand of our loved ones. We should be wary of addiction. 

Dutch electro house duo, Blasterjaxx masterfully captured both my concern and optimism.

While the internet is captivating, the world is beautiful. 

On Running

千里之行，始於足下 - 老子

A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.  -Laozi

When I first moved to Boston during the winter of 2015 I began to regret my decision.  It was brutally cold, the snow banks were taller than me (I'm 5'8'') and my commute doubled in length.  

After my first week at work, I looked out my livingroom window at the tundra below me and saw something I didn't expect. Runners.  Along the path that circles the Charles River, runners were everywhere.  The flow of runners continued throughout the winter, into spring and summer.  Once the weather warmed up after a bit of cajoling from girlfriend I decided to give running a try.  

On my first run, I decided to set my expectations low so that I might succeed.  I guessed that the 1/4 mile to the grocery store should be within my ability. I guessed wrong.  Two days later I tried again.  While I got slightly further than my first attempt, I still couldn't complete the 1/4m without stopping.  On my third attempt I made it!  I was really happy. 

My two Japanese friends.

My two Japanese friends.

About nine months later, I found myself in Philadelphia on a Sunday.  I was standing at the starting line, in the rain, alongside a few of my colleagues with 30,000 other runners about to experience my first race.  A year earlier, if you had told me that I'd be running a 10 mile race, I would have been incredulous. A lot can change within a year. 

Over the course of running, I've learned a lot about myself.  Running gives you the opportunity to think abstractly as your runners high takes hold.  While I run, I explore podcasts from music, comedy to economics and think about what is troubling me.  My runs have a variety of psychological and physical benefits, improved my commute and foster my love for Boston.

Rather than walking in the cold to the train, I run to the train.  Running warms your body and if you dress appropriately you won't notice the cold.  You'll arrive at work faster and get home faster, reducing commute time.  When you do arrive at work less psychologically stressed you'll increase your productivity and when you arrive at home less psychologically stressed you'll have a more pleasant home life. 

The benefits to running are enormous and costs to running are low.  

The journey begins with a single step. 

 

My Grandpa's Stories

When ever my Grandpa Jerry came over, I'd always get excited for story time.  Grandpa was a gregarious serial entrepreneur; therefore, many of his stories were animated tales of profit, loss and deals made along the way.  He'd always find a way to surreptitiously include a lesson or two into these stories. But because I'm a slow learner, it took me many years to notice. 

One of grandpa's businesses was called Friedland Shipping International.  As the name suggests, his firm engaged in international shipping.  Particularly, heavy machinery and white goods between the US and Iran during the reign of the Pahlavi dynasty as well as with customers in Saudi Arabia and to a lesser extent the UAE. His firm employed a few dozen people and was based in the New York City's World Trade Center. 

During the 1960s and 1970s Iran was growing rapidly and required bulldozers, cranes and other equipment that my grandpa was able to source and ship to his customers.  As part of his business, my grandpa traveled to the Middle East to monitor shipments, build relationships with customers and learn about their culture.  Many of the stories he'd tell regarding Iranian and Saudi culture fascinated me, from drinking strong coffee, the heat of the desert, the challenges of being a Jewish trader in the Middle East and polygamy. 

Jerry Friedland with his customers.

Jerry Friedland with his customers.

At one point in the mid 1970s while his business was going really well, my grandpa explained that he was contacted by some Hong Kong based merchants that wanted to trade with China and they asked him if he'd like to trade with them.  At the time, China was impoverished and closed to direct trade.  He also felt that he lacked Chinese language skills and requisite cultural understanding.  Moreover, his business with the Iranians was going so well that he didn't think it was a good return on time. He declined the Hong Kong merchants' offer.  

A few years later in 1979, the Iranian revolution occurred and his business was mortally wounded.  During one of the last conversations I had with him, he told me that one of his biggest regrets regarding Friedland International Shipping was his decision to pass on trading with the Chinese.  

While I didn't understand it at the time as such, my grandpa taught me about two deeply related business concepts:

 Political Risk and Diversification

Political risk can be thought of as a situation where theft and breach of contract by your trading partner both become legal - the rules of the game no longer apply.  In this instance, the Iranian revolutionary government confiscated private property and refused to pay outstanding debts.  Accounts receivable become write-offs.  

Diversification is best thought of as putting your eggs in many baskets located in different countries with a range of political regimes.  

Diversification is the only way to reduce the pain of adverse political risk.  

If you're ever concerned with government policy or leadership, I strongly suggest you consider this lesson too.

Thank you grandpa. 

Consumption or Creation?

I love reading because there is so much I don't understand and because it is easier than writing.  Each morning, I like to read newspapers from East Asia, South Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.  After newspapers, I like to explore my favorite blogs.  Later in the day, I'll hop on Twitter.  Sometimes I'll dig into long-form articles or academic research. In the evenings or during my commute, I'll even indulge in fiction.  

I spend much of my waking life consuming information. 

My relationship with creation is much more complicated.  Creating ideas isn't as easy as consuming them. When you want to spend time reading, you can do so at your discretion.  Creation, on the other hand, requires inspiration, execution and coffee.

My objective is to create ideas worth consuming.

Here we go!