By Suraj Chaudhary My digital brain (img: the cool rings of my coolest coworker) Read on my website Dear Reader, A dilemma I face consistently is “What do I write about this week?” This is caused not by a scarcity of ideas, but by my inability to pick the one worth sharing. I have a lot of thoughts, but a majority of them are scattered; each is significant in its own way but not significant enough to be the focus of this newsletter. Now, it may be appropriate if I figured out a way to connect...
7 days ago • 2 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary The problem with being a giver Read on my website Dear Reader – I recently came across three labels for how people approach relationships: givers, takers, and matchers. Givers help without keeping score. Takers take without giving back. Matchers sit in the middle, helping when they know they’ll get something in return. I started out as a giver. I’d go out of my way for people even when I knew they couldn’t do anything for me. At work, I’d often pick up other people’s tasks...
14 days ago • 1 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary What the US took from me this year Read on my website “We are all strangers in a strange land, longing for home, but not quite knowing what or where home is. We glimpse it sometimes in our dreams, or as we turn a corner, and suddenly there is a strange, sweet familiarity that vanishes almost as soon as it comes.” ― Madeleine L’Engle, The Rock That Is Higher: Story as Truth Dear Reader – To belong is a feeling I don’t think I’ll ever be able to describe accurately. Not...
21 days ago • 2 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary I Have a Problem Read on my website Dear Reader, I have a problem. I judge people. I don't do that loudly, but it happens fast, almost automatically. Someone walks in, says something, carries themselves a certain way, and I've already formed an opinion. Most of the time I don't even notice I'm doing it. There was a coworker I didn't like. I won't go into the specifics of why. Looking back, I'm not sure I had real reasons. I just didn't vibe with her. And I kept that feeling...
28 days ago • 2 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary Everything must be paid for twice Read on my website Hey Reader, Suraj here – I have this crazy theory I've been thinking a lot about lately. I think you'll relate. You can see me attempting to explain it in this video. I will see you next week. Warmly,Suraj You received this email because you signed up on my website. No longer interested in receiving emails from me? Click here to unsubscribe. Somewhere, New York City, New York 11373
2 months ago • 1 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary Things I have learned as a procrastinator Read on my website Dear Reader, I have been putting off writing this newsletter issue. Not just the newsletter, but I’ve put off a lot of other things that I need to do. This is my default instinct: “I’ll do it tomorrow.” To me, tomorrow is much closer to never than now. My mind is designed to pull me towards whatever is more comfortable; it doesn’t want things to change. It definitely doesn’t want me to do that thing, which is...
3 months ago • 4 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary AI for Actual Intelligence Read on my website Dear Reader, There has been a trend in this year’s commencement speeches: speakers receiving a wave of boos while mentioning AI. This happened recently to former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, real estate development executive Gloria Caulfield, and record executive Scott Borschetta. They went as far as to say that AI was “the next industrial revolution.” If you look at people of the Silicon Valleys of the world, they share a similar...
3 months ago • 3 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary On underselling things Read on my website Dear Reader, I just finished week one of my internship. I'd been planning a YouTube video about the experience, and my first instinct was to undersell it: "It's been normal, I'm learning things." But sitting with it longer, I realized that was wrong. I'd been underselling it to myself, not just to whoever might watch. Here's what's actually true: this week has been exciting. I've seen rare gear, robotic cameras, control rooms with...
3 months ago • 1 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary 11, not 2 Read on my website Dear Reader, What is the key to a lasting, fulfilling relationship? That is a question I think I’ve found a good direction regarding. I recently received a handwritten letter from a person I admire a lot, and she wrote: You two make 11, not 2; don’t forget yourself in the process. Initially, I didn’t think much of it. I was like, “Oh, right, yeah. Makes sense.” But now that I’ve gotten some time to think about this, it’s profound. When one is in...
3 months ago • 2 min read