» HADOUKEN « 2010s were a box of chocolates
I've often said to friends "if you'd have told me that even 10% of the things that happened to me in the last decade would come to pass, I'd have told you that you are crazy."
In that time, the magical 2010s, I began my career as a white-shoe corporate attorney, ended my career as a white-shoe corporate attorney, opened two menswear retail locations (and subsequently closed both), launched a designer fashion label, was verified on Twitter, starred in a reality TV show, added over 100 books to my book shelf, played over 2000 hours of video games, got married, quit smoking cigarettes, had my hip completely reconstructed, lived in 7 apartments, travelled hundreds of thousands of miles...
...and the list goes on.
While the specific details are uniquely my own, the general theme applies to us all: as you get older, you begin to realize how complex life truly is. You begin to realize the impermanence of everything, and as a result, you find beauty in the unexpected and the ephemera. There are 1000 corny proverbs I can offer to support this already-corny observation--I won't do that. Instead, I will simply encourage anyone reading this to indulge in the unexpected and bask in the ephemera. Turn over every single stone across which you come and take a plunge down each rabbit hole upon which you stumble. Be your own version of Forrest Gump: constantly reinvent yourself and oblige yourself when you discover new, curious adventures.
What year-end newsletter would be complete without some sort of year-end round up? Or, in this case, decade-end? Below is my attempt to do just that--a list of articles, podcasts, videos etc. (basically, #content) that educated, inspired, surprised or otherwise entertained me over the course of the last decade. Seeing that today is one of the least productive days of the year, I hope you find some time to click through a few of these links and enjoy the #content therein.
An article about how Friends single-handedly ushered in an era of anti-intellectualism and the downfall of Western civilization. (2016)
A Lost series finale review that, in my mind, is the single greatest piece of pop culture editorial ever written. (2010)
The launch of Eric Weinstein's The Portal, perhaps the most intellectually honest and thought provoking podcast out there. (2019)
The last great, gritty, raw and authentic music video. (2011)
The Ethereum white paper, or a piece of literature that lays the foundation for a decentralized future where blockchain is the basis for memorializing the transfer of anything of value (not just money). (2013)
For Highsnobiety, my first ever fashion white paper on The New Luxury (2018)
A Slate Star Codex short story that ponders transcendental joy, prime numbers and getting out of a car. (2015)
A video by a famous Minecraft vlogger that starts off as a rant against Twitter but makes a hard left turn to discuss "what is virtue?" in the age of social media. (2019)
It ain't Ralph, though! (2014)
The history of Super Mario's most infamous level, 4-2. (2018)
My friend's stupid blog that became an even dumber book that I sold in my store :) (2011)
Joe Rogan and Sam Harris make the case for a freethinking society independent of labels and groupthink, showcasing the power and breadth of Intellectual Dark Web™. (2014)
A strong piece of evidence for the then-emerging "Remixed Americana" trend that was popularized by Raf Simons' short-lived but highly influential tenure as creative director at Calvin Klein. (2017)
A series of blog posts chronicling the opening of Carson Street Clothiers on Esquire, written in the first person and in real-time. (2012-2013)
That crazy Elle take down article by a disgruntled freelancer (published, oddly enough, in The Observer). (2016)
The most unexpected voice in the history of music. (2014)
See you in 2020.
- ntb