Monday Musings (5/27/19)

Hey everybody, 

First and foremost… my online course, Write of Passage has been a roaring success. In just a month, I’ve led the launch of hundreds of online websites, email newsletters, and blog posts. I’m particularly impressed with weekly newsletters from Shanu Matthew and Sid Jha. Next week, students will collectively publish more than 100 long-form essays.

We’ve made major upgrades and the new and improved version begins on August 14th. If you’re ready to take the course, you can sign up here. As an exclusive thank you for being a Monday Musings subscriber, you’ll be shielded from the future price increases if you sign up in the next 48 hours. Writing is the new networking and if you’d like to start sharing your ideas, this is your chance.

Here’s a recent email from one Write of Passage student:

A Week in the Midwest

Back in New York after a superb week in the Midwest. First, I spent three days at Capital Camp in Columbia, Missouri. Then, I visited Kansas City for the first time. 

Some highlights from the week: 

• Ate at Joe’s BBQ in Kansas City, one of the top-10 grossing restaurants in America. 

• Saw Sam Hinkie speak about his experience running basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Houston Rockets. 

• Learned how to throw an axe. 

• Spent a day with Tom McCarthy, at 19-year old physicist from Western Ireland. He taught himself about high vacuum equipment, high voltage electronics, neutron detection, and plasma physics, and is one of the youngest people to ever build a fusion reactor. 

You’ll find more photos from the week and reflections on Kansas City at the bottom of this email. 

Coolest Things I Learned This Week

Unrecognized Simplicities

“Most geniuses—especially those who lead others—prosper not by deconstructing intricate complexities but by exploiting unrecognized simplicities.” — Andy Benoit

Munger, China, and Vietnam

While traveling by bus in Missouri, I sat next to a Hong Kong based investor who recently had dinner with Charlie Munger at his home in Los Angeles. After hearing about his dinner, I asked him what he’s excited about. He responded with two surprising insights:

1. China has the fastest growing elderly population in the world. Due to the one-child policy (enacted in the 1970s) and the country’s wealth boom, the elderly care industry is about to explode.

2. He was more bullish on Ho Chi Minh City than any other city