This edition is brought to you by Athyna

Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is your Wednesday edition of Faster Than Normal, exploring one short story about a person, a company, a high-performance tool, a trend I’m watching closely, and curated media to help you build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself. 

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Today’s edition:

Cheers,
Alex

P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. I respond to every email.

Stories of Excellence

Person: Richard Feynman

Richard Feynman was a brilliant physicist and charismatic teacher. Born in 1918, he worked on the Manhattan Project at age 24. His innovative approach to quantum electrodynamics earned him the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics. Feynman's lectures at Caltech became legendary. "I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something," he said. His curiosity extended beyond physics. He learned to crack safes, play bongos, and speak Portuguese. Feynman's autobiographical books revealed his wit and unconventional thinking. He famously demonstrated the cause of the Challenger disaster on national TV. Feynman died in 1988, leaving a legacy of scientific breakthroughs and inspiring countless students to explore the wonders of physics.

Key Lessons from Richard Feynman:

• On curiosity: "Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible."

• On fooling yourself: "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool."

• On true intelligence: "I'm smart enough to know that I'm dumb."

Read More.

Company: Xbox

Xbox was born from Microsoft's desire to enter the gaming console market, spearheaded by a team led by Seamus Blackley, Kevin Bachus, Otto Berkes, and Ted Hase. The project, initially codenamed "DirectX Box," was greenlit by Microsoft in 1999. With Bill Gates' backing, the team developed a console based on PC architecture. Xbox launched on November 15, 2001, in North America, selling 1.5 million units by the end of the year. The console's success was bolstered by the acquisition of Bungie Studios and the release of Halo: Combat Evolved as a launch title. Xbox Live, the online gaming service, debuted in 2002, revolutionizing multiplayer gaming. By 2024, Xbox had become a $16 billion annual revenue business for Microsoft.

Key Lessons from Xbox On market entry. Don't be afraid to enter a saturated market. Xbox entered the console space dominated by Sony and Nintendo. They succeeded by leveraging Microsoft's strengths in software and online services. "We knew we could make a better online gaming experience than anyone else," said J Allard, Xbox's first head of platform. On launch strategy. Focus on one killer feature. For Xbox, it was Halo. The game single-handedly sold consoles. "Halo was our Mario," Seamus Blackley once said.

Read More.

Hire remote employees with confidence

Two years ago, I hired an offshore assistant , and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made. From marketing to customer support, it’s helped streamline work and boost productivity.

Athyna is a service that finds top remote employees in <5 days in Latam, Africa, and Sth East Asia. They cover roles in finance, creative, engineering, and product, sourcing top talent from companies like Google, AWS, Microsoft, and more.

If you’re in the market for talent, visit their website to explore options and cover all your hiring needs.

Accelerants

High-performance tool

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Hotel Bathroom Principle

”When you want to cultivate serendipity, stick to the 'Hotel Bathroom' dress code.

Always dress well enough to walk into any a bathroom at a hotel you're not staying at and get away with it."

Insights

Tactical reads

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> When looking to improve your reading habits and retention
How I Read (Read it here)

> When developing a system for processing and summarizing notes
Progressive Summarization: A Practical Technique for Designing Discoverable Notes (Read it here)

1 question

That’s all for today, folks. As always, please give me your feedback. Which section is your favourite? What do you want to see more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know.

Have a wonderful rest of week, all.

Recommendation Zone

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Hire remote employees with confidence

Two years ago, I hired an offshore assistant for the first time. Since then, I’ve recommended many people do the same. It’s been one of the highest leverage things I’ve done, helping with everything marketing and customer support (for The Intelligence Age) and personal matters and email management.

Athyna is a service that quickly (<5 days!) finds remote employees across 150+ countries for you or your team. They cover roles from sales and marketing to creative and product, and have worked with companies like Facebook, Zoom, Uber, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Amazon.

I’ve personally used Athyna and recommended them to my Brother, Will, who runs a fashion label, and several close friends running their own businesses. To date, they’ve all had very positive experiences.

If you’re in the market for talent, visit their website to explore options and cover all your hiring needs.

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Alex Brogan

Find me on X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok

Offshore Talent: Where to find the best offshore talent. Powered by Athyna.

Why Faster Than Normal? Our mission is to be a friend to the ambitious, a mentor to the becoming, and a partner to the bold. We achieve this by sharing the stories, ideas, and frameworks of the world's most prolific people and companies—and how you can apply them to build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself.

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