# Town Hall #7: Scary Stuff

[^note]: [Subscribe to Taylor's Town Hall via email](https://newsletter.taylor.town).

There is nobody to blame out here.

It's scary stuff. I'm starting a business, and all the failure will be my fault if things go awry.

To protect friends and family from my business blast-radius, I've been building the smallest valuable version of my idea. If I'm not clearly successful in a few months, I won't let my dreams drag me along.

My mind makes excuses. It tells me that I'm not prepared and not working hard enough and that the economy is not ready and that nobody will care. It pleads for distraction and comfort. But clocks are not kind to the comfortable.

I really don't make things easy on myself. [Outland 2023](https://outland.sh) is only 6 months away! Tickets are [now on sale](https://buytickets.at/outland/858286), sponsor slots are [still available](mailto:taylor@outland.sh), and speakers will be announced March 31.

The AIDS/LifeCycle is coming up! I'll be riding my bicycle from SF to LA to raise money. [Please donate!](https://giving.aidslifecycle.org/participant/taylor)

To avoid training and _real_ work, I distracted myself by updating [taylor.town](/). The [typography](https://ladd-design.com/config-rounded-font-family) is much more legible now! I also have a nifty [RSS feed](/feed.xml)! What a waste.

---

## New Writings

Check out the [new RSS feed](/feed.xml)!

- [Don’t Play Near Black Holes](/black-holes)
- [Charts & Checklists for Serious Dreamers](/checklists-and-charts-for-serious-dreamers)
- [Are You Serious?](/are-you-serious)
- [Ghost Story](/ghost-story)
- [Death in Diapers](/death-in-diapers)

---

## Recommendations

[^note]: _You may skip to [software](#software), [books](#books), [purchases](#purchases), [images](#images), [videos](#videos), [music](#music), or [podcast episodes](#podcast-episodes)._

[^note]: _You can also scour my entire history of [book reviews](/books), [album ratings](/music), and [active podcasts](/podcasts)._

### Software {software}

- [Reeder 5](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/reeder-5/id1529448980?mt=12) :: I tried out all the RSS readers I could find, and this one was _by far_ the best. I'm really impressed by the UI/UX. [Artykul](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/artykul-rss-reader/id1618798027) is my RSS honorable mention.
- [VimLike](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vimlike/id1584519802) :: This Safari extension adds VIM keybindings to your browser! And it works on iPad! I don't know how anybody tolerates mousing through webpages.

### Books {books}

- ★★★★★  _Anything You Want_ by Derek Sivers :: I adore this short book. _Anything You Want_ celebrates simplicity and sincerity. It reads like a guide to entrepeneurship for Taoists. I've read a lot of business books, and none come close to hitting this hard. Companies forget their customers and drink bureaucratic kool-aid in the pursuit of profits. As I'm starting my own business, I keep coming back to this book to remind me of _why_ I'm doing what I'm doing.
- ★★☆☆☆  _Learned Optimism_ by Martin E. P. Seligman :: This book has exactly three good observations: (1) optimists attribute permanent causes to good events and temporary causes to bad events, (2) optimism is useful when risk is minimal, and (3) optimism is dangerous in risky situations. _Learned Optimism_ would have been an excellent 250-word book.
- ★★☆☆☆  _To Say Nothing of the Dog_ by Connie Willis :: Witty, but distractingly British.
- ★★★☆☆  _Get In Trouble_ by Kelly Link :: _The Summer People_ is one of the best short stories I've ever encountered. The other stories in this collection are well-written but failed to hit me in the feels -- intriguing plot premises and a great literary style wasted on young-adult subject matter.
- ★★★☆☆  _Slade House_ by David Mitchell :: This book is a structural marvel but hollow inside. It gives great pacing with lackluster payoffs.
- ★★★☆☆  _The Bell Jar_ by Sylvia Plath :: This is a must-read for anybody who wants to learn what it's like to have a mental breakdown, or love somebody in a dark place. This book was well-written but too painfully familiar. This book made me sad without being charming or teaching me anything new. It stole from me and gave me nothing in return, but I imagine it has much to give others.
- ★★☆☆☆  _The Fall of Hyperion_ by Dan Simmons :: This book seemed to have a lot to say. It wanted to be philosophical, it wanted to be adventurous, it wanted to be suspenseful, it wanted to be mysterious, and it wanted to be thought-provoking. But in my opinion, it didn't do a great job at anything in particular. Or maybe its brilliance was wasted on me.

### Purchases {purchases}

I'm still preparing for [my big ride](https://giving.aidslifecycle.org/participant/taylor). I purchased cycling [shoes](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DKVHF5W?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details), [shorts](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQ6YBH75?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details), and [a jersey](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BDF3Y9ZW?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details).

Oh and fire season is almost upon us! Be safe and make sure you have active [fire extinguishers](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001PB8FX2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details). Fire extinguishers need to be serviced or replaced every ~6 years.

### Images {images}

- ★ [zoomer exodia](/pu0xdjmopmja1.jpg)
- [guac doll](/qjc0dovfgola1.jpg)
- [meat curtain](/vp4l7m6ionla1.jpg)
- [are you flirting with me?](/td23we2gblr81.jpg)
- [shakira at age 43](/eo5aqx73u6n81.jpg)
- [vibing with my cat](/ndjzo7kv7mk91.jpg)
- [\*lives an easier life\*](/e4yskaqw1gi91.jpg)
- [very special cigarette](/9a1ec0lya9la1.jpg)

### Videos {videos}

Deep:
- ★ [I think about this clip every day when I get home from work...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZZa34TQMfE)
- [Words to Live By: Nathan Fielder](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSfezooAZo0)

Hottakes:
- ★ [Eggman Takes Over the US Healthcare System](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2sDx0Y_I-k)
- ★ [Conversation with an Engineer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9BUyWVg1xI)

Interesting:
- ★ [Vegan diets don't work. Here's why](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpxgZGnEF7E)
- ★ [How to turn your Neighborhood into a Village](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoYZlyBHyQM)
- ★ [Amazing Invention- This Drone Will Change Everything](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOWDNBu9DkU)
- [The History of Super Mario Bros 3 100% World Records](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EsFyogVvkw)
- [Knowledge Based Games, and Why You Should Play Them](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkv05ZO7d8I)
- [Alphabet Aerobics - CARTOON IMPRESSIONS RAP (take 2)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GN4nehH6eY)
- [These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN7mSXMruEo)
- [Bed Bugs- What You've Been Told is Totally False](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JAOTJxYqh8)
- [design concrete chair](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYz0Eue9ndc)
- ["Clean" Code, Horrible Performance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD5NrevFtbU)
- [Introducing... ✨CHOMPI✨](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAmw-TTG2Ds)

Funny:
- ★ [Frog speaking chinese meme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN-NgihqbLM)
- [space jam dvd](https://www.youtube.com/embed/DWPJ25JSTH4?start=0&end=30)
- [walter white refuses to help goku with the spirit bomb](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81NSkZ1u54M)
- [apple bottom jeans boots with the jeans](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCmvXCgZr74&t=4s)
- [YOU WANT JAZZ?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhkjbbdtM40)
- [quiet dinner party](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhkjbbdtM40)
- [marge simpson as the godfather](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azOhW5OEAWQ)
- [Cat breakdancing, but the girl breakdances too](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1ValKNYw_U)
- [Carl Wheezer - Glimpse of Us (Croissant Remix)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFtqyNpdDY4)

### Music {music}

|       |     |
| ----- | :-- |
| ★★★★☆ | Chilly Gonzales :: _Solo Piano II_ |
| ★★★★☆ | Lxmp :: _Back To The Future Shock_ |
| ★★★☆☆ | Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band :: _Safe As Milk_ |
| ★★★☆☆ | Death Cab for Cutie :: _Plans_ |
| ★★★☆☆ | Ni :: _Les insurgés de Romilly_ |
| ★★★☆☆ | Owl City :: _Of June_ |
| ★★★☆☆ | Shohei Amimori :: _Sonasile_ |
| ★★★☆☆ | Spangle Call Lilli Line :: _Ampersand_ |
| ★★★☆☆ | graves :: _Hilo - EP_ |
| ★★☆☆☆ | Eat Your Heart Out :: _Can't Stay Forever_ |
| ★★☆☆☆ | JVNA :: _Hope In Chaos_ |
| ★★☆☆☆ | Nu:Tone :: _Words and Pictures_ |
| ★★☆☆☆ | Sia :: _This Is Acting_ |
| ★★☆☆☆ | Tokyo Black Hole :: _大森靖子_ |
| ★★☆☆☆ | Yeah Yeah Yeahs :: _It's Blitz!_ |
| ★☆☆☆☆ | Charisma.com :: _DIStopping_ |

### Podcast Episodes {podcast-episodes}

|       |       |
| ----- | ----- |
| ★★★ | 99% Invisible :: _The Day the Music Stopped_ |
| ★★★ | Cautionary Tales :: _The Hero Who Rode His Segway Off a Cliff_ |
| ★★★ | Cautionary Tales :: _The Mummy's Curse_ |
| ★★★ | Chemistry for Your Life :: _How does baking soda eliminate odors?_ |
| ★★★ | Chemistry for Your Life :: _Is freezing point actually real?_ |
| ★★★ | Everything Everywhere Daily :: _Nanotechnology_ |
| ★★★ | Everything Everywhere Daily :: _Siege of Baghdad_ |
| ★★★ | Everything Everywhere Daily :: _The Most Important Supermarket Visit in History_ |
| ★★★ | Planet Money :: _Hollywood's Black List_ |
| ★★★ | Planet Money :: _The ice cream conspiracy_ |
| ★★★ | Planet Money :: _The value of good teeth_ |
| ★★★ | Radiolab :: _Crabs All the Way Down_ |
| ★★★ | Radiolab :: _Golden Goose_ |
| ★★★ | Radiolab :: _The Trust Engineers_ |
| ★★☆ | 99% Invisible :: _Orange Alternative_ |
| ★★☆ | 99% Invisible :: _RoboUmp_ |
| ★★☆ | Chemistry for Your Life :: _Are candles toxic?_ |
| ★★☆ | Conversations with Tyler :: _Brad DeLong_ |
| ★★☆ | Conversations with Tyler :: _Glenn Loury_ |
| ★★☆ | Conversations with Tyler :: _Yasheng Huang_ |
| ★★☆ | Cortex :: _The Perils of Being Left-Handed_ |
| ★★☆ | Deep Questions with Cal Newport :: _Reimagining the Internet_ |
| ★★☆ | Deep Questions with Cal Newport :: _The Joys of the Reading Life_ |
| ★★☆ | Epic Gardening Daily :: _Greenhouses & Geothermal Heating_ |
| ★★☆ | Epic Gardening Daily :: _Uncommon Fruits to Try Growing_ |
| ★★☆ | Everything Everywhere Daily :: _Artificial Sweeteners_ |
| ★★☆ | Everything Everywhere Daily :: _Out of Africa_ |
| ★★☆ | Everything Everywhere Daily :: _The First Battle of The Marne_ |
| ★★☆ | Everything Everywhere Daily :: _The History of the Compass_ |
| ★★☆ | Everything Everywhere Daily :: _Vitamin D_ |
| ★★☆ | Planet Money :: _Meow Money Meow Problems_ |
| ★★☆ | Planet Money :: _Seinfeld-onomics_ |
| ★★☆ | Radiolab :: _Bliss_ |
| ★★☆ | Software Unscripted :: _The Rust + Elm Stack_ |
| ★★☆ | Story of the Week :: _The New Etiquette Rules_ |
| ★★☆ | Strong Towns :: _The Property Tax System is Broken_ |
| ★★☆ | The Economics of Everyday Things :: _Used Hotel Soaps_ |
| ★★☆ | The Memory Palace :: _Every Night Ever_ |
| ★★☆ | What's Your Problem? :: _Creating the Uncrashable Car_ |
| ★★☆ | What's Your Problem? :: _The Electric Truck That Went Viral on TikTok_ |
| ★★☆ | What's Your Problem? :: _Turning Garbage Into Food_ |