Hey everyone, I’m trying out a new service called Substack. You’ll continue to receive all the posts in your inbox. I’d still love feedback on whether you liked the post so please click the little heart next to the title above or at the end of the post if you liked it. Or you can still respond to the emails—the replies will come straight to my inbox. Thanks!
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Every once in a while I come across something that leaves me in awe. It is excellent in some fundamental, beautiful way. It transcends across disciplines from art to business to relationships.
It’s one of those feelings where you just know when you are in the presence of it. It’s united by some je nais sais quoi that is just so beautiful. I struggle to put it into words.
If I had to try, there is a purity, delightfulness, and craftsmanship to it. It’s almost supernatural. Like it was built over many long hours by someone who is at the top of their field. It captures the essence of who they are. And it just works—it’s simple yet complex, obvious yet novel.
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I thought it would be neat to create a crowdsourced list of excellence. I’d love your help. If you can think through examples that have captured the feeling above for you, please do share and I’ll update this post as we go along. Here’s my initial list off the top of my head - I’ll continue to add:
Tech/startups
Y Combinator
The original iPhone
Airpods
Amazon
Stripe
Food
Domino’s pan pizza
Writing
Paul Graham’s essays
The Road to Character
A Man’s Search for Meaning
Misc
Well-tended and aged bonsai trees
Vipassana
Disneyland
From Vivek Dad:
The internet
Google Maps
Ride hailing apps
Google search
Modern MRI scanners
Netflix
Sport
Wimbledon
IPL
Royal Ascot
Theatre
West End, London
Travel
The Alaska cruise
The Amalfi coast
Food
Cheese fondue!
Wood fired pizza
Truffle Risotto
Baked cheese cake
Yellow Dal and rice!