‘Self-confident yet selfless’: Yale’s(yāl) David Swensen dies at 67

David F. Swensen ’80 Ph.D., whose revolutionary(ˌrevəˈlo͞oSHəˌnerē) approach to managing Yale’s endowment(inˈdoumənt), warmth of spirit, and personal integrity(inˈteɡrədē) made him one of the world’s most admired(ədˈmī(ə)r) institutional(ˌinstəˈt(y)o͞oSH(ə)n(ə)l) investors and a beloved member of the Yale community, died May 5 in New Haven(ˈhāvən), after a long battle with cancer. He was 67.

Self-confident, selfless, spirited, and guided by a finely tuned(t(y)o͞on) moral(ˈmôrəl) compass(ˈkəmpəs), Swensen assumed management of Yale’s endowment in the mid-1980s, when he was in his early 30s and the endowment stood at $1.3 billion. In the decades to come, he won(wən) international renown(rəˈnoun) for an approach to institutional investing that emphasized(ˈemfəˌsīz) diversification(dəˌvərsəfəˈkāSH(ə)n) beyond publicly traded stocks and bonds, especially with illiquid(ˌi(l)ˈlikwəd) and alternative(ôlˈtərnədiv) assets(ˈaset), for his commitment to ethical(ˈeTHək(ə)l) action in work and life, and for financial results.

Over Swensen’s 35-year stewardship(ˈst(y)o͞oərdˌSHip), the Yale Endowment generated returns of 13.1% per annum(anəm) through June 30, 2020, outperforming the Cambridge(ˈkāmbrij) Associates mean by 3.4% and a traditional 60% stock/40% fixed income portfolio(pôrtˈfōlēˌō) by 4.3% per annum.

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Widely celebrated outside the university for his pioneering(ˌpīəˈniriNG) and influential(ˌinflo͞oˈen(t)SH(ə)l) work as an investment manager — and as a mentor(ˈmenˌtôr) for other future top investment leaders — Swensen was also known within Yale as an engaged teacher, a wise and candid(ˈkandəd) counselor(ˈkouns(ə)lər), and an enthusiastic(inˌTH(y)o͞ozēˈastik) university citizen.

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https://news.yale.edu/2021/05/06/self-confident-yet-selfless-yales-david-swensen-dies-67

Aim for the edges(ej).

By Derek Sivers

An amazing shift has happened in the last few decades.

You used to get successful by being normal and mainstream(ˈmānˌstrēm). But now you have a better chance of getting successful by being remarkably(rəˈmärkəblē) unusual(ˌənˈyo͞oZH(o͞o)əl).

Songwriters try to write a timeless standard that will resonate(ˈreznˌāt) with everyone. But what good is that if nobody hears it because your music is too normal?

Our culture is split(split) into niches(niCH, nēSH). In 1948, Milton Berle’s(bərl) TV show had 80% of all viewers, because it was one of only three choices! When the Beatles(ˈbēd(ə)lz) played on Ed Sullivan(ˈsələvən) in 1964, they had 60% of all TV viewers. But now the biggest hit shows only get 1% of all viewers, because there are so many choices.

There won’t be another blockbuster(ˈbläkˌbəstər) album like “Thriller(ˈTHrilər)” by Michael Jackson. With unlimited(ˌənˈlimidəd) options now, music fans don’t wait for mainstream media to tell them what to like. They can immediately listen to anything they want. Because of this, tastes(tāst) are more spread-out than ever.

So reach the people who have headed to the edges. They’re the ones who are looking for something new, and more likely to rave(rāv) about it if you impress them.

Think of the metaphor(ˈmedəˌfôr) of shooting an arrow(ˈerō) at a bull’s(bo͝ol)-eye target:

In the old blockbuster music business, you had a hit single or nothing. The only way you could be successful was to hit the exact center of a tiny distant(ˈdistənt) target. If you missed the middle, you got nothing.

Now it’s like the target is closer and bigger, but there’s a catch: Someone cut out the middle.

You can aim for the edge and hit something pretty easily. But if you’re still aiming for the middle, there’s nothing there.

So be remarkably unusual, and aim for those people who have headed to the edges.

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https://sive.rs/no-bullseye

Funny things mom says while trying to figure out the Internet

By Rona Waddington

For her 85th birthday, I gave my mother an iPad. She’d never used a computer. She had a trying relationship with her TV remote control and a miserable(ˈmiz(ə)rəb(ə)l) track record with her cell, an old-style flip phone that she rarely(ˈrerlē) bothered to take out of the drawer(ˈdrôr) and, when she did, never thought to turn on.

She was keen(kēn) on a tablet(ˈtablət) because she knew people who had them and she believed that if she didn’t keep up with technology, even in her own small way, she’d one day find herself in a computerized(kəmˈpyo͞odəˌrīzd) kitchen(ˈkiCH(ə)n), “unable to open a can of soup.”

She loved the hot pink case that my husband picked out for her. She bought a notebook of the same colour in which to write instructions on how to work all the apps.

Our first task was e-mail. She quickly learned the fundamentals(ˌfəndəˈmen(t)əl) but couldn’t see the point of e-mailing(ˈmāliNG) when she could phone or visit in person.

Next, we tackled(ˈtak(ə)l) Netflix. Mom’s a movie lover with a seemingly(ˈsēmiNGlē) bottomless(ˈbädəmləs) appetite(ˈapəˌtīt) for murder mysteries, of the more macabre(məˈkäbrə) variety(vəˈrīədē). She was astonished(əˈstänəSHt) by the glut(ɡlət) of crime(krīm) thrillers(ˈTHrilər) that Netflix has on offer but what truly excited(ikˈsīdəd) her was the Recommendations feature.

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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/first-person/article-funny-things-mom-says-while-trying-to-figure-out-the-internet/

Make People Feel Good

By Steve Pavlina

A simple way to enjoy a happier and more abundant(əˈbəndənt) social life is to put some effort into making people feel good.

Many people get so caught up thinking they have to rack(rak) up some accomplishments, get into better shape, become a person of high value, and more — just to give themselves permission to reach out and connect with others. None of that is necessary. That’s putting the focus on yourself, where you’ll only swirl(swərl) around in endless circles(ˈsərk(ə)l) of self-doubt. You’ll never feel prepared with that approach. You’ll never be done. You’ll just keep coming up with more reasons why you aren’t ready. Your goal will always be six more months away.

If a woman wants me to like her, all she needs to do is ask me, “What can I do to make you feel good right now?” I’ll tell her. Suppose I say, “Well, I’d love a good head-scratching(skraCH).” And she says okay and starts giving me a head-scratching. Now I’m blissing(blis) out, and I have her to thank for it. She’s instantly promoted to my A-list.

Do I care if she does yoga(ˈyōɡə) for two hours a day to stay in shape? Does it matter how much traffic she gets to her website? Do I care what color her skin is? None of those things matter to me. If she makes me feel good when I’m with her, of course I’m going to like her.

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https://stevepavlina.com/blog/2015/03/make-people-feel-good/

My Wishes for You
by Adele Geras and Cliff Wright

I wish you

light from behind the hill
Spilling into the sky.

Kisses to wake you.

Warm sun on your face

A path that goes from here to everywhere.
Daydreams like birds
Unfolding wide white wings.

A kind gaze(ɡāz) following you as you walk.
A smile to smile at when you turn your head.

Trees wide enough for you to hide(hīd) behind and drifting shadows.
Pieces of the dark …

which vanish as the sun moves through the leaves.

Small pools to splash(splaSH) in when the rain comes down.
A dancing stream to follow with your dance.

Your own hands strong to pile(pīl) up stones you find into a tower high enough to climb.

And arms outstretched(ˌoutˈstreCHt) to catch you if you fall.

Someone to tell you words for everything.
Laughter to join your laughter. Songs to sing.

A quilt(kwilt) to cover you and all your dreams.

Warm in your bed safe through the quiet(ˈkwīət) night.

Darkness and moonlight.

Your star in the sky.

May Night

By Sara Teasdale

The spring is fresh and fearless(ˈfirləs)
And every leaf(lēf) is new,
The world is brimmed(brim) with moonlight,
The lilac(ˈlīlək) brimmed with dew(d(y)o͞o).

Here in the moving shadows
I catch my breath(breTH) and sing–
My heart is fresh and fearless
And over-brimmed with spring.

https://www.poetry.com/poem/34530/may-night

The River

By Bruce Springsteen

I come from down in the valley(ˈvalē)
Where, mister, when you’re young
They bring you up to do like your daddy done
Me and Mary we met in high school
When she was just seventeen
We’d ride(rīd) out of this valley down to where the fields were green

We’d go down to the river
And into the river we’d dive(dīv)
Oh, down to the river we’d ride

Then I got Mary pregnant(ˈpreɡnənt)
And man, that was all she wrote
And for my nineteenth birthday I got a union(ˈyo͞onyən) card and a wedding(ˈwediNG) coat
We went down to the courthouse(ˈkôrtˌhous)
And the judge put it all to rest
No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle(īl)
No flowers, no wedding dress

That night we went down to the river
And into the river we’d dive
Oh, down to the river we did ride
Ah-yah

I got a job working construction(kənˈstrəkSH(ə)n) for the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain’t been much work on account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well, mister, they vanished(ˈvaniSH) right into the air
Now I just act like I don’t remember
And Mary acts like she don’t care

But I remember us riding in my brother’s car
Her body tan(tan) and wet down at the reservoir(ˈrezərˌvwär)
At night on them banks I’d lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she’d take
Now those memories come back to haunt(hônt) me
They haunt me like a curse(kərs)
Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true
Or is it something worse

That sends me down to the river
Though I know the river is dry
That sends me down to the river tonight
Ah-yah-yah
Down to the river
My baby and I
Oh, down to the river we ride
Ah-yah-ay

Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
Ooh
Ooh, ooh
Ooh

https://y.qq.com/n/yqq/song/000NFOlS4DDBlW.html

Review of “2001: A Space Odyssey(ˈädəsē)”

By Roger Ebert

The genius(ˈjēnyəs) is not in how much Stanley(ˈstanlē) Kubrick(ˈko͝obrik) does in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” but in how little. This is the work of an artist so sublimely(səˈblīmlē) confident that he doesn’t include a single shot(SHät) simply to keep our attention. He reduces each scene(sēn) to its essence(ˈesəns), and leaves it on screen long enough for us to contemplate(ˈkän(t)əmˌplāt) it, to inhabit it in our imaginations. Alone among science-fiction(ˈfikSH(ə)n) movies, “2001” is not concerned with thrilling(ˈTHriliNG) us, but with inspiring(inspiring) our awe(ô).

No little part of his effect comes from the music. Although Kubrick originally commissioned(kəˈmiSHənd) an original score from Alex North, he used classical recordings as a temporary track while editing the film, and they worked so well that he kept them. This was a crucial decision. North’s score, which is available on a recording, is a good job of film composition, but would have been wrong for “2001” because, like all scores, it attempts to underline the action – to give us emotional cues. The classical music chosen by Kubrick exists outside the action. It uplifts. It wants to be sublime(səˈblīm); it brings a seriousness(ˈsirēəsnəs) and transcendence(ˌtran(t)ˈsendəns) to the visuals(ˈviZH(o͞o)əl).

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https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-2001-a-space-odyssey-1968

As Robots Fill the Workplace, They Must Learn to Get Along

Warehouses, factories, and hospitals are deploying more robots, often made by different companies. That can lead to communication problems.

By Will Knight

So many robots work at Changi(ni) General Hospital in Singapore that until recently it wasn’t uncommon(ˌənˈkämən) to find two delivery(dəˈliv(ə)rē) bots sitting in a hallway or outside an elevator in a standoff.

Such impasses used to happen “several times a day,” says Selina Seah, who directs the hospital’s Center for Healthcare Assistive(əˈsistiv) and Robotics(rōˈbädik) Technologies. Unsure how to move around another object, or human passersby, the robots would simply freeze, each waiting for the other to move first. “The humans would have to actually go down and pull them apart,” she says.

Seah says Changi has about 50 robots, from eight manufacturers. As at other hospitals, robotic systems assist professionals with delicate(ˈdelikət) surgical(ˈsərjək(ə)l) procedures and guide patients through surgery(ˈsərj(ə)rē) and rehabilitation(ˌrē(h)əˌbiləˈtāSH(ə)n) exercises. At Changi, dozens of mobile robots also perform tasks like cleaning or delivering medication, supplies, and patient notes. But they’re not good at communicating with one another.

The standoffs at Changi offer a glimpse(ɡlim(p)s) of a future problem for many businesses, as multiple robots, from different makers, struggle to navigate within the same busy spaces. Besides health care, robots are rapidly(ˈrapədlē) being adopted in manufacturing and logistics(ləˈjistiks) and are starting to appear in stores and offices.

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https://www.wired.com/story/robots-fill-workplace-must-learn-get-along/

Get rejected, get filtered.

By Derek Sivers

Have you heard of rejection therapy? It’s a challenge — kind of a game — where you make it your mission to get rejected by someone every day. You have to do crazy things, like asking a stranger if you can try a bite(bīt) of their sandwich. If they say no, you win for the day. The real point of the challenge is to overcome the fear of rejection by constantly exposing yourself to it.

Musicians usually send their music only to places that take everything. In other words: places that won’t reject it. It’s easier and feels better.

But think of the places that reject most music. Like media outlets, venues(ˈvenˌyo͞o), and festivals. Like top professionals: successful agents, promoters(prəˈmōdər), and producers. And ideally(īˈdē(ə)lē), places that usually don’t have music at all.

If you look hard for them, you can find them, and do whatever it takes to get your music accepted by them. It takes more work, and you’ll be rejected a lot. But you could approach it like rejection therapy.

Because once you get into any of these places, your credibility(ˌkredəˈbilədē) sets you apart from the rest, and opens more doors. You can even re-approach the places that rejected you before.

When you can show that you’ve made it through the filters — the places that weed out the bad music — it puts you in finer company: the best of the best.

Many more opportunities will open to you once you’ve earned your way through a few filters.

https://sive.rs/gofilt