The Space Race is Over

I’ve been listening to more music on my iPod classic as I sit in the front porch of our house in Palm Springs. One of the joyful moments is stumbling upon songs on shuffle that bring you back to a time. Today, it was Billy Bragg’s, “The Space Race is Over”—a musician my painting professor in college introduced to me.

Here is the ChatGPT summary of the themes of the song:

“The Space Race is Over” serves as both a critique of society’s shift away from collective progress and a personal reflection on growing older and facing the realities that challenge childhood dreams. Bragg’s song is not just about space exploration—it’s a metaphor for lost ideals and the need to rediscover a sense of purpose and hope for the future.

As read Chanpory’s post about being middle-aged and working at a startup, I thought how much this song resonates. We need more collective ambition to bring us together, not dividing through our ideologies; just like what Top Gun: Maverick did for us.

I’m hoping startup innovation can renew how we work together.

When I sent my bi-annual update to people who’ve supported me in my career, I noticed on email bounced; an early design management mentor. After asking around I found out he passed last year.

Heartbreaking. It’s a reminder to let people know what they mean to you.

(I won’t say who to be respectful to the family.)

Ridley Scott is 87 and lost his younger brother Tony in 2012. The Scott brothers worked with Denzel Washington is (69) five times: Crimson Tide, Man on Fire, Unstoppable, American Gangster, and now Gladiator 2.

Keep making movies, Ridley.

Keep making.

Raiders of The Lost Podcast

I’ve been recovering from a knee injury (I’m okay) a bit and been binge watching YouTube videos. I stumbled on a new favorite: Raiders of The Lost Podcast. These two guys are living my retirement dream of talking about movies. They do an incredible job analyzing movies and their opinions.

Some of my favorite episodes:

Have you watched any episodes? If so, I’d love to hear what your favorites are!