RRR27: Philly on Bike, The Fall of Kabul, Threads, Shipping Routes, and The Interesting Bet Between New York and Minnesota
🚲🏙🌆⛰🏔🧵🧵🚢🧡💚
There’s nothing quite like a bike-ride at dusk around the city 🙂.
Something about the beautifully designed architecture, unique cityscapes, and seeing people outside enjoying each other’s company leaves me feeling inspired.
Gorgeous weather never hurts either 😉.
In Recent Times…
I grew up a fairly anxious person. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy my childhood — I certainly can remember a lot of care-free times that were filled with fun and adventure with my friends.
Yet, from as far back as I can remember, I did spend quite a bit of time worrying and stressing.
I would think about the future, but I’d mostly agonize about mistakes from the past, and I would do so across a vast spectrum of topics. When I reflect on those moments, I sense that a lot of it stemmed from two main places:
My belief that everyone else was far more impressive than me
My belief that there were no solutions to my problems
Number two makes me laugh now — what real “problems” did I have at the time?
Anxiety can be a good and natural thing — there are many things that could harm us or prevent us from leading the kind of life that we dream about.
But mostly, it’s a waste of precious time that you could be enjoying instead.
Here are some simple reminders I realized I’ve been telling myself lately when my mind is getting anxious:
It’s dumb to put people on an unrealistic pedestal
Outside of irreversible health problems, there’s nothing you can’t solve. You have the internet
You probably won’t care very much about this tomorrow if you get a good nights rest
Radically telling the truth (to yourself as well as others) will make you feel better
You aren’t as good at this as you’d like, but if you are just consistent, you will be
The last part is tricky — you have to dig deep and truly believe those words for it all to work!
Content Corner 📖🎙📺
Inside the Fall of Kabul, by Matthieu Aikins
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was a pivotal moment that dominated headlines, but many of us lacked a sober, firsthand account of how it actually unfolded on the ground. While we saw snippets of the chaos online or on the TV, we were missing the full picture of what life was like for those experiencing it directly — both in the tense days leading up to the evacuation and in its aftermath.
This article provides that crucial perspective, taking us inside Kabul during those fateful days. It vividly captures the mounting tension and uncertainty as the Taliban seized control, the frantic scramble of the evacuation itself, and the harsh new reality for Afghani citizens after U.S. forces departed.
By sharing these intimate accounts from people who lived through it, we get a much more nuanced understanding of this historic event beyond just the political talking points.
For those of us watching from afar, this insider view is invaluable for truly grasping the human impact and on-the-ground realities of the U.S. withdrawal. It's the kind of in-depth reporting we need more of to fully comprehend major world events.
Indonesian — Portuguese — English Translation Scene, from West Wing’s “The State Dinner”
I’ve been running back the West Wing recently, which is a show I truly could never get enough of. It helps that there’s a massive catalogue of episodes, but the writing is just so witty / hilarious I would happily watch the same episode 100 times. I pick up new nuances every time! Here’s one of my favorite scenes. Poor Donna….
Unfortunately the clip ends before you get Mr. Bambang’s beautiful critique of U.S. policymaker ignorance. If you haven’t already seen The West Wing, just watch season 1! You won’t be disappointed.
What’s Happening w/Threads? 🧵👚👕
It can be a useful exercise every once in a while to go a substantial period of time backwards and see what was capturing the minds of the masses in that moment. In my recent time travels, I came across Threads mania!
I hadn’t though much about threads since a couple months after it was released. I’m very seldom on its main competitor, and haven’t logged onto threads since it came out.
Rediscovering all the commentary that came out when Threads was released, and the strange moment that X is currently in, got me interested enough to dig into the data on MAUs.
Threads has way more MAUs than I would have thought!
The best data I could find regarding X has their MAU number near 370 million.
I suspect that Threads might actually continue eating into the lead that X has. The experience of being on X right now is shockingly poor compared to what it once was.
In fact, AI slop is one of my favorite new terms 😂.
Also, what happened to Elon getting rid of all the bots? 🤦🏻♂️.
Global Shipping Lanes 🌎🚢🌍
When you were a child, did you ever think it was miraculous how organized the world is?
As a kid, you have pretty limited perspective on human history and the time it takes for something to become mature.
I remember marveling at the rules of the road, and how airplanes didn’t just crash into each other all the time by accident.
One thing I wasn’t thinking about was global maritime shipping routes.
Oceans are quite big, and boats are relatively slow, so traffic control didn’t jump out to me as a modern marvel 🤷🏻♂️.
Yet, what I can appreciate now is how much coordination between countries and naval forces has to take place to have enabled the sort of mass movement of goods we enjoy today.
How much economic development and cultural exchange has been enabled by that level of coordination?
It’s stunning to think about.
What jumps out to you about the map? I was surprised at the amount of activity in Panama, the lack of activity in South America outside of Brazil, and that not much is happening in sub-Saharan Africa that doesn’t go through South Africa.
The Knicks, The Timberwolves, and the NBA’s Flexibility “Recession”
In a move that sent shockwaves through the NBA, the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves recently orchestrated a blockbuster trade, swapping All-Stars and reshaping their respective trajectories. At the heart of this deal: Karl-Anthony Towns heads to the Big Apple, while Julius Randle and Dante DiVincenzo pack their bags for the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
The Salary Cap
This trade isn't just about talent—it's a masterclass in navigating the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement. Both Towns and Randle, despite their All-NBA pedigrees, are seen as less than perfect assets that were becoming increasingly problematic for their original teams. Towns' contract, in particular, was a looming disaster for the Timberwolves. In the face of tightening salary cap restrictions, the nearly $60M annual salary Towns is receiving was going to massively effect their ability to retain quality talent in other spots on the roster.
While the NBAs new media rights deal will soon kick in and bump the salary cap much higher, we’re in what I would presume is at least a year or two of a financial flexibility recession. The salary cap has not increased at the pace of max contracts in the NBA which creates all sorts of problems. Essentially, when one player can take up such a massive percentage of a team’s cap space, it limits team building options. In the case of Towns, it’s hard to say he is worth it for a Minnesota team who will be locked into paying Anthony Edwards huge money for the foreseeable future.
By taking on Randle and DiVincenzo, they effectively broke Towns contract into two smaller pieces to preserve trade flexibility going forward. The Timberwolves' decision to break up a Western Conference Finals team might raise eyebrows, but it's a testament to the unforgiving nature of the NBA's financial landscape.
Minnesota's Calculated Gamble 🐺
By acquiring Randle, they introduce a new ball-dominant player who, while talented, doesn't offer the same spacing-appeal as Towns (who is one of the most prolific shooters at the center position in the history of basketball). This will undoubtedly require an adjustment period, especially for rising superstar Anthony Edwards who will have even less driving lanes than he did a year ago.
However, the addition of DiVincenzo shouldn't be overlooked. His versatility and malleable skillset provides valuable lineup flexibility, whether he starts or comes off the bench. While the Timberwolves may have taken a slight step back in pure talent, they've bought themselves what is likely a brighter future due to cap relief that will help them continue putting talented teams around Edwards.
New York's High-Stakes Bet 🧡💙
For the Knicks, this trade is all about unlocking new capabilities on the offensive end. Towns' ability to space the floor from the center position should create a wealth of opportunities for star point guard Jalen Brunson.
Yet, this move isn't without risk. Towns' massive contract adds a sense of urgency to the Knicks' championship aspirations. If he fails to elevate the team to true contender status—or if the issues that plagued him in Minnesota resurface—the Knicks could find themselves in a precarious position, forced to reshuffle their hand somewhere down the line without having achieved their ultimate goal.
Final Takeaway
Ultimately, this trade embodies the delicate balance between roster flexibility and win-now ambition in today's NBA. Both teams addressed pressing needs: Minnesota gained salary cap flexibility and depth, while New York added a truly unique offensive weapon to complement their core.
Only time will tell which team emerges as the true winner of this deal, and I’ll be here to relitigate it in the future!