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This is a big move for Spotify. In some ways it’s like the huge content deals sites like Netflix, HBO, Disney+ and Apple TV+ did when they launched their projects. And I feel that financially is in the same ballpark.

This is how it looks in numbers. Joe Rogan’s Podcast has:

• 190 million listeners per month (in April 2019, at least). If the link doesn’t open at the right time stamp, go to minute 4:48 in the clip.
• 8.4 million subscribers for Powerful JRE YouTube channel
• 4.46 million subscribers for JRE Clips Youtube channel
• revenues of $30 million in 2019

I mean, he’s doing pretty well on his own, personal, distribution channels. It probably took a lot of money and opportunities to move his podcast to what is, essentially, a closed system. Yes, the podcast will be free, but you still have to be a Spotify user, which didn’t happen before.

Rogan’s YouTube channel will remain live, but it won’t contain full episodes. There might be clips or other supplementary content which could benefit from YouTube’s search algorithm and push people to listen to full episodes on Spotify.

From TheVerge

As a side note, I don’t like Spotify as a podcast player. I use Overcast and I find it better for that. I do use Spotify for music and I find it has the best suggestion engine, but I’ve been testing YouTube Music lately, as well.

Going back to this deal. I feel that it can be a turning point in the world of podcasting. The straw that brakes the camel’s back and moves a lot of podcasts (and podcasters) to closed platforms. I don’t love it, frankly, but who knows.

On the other hand, I rarely listen to Joe Rogan’s podcast and, when I do, I usually go to YouTube. So it might not be a sign for the industry at large. Anyway, interesting to follow where it goes, since it can be a first sign for things to come for “freelance creators”.

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Oddly enough, I found it really difficult to explain to other people just what Mavenhut did. :)

What was the most difficult question I got during a pitch?

The truth is, there are no easy questions during a pitch, especially when you don’t know the answer.

As a consequence, the most difficult questions I got during a pitch were the ones I didn’t know the answers to.

The thing is, as you go from pitch to pitch, you shouldn’t have issues with the previous difficult questions, because from one pitch to the other, you should know the answers.

A difficult question I received during raising money from Mavenhut was:

What does Mavenhut do?

And I wasn’t really able to explain in a concise way what Mavenhut does and it took me about one or two days to formulate the answer in a way that people would understand.

Since Mavenhut built Solitaire games, one of the questions was:

Do you really think that people would buy an application that’s already free on their computer?

And it took us a little bit of time to find a way to explain why people would spend money on an application that’s already free in their computer.

Another question I got was:

Are you really going to spend 80% of the seed money that we give you on advertising?

And, actually, the answer is simple: it’s “yes”. Explaining it is not as easy so it took us a little bit of time to find a way to explain why gaming companies use so much of their investment on advertising. All I had to do was explain the “Unit Economics: of our users aaaand… it was ok :)

There are no difficult questions; there are just questions that you don’t know the answer. Yet.

.

From pitch to pitch, the “difficult questions” should change; you should have different difficult questions and, in time, there shouldn’t be any.

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The reason I got my first PlayStation ever (it was a PS3) was to play Uncharted 2, one of Naughty Dog’s games.

I loved The Last of Us Part 1.

Last of Us part 2 should have been available for play these days. It was moved up until June 18th, so there’s not a long time to wait, but I can hardly do it :)

Yesterday, in competition with SpaceX’s first launch with humans on board (it was postponed), Sony showed some more backstory for the Last of US part 2 and some more gameplay.

If you want to see it, here it is:

P.S.: I also preordered The Collector’s Edition, I hope it still makes it to me in time, before I buy the game on PSN, as well :)

Some years ago I started to have some issues with my wrist from writing too much (and playing) on the computer. It was an early symptom of RSI and I wanted to tackle the problem as early as possible. I solved some issues by moving my gaming sessions on consoles, but I still needed to sort out writing.

Best Keyboard to Avoid RSI: Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard

While I was searching for a good external keyboard for my laptop (to use while at home, at least), I found this article from Marco Arment. He was really happy with his Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic keyboard, so I had to try it.

My experience with Microsoft Sculpt keyboard

4-5 years later, I just bought my second one. The first one still works quite well, but another member of my family decided she needs it. So here I am, with a new keyboard on my desk, albeit with a UK layout, unfortunately, since I’m really used to the US one. The reason? No Amazon in Europe would sell a US layout Sculpt keyboard. Well… I bought it from Amazon UK.

Later update: in the end, I cracked. I ordered one more expensive (for us, in Europe) from the United States. And my fiancée uses one now, as well. This makes 4 keyboards in total in the last 7 years. And we have one with UK layout in case anything happens.

The shape of the keyboard takes a little bit of time to get used to it. Your writing speed will likely suffer, initially, so you need to put in the effort. The keyboard is basically split in the middle, so if you’re a fast two hands typist, you will adjust pretty fast, but otherwise it might be a little weird.

One thing that makes the keyboard good for RSI prevention is the palm rest. It’s big enough and, more important, it’s higher than the keyboard, so your fingers are, actually, a bit lower than your wrist. This helps a lot, because you’re not forcing your wrist up, as it happens with normal, straight keyboards. The keyboard is also facing downwards on both sides, from the middle, so that you keep the natural position of your wrists during writing.

MacOS solutions: CMD/Option keys

Because I use it on the Mac, I needed to do one change, though. Since CMD and ALT/Option keys on Macs are in different positions than Windows key and Alt on Windows, I switched the keys in System Preferences/Keyboard, as you see below. Now the Alt key on the keyboard is CMD and the Windows key on the keyboard is ALT/Option.

Finally, the mouse. It also helps with RSI, but it’s actually a little bit weirder than the keyboard, if you can believe it: it’s round, like a half of a tennis ball and it actually works quite well. When you use it, your hand stays in its natural position, a little bit on the side, not with the wrist forced in the awkward position to the left (if you’re a righty). Btw, I’ve only seen right hand mice for this keyboard, so keep it in mind.

Weird things about the keyboard

• it’s not bluetooth, it has a small USB dongle for both keyboard and mouse (and numpad). It is better in some ways, worse in others. YMMV.
• it doesn’t have a CAPS LOCK led. You never know if it’s on or off. It can be annoying sometimes.
• the space bar is split. Might feel weird
• the top row of keys (functions/media keys) are smaller and have a different feel when typing. This includes Escape, which is quite important if you’re coding. It’s not a dealbreaker, you should just know about it
• the NumPad is separate from the keyboard. I don’t use it, so I’m happy with this solution, because it makes for a smaller footprint on my desk, but your needs might be different.
• it has a different type of batteries in the mouse than in the keyboard and numpad.

If you want the keyboard, you can find it on Amazon (US, UK, DE), with local layouts. I assume there are other providers, as well, but I didn’t look for them. You can, also, buy just the keyboard, or just the mouse, based on your needs.

Below you can watch a video (not mine) with a review after one year of using the keyboard. It’s not the best image quality, but it’s the best video I’ve seen in terms of an actual user telling you what’s good and not. My experience is a little bit different, since I didn’t have the problem with the rubber strip at the bottom (you’ll see).

I’ve seen this on TechCrunch today:

Bryter raises $16M for a no-code platform for non-technical people to build enterprise automation apps

2 ideas:

1. I might’ve started too late in life to learn Python to add automations to things in my work life.

Well, what the heck, it’s not like I’ll stop, but it’s good to see no-code platforms growing.

Bryter — a no-code platform based in Berlin that lets workers in departments like accounting, legal, compliance and marketing who do not have any special technical or developer skills build tools like chatbots, trigger automated database and document actions and risk assessors — is today announcing that it has raised $16 million. This is a Series A round and it’s being co-led by Accel and Dawn Capital, with Notion Capital and Chalfen Ventures also participating.

2. Good/Great companies will always find a way to grow/get financing, even during a global pandemic, when people can’t meet face to face.

Michael Grupp, the CEO who co-founded the company with Micha-Manuel Bues and Michael Hübl (pictured below), said that the whole Series A process took no more than a month to initiate and close, an impressive turnaround considering the chilling effect that the COVID-19 health pandemic has had on dealmaking.

You know, when you have a hammer in hand, everything around you is a nail. This is the way I’m seeing automation right now: everywhere I look, there’s some news on automation or something I can automate. I even recommended Zapier as a tool I use in this week’s The CEO Library newsletter.

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I’ve been writing emails back and forth with a reader of this site and he asked me this:

“Can you tell me in all the books you read, is there one book you think it changed your life the most and would you share it with me?”

I’ve been thinking about it a little bit and I realized that there are no books that changed my life in a profound way that I can talk about. But there are lots of books that changed my life a little bit for the better. While I was answering, I thought that this would be a good article for the blog as well.

Here’s my answer:

Man, there are books that were life changing at that moment, but in retrospect they’re not THAT life changing.

• The Lean Startup

  – changed my way of doing a startup

• The Hard Thing about Hard Things

  – made it easier for me to go through the shitty days in my startup, because I knew I wasn’t the only one going through that.

• Startup Life

  – helped me saved my relationship by highlighting the things your partner goes through when you grow your business

• Getting Things Done

  – made me much more productive and aware of my time

I don’t think there’s a true life changing book, but there are books that change your understanding of the specific situation you are in.

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I’ve been waiting for The Last of Us Part 2 for a long time. So much so that I pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition and I also pre-ordered it on PSN, downloadable, just to be sure I can play it today, on launch day :D

I know there’s a lot of talk right now online about the changes in the game, about the leaks, about the politics of the creator and how it can be seen in the game.

I genuinely don’t care. I enjoy the game (in my 4th hour or so right now). It fills in so much of the world that I wanted to know in the first game that I could just explore, I don’t even care too much about the story right now. Not that I don’t (I do and I like how it started), but exploration makes it worth it for me all on its own.

This means I will not be reachable in the next several days. In case you wondered :))

As a suggestion, I’m using Guide Fall for tips on The Last of Us Part 2, in case you get stuck or you want to get the maximum out of your experience.

Oh. And the Collector’s Edition? A great box, a statue of Ellie, some pins, some tatoos, a bracelet (Ellie’s), the game in metal case, an “Art of The Last of Us Part 2” booklet. And a message from Neil Druckmann. In two languages, since I bought the game in Portugal: Portuguese and English.

Now I’m off to continue playing.

I liked Prince when I first played it, when I was a kid, but I never had a great affinity for it. I enjoyed adventure games more than action or arcade games and I only finished the game later in life.

Anyway, I LOVED the re-imagining of the franchise by Ubisoft, especially the Warrior Within. I think this is the game that made me play the action/adventure games so popular now, like the Uncharted series, God of War series or The Last of Us.

About 2 weeks ago I saw that Jordan Mechner, the creator of Prince, published an illustrated version of his book: The Making of Price of Persia: Journals 1985 – 1993 — Illustrated Edition. I love these kind of books, so I ordered immediately, in hard copy.

The reason I ordered it in hard copy and not on Kindle, as I usually read, is that Jordan Mechner added notes on the edges of his journals, updating the information and explaining the “cast of characters”. As an aside, he tells a story of meeting Halle Berry at a shoot in NYC, in 1991-1992. And he says something like “Halle, the lead actress in this low budget rom-com, told us what the story was about”. And the present note, on the side: “Yes, that was Halle Berry”.

But aside from celebrity meetings (which weren’t that many, unless you’re a gaming history fan), the story of the 4 years it took him to make the game is more than interesting. At times, it sounds like the story of a freelancer trying to create his first product. Which, if I think about it, he was. A sort of a freelancer, that is.

Anyway, if you have the time, read the book. Not a lot has changed in the gaming world: from the crunch before the launch, to the ups and downs of the creative side and the despair of your product not being good enough.

The second half of the book is more dedicated to the author’s quest to get a screenplay made into a movie, so I skipped some bits, but the first half is really worth it.

I’ve found yesterday a great Twitter feed on the reasons a VC might pass on investing in your company. I publish the entire thread below, but go to Twitter to see the comments, as well.

Why VC investors pass on startups: a thread.

Alternative title: don’t take it personally.

You’re solving a problem that doesn’t exist.

The problem exists, BUT not for the audience you’re targeting.

The problem exists, you’ve got the right audience, BUT it’s not as painful to them as you think it is.

The problem exists, you’ve got the right audience, they feel a lot of pain, BUT your solution doesn’t really fix that particular problem all that well.

The problem exists, you’ve got the right audience, they feel a lot of pain, your solution is the right one, BUT it’s not a big enough market.

The problem exists, you’ve got the right audience, they feel a lot of pain, your solution is the right one, it’s a huge market, BUT it’s super saturated.

The problem exists, you’ve got the right audience, they feel a lot of pain, your solution is the right one, it’s a huge market, there’s room for new players, BUT your business model won’t scale.

The problem exists, you’ve got the right audience, they feel a lot of pain, your solution is the right one, it’s a huge market, there’s room for new players, your business model scales, BUT you can’t defend against competitors.

The problem exists, you’ve got the right audience, they feel a lot of pain, your solution is the right one, it’s a huge market, there’s room for new players, your business model scales, it’s totally defensible, BUT you’re not pitching it well.

The problem exists, you’ve got the right audience, they feel a lot of pain, your solution is the right one, it’s a huge market, there’s room for new players, your business model scales, it’s totally defensible, you’re acing the pitch, and they still said no. NOW WHAT?

Non-comprehensive list of reasons why VCs might STILL pass:
– Fund is out of cash
– They invested in a competitor
– They don’t invest in your space (and are beholden to their LPs to stick to their thesis)
– They don’t invest at your stage
– etc etc etc

Of course, at any point in this process, the reason they pass might be YOU. The founder & team. Investors may not believe you got it in you. They will rarely own up to this – it’s hard to tell someone you don’t believe in them.

It happens. It sucks. It hurts.

Fundraising is hard. For 1st timers, it’s harder. For outsiders, it’s worse.

Focus on what you can control, build relationships, look for the people who believe in you. You might fail. Most of us fail a LOT.

But if you really want it, don’t let a pass stop you…

Prove them wrong instead.

I’ve found this thread through Dragos Novac’s amazing Sunday CET newsletter (you should subscribe). I used ThreadReaderApp to easily publish this.

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A lot of people pride themselves on being efficient. And this is not bad. Unless you’re efficient about the wrong things. Which means you’re not being effective.

Take this: you have a business selling a hat. And you devise the most efficient marketing plan for selling the hat. But truth is, the hat is bad. SO BAD! And you just spent 3 months creating the best and smoothest marketing plan. And you don’t sell anything. Because people can see that your hat is bad.

Effective = successful in producing a desired or intended result.

Obviously, what you need to do is make a better hat and THEN create the best marketing plan. And, I know, sometimes it’s not that clear.

Basically, what you need to do is to become effective instead of efficient. You’re being effective once you move things forward, once you put your energy in the RIGHT things. Like improving your product. Or creating a great marketing plan ONCE you have the right product.

To sum up, effectiveness is the combination of good efficiency and good prioritizing.
It’s being efficient about the right things.. Once you have these, all you need to do is put in the work.

Anytime you hear someone saying “I’m very efficient” ask “what about?”. Because you want effective people around you. Those that are efficient about the right things.

n example from my own history was when we tested if people wanted to play Solitaire Arena in a very efficient way – time and money wise.

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This post was previously published on my personal blog.