Inspired by my friends who are doing such quality work after the office hours, I am also motivated now (albeit I can only do not-so quality work 😛). So, I am back to sharing my weekly learnings after a long break of more than a year. I will try to be more consistent this time around 😅

Video The Entire History of the Ottoman Empire: If you are someone like me, who is interested in history, you should definitely watch this to learn more about the Ottoman empire (one of the most important empires). This video will take you through the fascinating rise & fall of the empire, highlighting significant events (like conquest of Constantinople), cultural developments, and more.

Essay Persistence: Another great essay by Paul Graham. I am convinced Paul is one of the best essayist we have in the world currently. This essay explores the difference between persistence (+ve trait) and obstinacy (-ve trait). Persistent people are open to feedback and willing to change approaches, while obstinate people resist change. Paul explains obstinacy as a simpler, more primitive response that can work for simple problems but is less effective for complex problems.

The persistent are like boats whose engines can’t be throttled back. The obstinate are like boats whose rudders can’t be turned.

Video The Best Stories of Greek Mythology: Call me childish all you want, but I love mythological stories, and all kind of them. And this 2 hour long video is a compilation of many small Greek mythological stories in a comic form. What’s most surprising to me is how promiscuous all these Greek gods are in their stories. Do watch this video if you want to know the back stories of Zeus, Prometheus, Aphrodite, Medusa, Hades, and many many more !

Video The Crazy Engineering of Venice: I knew Venice is unique & beautiful but had no idea of all the engineering marvels behind the scenes. This video does a great job of explaining how refugees from Northern Italy set up the city and how the engineers overcame so many challenges (unstable foundations, lack of fresh water, waste disposal etc.) over the centuries.

Also, I found this very interesting youtube channel which posts all the videos of the British television quiz program University Challenge. Man, all these university kids are so knowledgeable ! You can watch last season’s final here, if you want to give the channel a try.

Currently Reading: I am reading ‘Shoe Dog’ by Phil Knight, where Phil (founder of Nike) shares the inside story of company’s early days and its evolution over time to one of the biggest brands. I am at 55% currently. Hope to complete it sometime this week