A “rounder” can be an unsavory character – a hobo, bum, wastrel – but also a romantic drifter. So writes Bill Nowlin in Vinyl Ventures, his self-described idiosyncratic memoir capturing his half-century at Rounder Records, from its founding through acquisition and beyond. The term also describes those who make the rounds preacher-like and over the book’s nearly 300 pages we…
No One’s an Island
Since finishing You’re Invited a couple weeks ago, I’ve been seeing its core concepts on display everywhere. Give of yourself generously. Be remarkable and novel. Curate interest with others. Writes Jon Levy, “The fundamental element that defines the quality of our lives is the people we surround ourselves with, and the conversations we have with them.” A behavioral scientist, Levy…
Specializing is Overrated
For many years, I have goofed on my brother-in-law for his sports-betting hobby (habit? addiction? Hmmm). My argument is that beat reporters, columnists, and ex-players, i.e. those with direct access to locker rooms and insider info, are often at best breakeven predictors of game outcomes when picking against the spread. If they’re at .500 +/-, surely some schmo who lives…
Clean-Up on Aisle 9
Two-thirds of the way into The Secret Life of Groceries, Benjamin Lorr confesses, “in my quest to understand the grocery industry, I became so turned around, so confused by the multiple layers of motivation and complicity, that I needed… someone to explain my role in it all as a consumer to me.” This from a guy who spent five years…
Wall Street Comeuppance
You (okay, I) pick up a book like The Antisocial Network for the yuks. What’s better than getting the dirt on a hedge fund that lost billions of dollars in a virtual flash to a bunch of self-described degenerates on Reddit who helped orchestrate the GameStop short squeeze? David vs. Goliath, Main Street vs. Wall Street, gamers vs. bros as…