The Piano Dilemma, AI Tensions, and Why I Gave Up on a Book
Reflections on quitting, productivity, and what’s brewing in the tech world
Val’s Sunday morning random thoughts
Hi everyone, and welcome back to another edition of my Sunday morning random thoughts. This week, we’re diving into reflections on quitting (is it always the right move?), a new tech debate between OpenAI and Microsoft, and my decision to hit pause on an interesting book. Grab your coffee, and let’s get started!
Life
This week has been full of reflection and questions for me, especially on the subject of giving up.
We all know that giving up can sometimes be the right thing to do—whether it’s letting go of an unhealthy relationship, quitting a bad habit, or stepping away from something that takes up too much of our time. There are hundreds of reasons to give things up in life, some good, some bad. But what happens when you’re unsure if giving up is the right move?
This week, I went to a classical music concert with my girlfriend, and it was amazing. I hadn’t been to a classical performance in a long time, but as I clapped to congratulate the musicians, I couldn’t stop wondering: What would my piano level be if I hadn’t given up four years ago?
Playing the piano is one of those activities that requires a lot of practice to be good at, but it can lead to incredible satisfaction. However, I gave up learning piano four years ago to prepare for school exams, and I never picked it up again. This made me wonder: Since I was never going to become a professional or even get really good, was it the right choice to quit? It freed up an hour every day to focus on other things, but to what extent should every hour of our day be 'productive'? I’d love to hear your thoughts—feel free to reply to this email!
Books
Another thing I gave up on this week? My book, even though I was almost finished!
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, a former negotiator (yes, like in the movies!), is about using FBI negotiation techniques to get what you want—whether it's negotiating more screen time with your parents or asking for a long-overdue raise.
Although the book is well-written, with lots of great examples and situations, I realized, a bit late, that it’s not useful to me... at least not right now. I’m not in an environment where I feel the need to negotiate. I don’t have a job at the moment, nor do I live with roommates I need to negotiate with about chores. Since I have no way to use the techniques Voss talks about, I’ve decided to postpone finishing the book for now!
Learning and Productivity
I’m diving back into the “study with me” ecosystem and joining two Googlers for an online study session this Sunday afternoon. This reminded me that I’ve always wanted to do my own "study with me" stream, something I promised myself as a kid. So, I might finally do it in the future!
I’m curious: Do you prefer studying alone or with others? Let’s explore Substack’s poll function together—please answer here!
Tech talk
Not much impressed me in the tech world this week, but I’ve been closely following how companies are reacting to AI. On one hand, we have Google, which is reorganizing, with DeepMind absorbing the Gemini app team. This could lead to Google Assistants becoming AI-smart in the near future. On the other hand, we’re starting to see the first signs of tension between OpenAI and Microsoft. Microsoft worries that OpenAI is becoming too expensive and resource-hungry, and their teams are concerned about relying too heavily on it. Could this push Microsoft to accelerate the development of their own AI, adding yet another AI giant to the mix? I’ll be following this closely and will definitely mention any new developments here.
That’s all for this week’s newsletter. If you enjoyed it or have any comments, please reply with advice! I appreciate all constructive feedback—I’m new to this and would love to improve over time. Thank you!
- Val