Breakfast Notes #84 (LKY, Napster, Scales)

KEITH YAP -

Hi friends,

Sincere apologies for the short (unannounced) hiatus. I got overworked and missed out on the links!

Here is the 84th serving of the Breakfast Notes.

  • Lee Kuan Yew On Housing. In November 1965, Mr Lee Kuan Yew opened the first phase of public-housing projects as an independent nation at Everton Park. He opened it with a fascinating speech that outlines his frank assessment of the tumultuous Southeast Asian regional geopolitics, his determination and desire for Singapore to be, I quote, “sovereign, independent forever and ever", and how he was equipping the Singapore Army. The thread that ties these loose and seemingly disparate points was Lee Kuan Yew’s original innovation in housing policy.
  • How Napster Revolutionised the Music Industry Forever. When we mention the social media sites of Web 1.0, we often dismiss them as flashes in the pan. Perhaps, we ought to practice a little revisionist history. Take Napster, who disrupted the CD industry by enabling people to download music. While established musicians like Dr Dre and Metallica were outraged, emerging artists saw file sharing and online platforms as a way to gain exposure that would drive ticket sales. In 2023, most of us are on Spotify and have said goodbye to CDs already. This begs the question- should Napster have taken a nap?
  • Practicing Scales. This is a short blog post with a potentially life-changing question couched in it. “What is it you do to train that is comparable to a pianist practising scales?” The author, J Dilla being a product manager, found one that fits him- where he tries to come up with two tweet-length product ideas per day. What would yours be?

Visualization of The Week

Cube watermelons are commonly sold in Japan, where they are essentially ornamental.

Interestingly, the cube watermelons were first designed to fit more compactly in the fridge and prevent them from rolling around.

But, now they are $200 a piece!

Thanks, but I will stick to the $5 options I have.

May the Sun Shine Upon Your Face,

Keith