No. 288 July 4, 2025
Welcome to this week’s Friday Five: insights, inspiration, and a few personal favorites to kick off your weekend.
Music of the Week
This week, I’ve been deep in Tool’s catalog—one of my favorite rock bands from the last 30 years. Known for their blend of heavy metal, progressive rock, and psychedelic influences, Tool puts me in a different headspace. Their albums Ænima, Lateralus, and 10,000 Days are all insane in the best way. If you’re new to them, start with Vicarious, Parabola, Lateralus, or Jambi. Be ready for long songs, heavy drums, and no two songs that sound alike.
Quotes of the Week
“It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent.” — Charlie Munger
“Don’t let someone else’s urgency become your emergency. The urgent is a tyrant. The important should be your king.” — Kevin Kelly
“Relinquish your attachment to the outcome… Live in the wisdom of uncertainty.” — Deepak Chopra
“Don’t create things to make money; make money so you can create things. The reward for good work is more work.” — Kevin Kelly
“Over the long-term, the future is decided by optimists… imagine how much our ability to solve problems improves.” — Kevin Kelly
Articles of the Week
Steve Jobs’ Stanford Commencement Speech (2005)
Jobs shares three stories that shaped his life:
- Connect the dots: Trust your intuition. Dropping out of college led Jobs to a calligraphy class that later shaped the Macintosh’s design. You can’t connect the dots looking forward—only backward.
- Love and loss: Getting fired from Apple was painful, but it freed him creatively. He founded NeXT and Pixar, and eventually returned to Apple. Love for your work keeps you going.
- Facing death: A cancer diagnosis reminded him that life is short. Don’t waste it living someone else’s life—follow your heart.
Favorite quote: “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”
Book of the Week
Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly
One of my all-time favorite books from one of my all-time favorite humans (he’s the best!). On his 68th birthday, Kevin Kelly began jotting down life lessons for his kids—simple, profound truths he wished he’d known sooner. That list grew into this little gem: timeless advice on everything from relationships and careers to creativity, kindness, and travel (the book has it all). It’s packed with wisdom, easy to revisit, and always gives you something to think about. A must-read for anyone trying to live with more intention, curiosity, and empathy.
Podcasts of the Week
This week, I ripped through a lineup of energy and climate podcasts that hit everything from policy shifts to personal resilience.
🎧 Open Circuit – Jigar Shah, Katherine Hamilton, and Stephen Lacey reunite to unpack the chaos and momentum behind the energy transition. The “Pain and Resilience” episode is a must-listen for climate tech investors.
🎧 NPM Interconnections – In-depth convos with industry leaders like Abby Hopper (SEIA), Eric Goodwin (OMCO), and Chris McKissack (Fullmark) on the real-time pressures of solar and storage.
🎧 Re-Energize – A more personal lens on clean energy careers from my old boss and ex-colleague. I especially liked “Thriving in Uncertainty” and “The Worst Day of My Career”—honest, thoughtful, and surprisingly uplifting.
If you’re in the space—or just curious—this is a great lineup.
Enjoyed this? Hit reply and let me know what resonated — or forward to a friend who might like it too.
Until next week,
Michael
