Values vs. actions, Zucc, and social media
Hey friends,
Here are eight things I thought were worth sharing this week:
I went to see Good Neighbours play live in Auckland last night. They’re great! Home, Ripple, Starry Eyed, Daisies, Bloom—all bangers. Was a small, tight venue and the vibes were immaculate. I’ve been enjoying my little solo adventures recently!
I am forever intrigued by Mark Zuckerberg (the Zucc). What was once a very awkward, robotic, nerdy guy, is now a drippy, trendy, cool guy. Over the past few years he’s transformed his public persona. Gotta be in part a PR move, I’m sure of it. His latest appearance that surprised me once again was his recent feature on Theo Von’s podcast. Keeping both of his hands in the same position the entire 90 minutes. His trial of frequent swearing. My interest is piqued.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (who created ChatGPT), is another very powerful, interesting person that interests me a lot. I really enjoyed his recent interview with TED. It is awkward, tricky to watch at times. But it is raw and real. The interviewer asked tough questions. Sam tried to hurry off the stage, before being guided back to shake hands at the end. Really interesting!
Name Wizard is an AI for generating new domain names based on your idea or concept and finding out if they’re available to register in one click. I’m working on a new project and it’s been helpful to play with!
There’s this one Substack I follow that posts the most beautifully written, thoughtful essays ever. Here’s the opening of one of the recent posts: to ask someone about their social values in 2025 is no longer a theoretical exercise. it’s not a quiet question you pose over dinner, or something you discover through introspection on a slow walk home. it’s a public pressure test. a litmus for how socially literate, morally aligned, and digitally fluent you appear to be. we live in a time where beliefs are expected to be both felt and formatted — expressed not only through personal actions, but through content, alignment, visibility, and sometimes, virality. your values are not just your principles; they are your identity, your bio, your brand. and if you’re not constantly declaring them, people begin to wonder if you have any at all.
Mark Manson’s quote relates to that piece well: Your actions reflect who you really are. Your words are simply reputation management.
The Nats have introduced a bill to the biscuit tin proposing to ban social media for under 16 year olds. Seems like a good idea to me - something is better than nothing. ‘Parent’s responsibility’ is no longer an option for the social media problem. Jesse Mulligan wrote a thoughtful little piece in his Substack - what a social media ban and believing in God have in common.
Three great quotes I found in Recommendo: “You can teach a donkey to climb a tree but it's easier to hire a squirrel.” - Peter Cundhill. “Thousands of people don’t like what I do. Fortunately, millions do.” — James Patterson. “Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again.” — André Gid
Have a great week,
Ben xx