Quantum computing, B.A Baracus and surviving the Canadian wilderness
A few of my favorite writers of 2020 — from the business of American nature
Happy New Year, friends! Welcome back to Interior Analytics. A newsletter that explores the business of American nature. If you are new here — make yourself at home and thanks for subscribing!
Today (in honor of bidding 2020 adieu) I look at a few of the articles and writers that I admire and have discovered this year. In summary:
Quantum computers explained in exactly 500 words [Complexity Condensed]
Consider: Nalgene, from the science lab to the backpack [Considered]
The Ballad of a Van Man [Family Founder]
The Nobel Prize-Winning, LSD Dropping, Yet Problematic Scientist Who Invented PCR [Elemental]
How One Man Survived a Plane Crash and 5 Days in the Snowy Canadian Wilderness—and Went On to Help Shape the Modern Ski Industry [Time]
This semi-regular look at some of my favorite pieces is a lens through which I find the inspiration to tackle deep dive essays on Interior Analytics — like how philanthropy and private equity could learn from each other, or how the business of the outdoors (despite COVID) has been booming, for some.
If you are new here, check out my other posts and sign up for this type of regular content. I’ll send it directly to your email — for free. If you think someone else would like this, please share!
Thanks and onward to 2021,
Sam
An ode to OnDeck
I can’t say that I was surprised to find three fifths of my top reads this year coming from newsletters I found through my writing fellowship with OnDeck. This fellowship was a bright spot in an otherwise tough (and dark) year. Not only did I discover brilliant writers, mentors, tactics and techniques that helped my own writing — I also found one of the most generous communities I have ever been a part of. If you learn anything from this post, I encourage you to check out their many different options as they continue to disrupt the education model. You might find your next big project or a new passion and focus — but I guarantee you will find a life long group of friends, mentors and growth. #notsponsored
Now, let’s look at the best stuff I read in 2020 👇
Quantum computers explained in exactly 500 words [Complexity Condensed, Louis Pereira]
Louis Pereira and I were randomly assigned to the same accountability group at OnDeck. This is where I first learned of his writing. He was working to launch a newsletter, and he had, what I thought, was a homerun of a concept; explaining complex things in as few words as possible. For anyone that writes regularly, sends emails to colleagues or texts for that matter, you know how hard this is. It requires a mind that quickly condenses the important stuff but leaves out the superfluous — using the precise words and structure for ultimate clarity. Olympic level stuff! His writing combines two things that are important to me in a newsletter; learning new things and doing it quick. I had the opportunity to get a sneak peek at this inaugural post and I was hooked. I could spend another (superfluous) paragraph explaining why quantum computing makes (some) sense to me now, but Louis’s beautiful writing already does that for you, so take a look. Personally, I can’t wait to learn how quantum computing will change the way we think about conservation and climate change and I’ll be keeping a much closer (and informed) eye on this.
QUANTUM COMPUTERS EXPLAINED IN EXACTLY 500 WORDS [COMPLEXITY CONDENSED]
Consider: Nalgene, from the science lab to the backpack [Considered, Kevin Kelly and Jared Gordon]
I am a sucker for nostalgia. Specifically the kind from the 1990’s — my formative years in high school and college. The bright colors, the tech boom (and bust) and grunge music! It was during this period when my youthful love of nature and camping (thanks mom and dad) started to become a true passion. In 1995, I was choosing a college to attend and the only real criteria was that it must be in close proximity to mountains and rivers and have a degree program that focused on the outdoors. Luckily, I found it in Montana. I was a middle class kid in Ohio who had never been west of the Mississippi (nor had my parents). But I had friends in high school who vacationed in Breckenridge and whitewater rafted the wild rivers of Idaho over their winter and summer breaks — how could I do this? It was around this same time that the “outdoor/active lifestyle” aesthetic was becoming a thing. Patagonia’s fleece were hard to get, The North Face was still a budding independent company and Burton Snowboards was on the precipice of blowing up the ski industry. The aesthetic seemed exclusive and stickers of ski resorts and Yakima rooftop racks were being attached (seemingly off the factory line) onto a brand new car concept — the SUV.
It was all very cool and I wanted it.
BUT, if anything gave you cred as an outdoor enthusiast it was the fact that you carried around a Nalgene water bottle everywhere you went. It was your passport of sorts, dotted with stickers of all the places you had been to show the world: I do outdoor things. But how did this water bottle come to be? This is the fascinating history of the plasticized icon that spawned an entire industry of personal liquid containers, from another project that was born at OnDeck: Considered.
CONSIDER: NALGENE, FROM SCIENCE LAB TO THE BACKPACK [CONSIDERED]
The Ballad of a Van Man [Family Founder, Derek Browers]
I’ve already mentioned my proclivity for nostalgia and boy does that continue in this deeply reflective and personal piece from another creator at OnDeck, Derek Browers. He is a beautiful writer that has found a topic so relevant to me: navigating the immensely rewarding, but harder than anything, role of a parent — from a founder’s perspective (also rewarding and hard). Maybe it’s because Derek and I are from a similar era (the 80s-90s) and we both have kids, which seems somewhat of an outlier in the “new founder” space (although increasingly more common). But his posts hit home to me and this one in particular was a real treat. I mean, anytime I see the names B.A Baracus, Lee Iacocca and The Grateful Dead alongside captain’s chairs and shag carpet minivans — I immediately hit the like button. Check it out.
THE BALLAD OF A VAN MAN [FAMILY FOUNDER]
The Nobel Prize-Winning, LSD Dropping, Yet Problematic Scientist Who Invented PCR [Elemental, Wudan Yan]
My day job is to help Yellowstone National Park fund their priorities. Whether it be through corporate fundraising or strategic partnerships I consider myself extremely lucky to do this. I get an inside look at what it takes to manage, protect and enhance our country’s most revered national park — the first one in the world. What most people don’t get to see, are the extreme environments that reside at Yellowstone; under its surface. With the highest concentration of hot springs and geysers found anywhere in the world, Yellowstone is a marvel of the universe. So it didn’t surprise me to learn (as has been widely reported this year) that it is home to a monumental scientific discovery, an enzyme to be exact, that inspired the foundation of PCR testing — the gold standard to determine whether or not you are positive for COVID-19. I knew this discovery happened in the 1960s, but what I didn’t know was the wild background story of the Nobel Prize winning scientist that helped bring it to fruition. Writer Wudan Yan brings this story to light and is worth every bit of your time over on Elemental.
How One Man Survived a Plane Crash and 5 Days in the Snowy Canadian Wilderness—and Went On to Help Shape the Modern Ski Industry [Time, Cassidy Randall]
It might be that it’s currently snowing outside my western Montana window or that I often dream of having a helicopter drop me on an untouched, newly blanketed mountain slope of snow — but I thoroughly enjoyed discovering this story of survival and innovation that encapsulates one of my favorite outdoor activities — Skiing. As I began to search for some of my favorite pieces of writing over the last year, this one came in at the buzzer, appearing in Time magazine only a few days ago. I was gripped by the harrowing description of nature’s wrath contrasted by the detail in which the author describes the beauty and solitude of the Selkirk and Purcell mountains of British Columbia. Add in the author’s own unique “Into thin air-esque” tale of personal struggle and this story quickly rose to the top of my list. In fact, I wanted more — and I really hope a book is on its way that expands on the account. Almost as satisfying as reading this piece was finding Cassidy Randall’s many other published works (of which I’m working through) and the fact that her base camp is in my hometown. I hope you enjoy.
Pandemic Writing
I would be remiss if I didn’t point out some of the great writing that was published on the topic that dominated our lives in 2020 — the pandemic. There was a lot. But, this is an easy one for me because anything written by Ed Yong, mostly in The Atlantic (COVID or otherwise), is worth checking out. You can find most of his work via his Twitter account here: @edyong209
Here is one in particular:
HOW THE PANDEMIC DEFEATED AMERICA [THE ATLANTIC]
Favorite journalism I invested in this year - High Country News
There is no question that media scrutiny, consolidation, business models, politics, social media — you name it — have been hard on journalism the last few years (some for good reason). The pandemic certainly didn’t help. So how can you, as a reader, play a role in supporting good journalism? I would encourage you to find the sources of news you feel do the right work and do what you can to invest in it. Whether it is a journalist’s personal newsletter, local newspaper or podcast— consider making it a part of your contribution to advancing civil discourse in our country. This year, I subscribed to several newsletters (perhaps the topic of a future post) but I invested in one news outlet in particular that, in my opinion, puts out a consistent, balanced and topical source of information to the issues of my area in the west. High Country News.
✌️2020 — let’s do this, 2021
Did you like these articles? Did any of them spark a conversation or question? I’d love to hear from you. If you have suggestions for articles or topics drop a comment or DM on twitter. What were some of your favorite pieces of 2020?
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