Links for April 24, 2022

🧮 The Polymath Playbook — Salman

Salman has some essential reading for anyone who follows this blog. He touches on the concept of ikigai, which I also recently wrote about, and explores the benefits of exploring multiple disciplines — an ongoing topic of mine.

You’ve likely heard the saying: “A jack of all trades is a master of none.” It warns against the futility of pursuing too many disciplines. Be a specialist, or you’ll be nothing.

It may surprise you to learn there’s actually an extended version: “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” With a subtle addition, its meaning becomes inverted to tout the benefits of being a polymath (a.k.a. generalist).

Why is the former so common, and the latter so unknown?

✨ DALL·E 2 and the Origin of Vibe Shifts — Divinations

In 2015, most cool websites looked like this:

Today, this aesthetic is way more pervasive:

What happened?

Nathan Baschez argues that when Unsplash made access to high quality photos free, it allowed everyone to copy the glossy photo aesthetic. Suddenly, great photos weren't scarce anymore, so companies started moving to illustrations as a way of signalling status.

I’m interested in this little piece of design history because today I think history is on the brink of repeating itself. Now that we have DALL·E 2 (and other AI image generators), a huge portion of visual vibes will become democratized. What Unsplash did to photography, DALL·E 2 will do to illustrations, 3D renderings, and eventually all visual styles.

In other words: a vibe shift is indeed coming.

(If you have trouble with the original link, this archived version should work — the original isn't loading properly for me right now.)

💼 Neurodiverse Candidates Find Niche in Remote Cybersecurity Jobs — WSJ

Another benefit of providing employees with work from home flexibility: A more inclusive workplace.

Typical office culture can be a tough fit for people with cognitive differences, but the mass move to remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic has made things easier for job seekers who are neurodiverse, an umbrella term that includes conditions such as autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia.

And More

💨 On March 29, wind power briefly became the second largest source of power in America for the first time ever. (Via The Hustle)

💰 NYC is going to require businesses to post salary ranges — a major step forward for pay transparency.

🪐 NASA's Mars Perseverance rover witnessed a solar eclipse on Mars, and Seán Doran created a stunning flyover of a Martian crater using imagery from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

🐦 Tweets

Don’t look for answers, look for probabilities.

— Dror Poleg (@drorpoleg) April 12, 2022

Remember: @TheRock sells tequila, acts in movies, co-owns a football league, owns a sports drink, partnered with Under Armor and runs a movie production company.

Society wants you to “stay in your lane” but you really shouldn’t.

Have fun. Experiment. Build things.

Do you.

— Ross Simmonds (@TheCoolestCool) January 25, 2022