BC PRINCIPLES
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20 of the smartest things that have ever been said: 🧵

 "Holding onto your anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”

–Buddha
“We are what we repeatedly do, Excellence is therefore not an act but a habit."

–Aristotle
"Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end.

It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's a day you've had everything to do and you've done it."

–Margaret Thatcher
“There are only two great tragedies in life: one is not getting what you want and the other is getting it.”

–Oscar Wilde
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power."

–Abraham Lincoln
"It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows."

–Epictetus
“The time is always right to do what is right.”

–Martin Luther King, Jr.
"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity."

–Amelia Earhart
"Do what you can, where you are, with what you have."

–Teddy Roosevelt
"Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right."

–Henry Ford
“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”

–Eleanor Roosevelt
“Many receive advice, only the wise profit from it.”

-Harper Lee
“What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.”

–Mark Twain
“We don’t have to be smarter than the rest. We have to be more disciplined than the rest.”

–Warren Buffett
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.

Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”

–Helen Keller
"It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it."

– Lena Horne
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”

–Henry David Thoreau
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”

–Robert Frost
“It’s not that I’m so smart. It’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

–Albert Einstein
“Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.”

–Elbert Hubbard
Thanks for reading!

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More from Blake Burge 💡

Blake Burge \U0001f4a1
Blake Burge 💡
@blakeaburge
10 must-have Excel skills everyone should know: 📊

Sparklines:

One of my personal favorites.

Sparklines allow you to insert miniature graphs inside an individual cell to easily visualize data.

•Select range
•Insert ⇢ Sparkline
• Choose type


People Graph:

I'm a big fan of visual representations of data.

Using 'People Graph' is an easy way to liven up your spreadsheet, especially when tracking metrics related to, well, humans.

Create an infographic to visualize social media engagement, app users, customers, & more.


Tables:

If you're not using tables in Excel, you should be.

• Clean formatting
• Auto-expand as new data is added
• Total row quick and easy data summaries
• Formulas carry through entire columns
• Create dynamic charts that update automatically & much more.

Here's how:


Slicer:

Now that you're using tables, let's insert one of my favorite filtering tools.

The Slicer

•Click anywhere inside a table
•Go to table ⇢ insert slicer
•Select the fields you want

A dialog box will appear.

Click any slicer button & data is filtered accordingly.
ALL , EXCEL SKILLS
Blake Burge \U0001f4a1
Blake Burge 💡
@blakeaburge
Google Sheets isn't Excel...

But it's more powerful than you think.

8 things Google Sheets can do, you'll wish you knew yesterday. 📊

Translate Text:

Need to convert data from one language to another?

Enter:
=GOOGLETRANSLATE("A2","en","es")

This will translate the words in cell "A2" from English to Spanish.

Replace "en" with "auto" and Sheets will identify the source language automatically.


Timesavers:

Assuming you're signed in to your Google account, head on up to your browser's address bar:

From there type: "https://t.co/BeKgYV7g31"

Boom! A new Google sheet is created for you on the fly from anywhere on the web.

(Works for docs too)

Pretty cool!


Sparklines:

Easily visualize data trends by adding sparklines to your sheet.

To add a basic "mini-graph" inside a cell, it's as simple as inputting:

=SPARKLINE (A1:F1) – (Where A1:F1 represents your range of data.)

For more detailed options, check this out:👇🏻


Explore:

Need to do some number crunching?

Let Google's AI do the work for you.

•Highlight the range of data.

•Move your cursor to the starburst shaped icon in the bottom right corner.

•Click "Explore" – Complex charts, analytics, & detailed info. generated automatically.
HOW TO USE GOOGLE SHEET
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Blake Burge \U0001f4a1
Blake Burge 💡
@blakeaburge
3 Excel Tips you can master in 3 minutes each: 📊

AGGREGATE:

This function returns the result of an aggregate calculation like Average, Count, Sum, Max, or Min.

What makes it special?

Aggregate performs these functions while allowing you to ignore errors, hidden rows, blanks, and more.

Here's how:


Defined Cell Names:

Formulas in Excel are extremely useful.

That said, they can also be quite confusing.

By defining cell names, you can make them much more user-friendly and easier to read.

Instead of seeing = 'A3-B3'
You'll now see = 'Revenue-Cost'

Check it out:


Consolidate:

Take data from multiple tabs.

Consolidate into one.

Sum, average, count, it's your choice.

By creating links to the source data, your consolidation tab will update automatically.

The best part? No formulas required.


Last:

If you really want to get better at Excel, you can't afford to miss this.

I'll keep it simple:

✅ Most jobs require basic Excel skills.
✅ More skills = More money 💰

Signups Open Now!
ALL
Blake Burge \U0001f4a1
Blake Burge 💡
@blakeaburge
9 hidden Chrome features guaranteed to make your life easier: 🖥

Tab Groups:

I've got a bad habit and I'm guessing you do as well.

Too Many Open Tabs!

Tab Groups are an easy way to still keep them open and get organized at the same time.

• Select multiple tabs
• Right-click
• Add tabs to a new group

Expand & retract as needed.


Control Audio / Video playback:

If you're working in one tab while listening to music or watching a video in another, there's no need to navigate away to make adjustments.

Pause, skip to the next track, adjust volume, and more by clicking the music note icon in the menu bar.


Custom search engines:

Turn your address bar into a search engine for basically any site with a "search" function.

Go to a site of your choice
Search for a topic
Copy the URL
Head to settings>Search engine>Site search>Add

Here it is in action:


Keyboard Shortcuts for extensions:

Did you know you can set up Keyboard shortcuts for all of your Google Chrome extensions?

Just enter the URL below and you can do exactly that.

chrome://extensions/shortcuts

Here I'll set one up to quickly access Similarweb on any page:
SCREENERS
Blake Burge \U0001f4a1
Blake Burge 💡
@blakeaburge
There are currently over 1.86 Billion websites.

Few provide any real value.

Here are 7 that do: 🧵

1/ Attend the Ivy League:

Always thought it would be cool to go to an Ivy League school?

Here's your chance.

Free lecture notes, exams, and videos from

2/ Millions of books: Available for free.

Booklists seem to be all the rage recently on Twitter.

(I'm guilty of posting a couple myself)

Instead of a list, here's a link to a library full of them.

The goal:
"A web page for every book ever

3/ Talks from a wide-ranging group of thinkers & doers.

If you enjoy TED, you should check out 99U "The Talks."

Past speakers include executives and creators from the New York Times, Netflix, Google, &

4/ I love documentaries.

As you know, many can be found on the major streaming services.

What you may not know? There are literally thousands of others available for free.

Here's a good place to
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More from Principles

Sahil Bloom
Sahil Bloom
@SahilBloom
How to find (and operate in) your Zone of Genius:

A few weeks ago, I shared a thread—How to Win (without talent or luck)—that got a lot of attention.

One of the most popular insights I shared was the idea of operating in your Zone of Genius.

But I got a lot of questions about how to practically achieve that...


Your Zone of Genius is where your interests, passions and skills align.

Operating in it means you stop playing *their* games and start playing *yours*.

This thread shares my framework—built through personal struggle—for finding and operating in your Zone of Genius:

First, let's get one thing straight.

Everyone has a Zone of Genius.

"Genius" here is a relative term, not an absolute.

It's not about being top 1% at something—it's about the unique space where your relative strengths are accentuated (and relative weaknesses masked).

Furthermore, everyone’s Zone of Genius is different and unique to them as an individual.

The goal of a founder, startup, or organization, therefore, is to build a team with complementary—not conflicting—Zones of Genius.

This is where 1+1=3!
LIFESKILLS , PRINCIPLES
Blake Burge \U0001f4a1
Blake Burge 💡
@blakeaburge
Don't lose today planning for tomorrow.

Don't join the pack –– Lead it.

10 Stoic principles that will immediately change your life: 🧵

On Wealth:

We all want more.

More things, more money, more prestige...

Whatever 'it' is, we never seem to have enough.

But what if we measured wealth differently?

Not by what we don't have, but by what we don't need?

True wealth is found in wanting less, not having more.


On Truth:

Too often we become set in our ways.

We believe our opinion is right, and are unwilling to consider alternate perspectives.

Have an open mind.

Be willing to change.

He who thinks he knows everything knows nothing.


On Control:

Some things we can change, some we cannot.

The secret to happiness lies in the ability to differentiate between the two.

Ask yourself:

Do I have the power to change this?

If so, get to it.

If not, move on.


On Looking Back:

Quit living in the past.

I've been guilty of this, as I'm sure you have as well.

Stop worrying about what could have been or what you should have done.

Start new. Start fresh. Start today.

What's done is done, but the future has yet to be written.
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Sahil Bloom
Sahil Bloom
@SahilBloom
10 common errors in reasoning that undermine arguments:

Ad Hominem

Latin phrase for "to the person”—an attack of the individual rather than the argument.

Instead of addressing the argument and its merits, the offender attempts to refute the opposition on the basis of personal characteristics.

All-too-common in political debates.

The Sharpshooter

A man fires a gun at a barn wall and then paints a target around the tightest cluster of bullet holes to create the appearance of accuracy.

The offender selects and highlights evidence that supports the conclusion—while ignoring evidence that may refute it.

The Sunk Cost Fallacy

Sunk costs are economic costs already invested in an activity that cannot be recovered.

The fallacy is found in thinking that you should continue on the basis of all that you've put in—with no regard for future costs or likelihood of ultimate success.

The Red Herring

The kippered herring was a smelly fish used to distract hunting dogs while training them to focus on a scent.

"Red herring" is now synonymous with distraction.

The offender distracts from the argument with a seemingly related—but actually unrelated—point.
PRINCIPLES
Philosophy Thoughts
Philosophy Thoughts
@Philosophy_DQ
15 Deep philosophy Quotes From "Paulo Coelho"

| Thread


1. “Don't waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear.”

- Paulo Coelho

2. "To heal a wound you must stop scratching it."

- Paulo Coelho

3. “Be proud of your scars. They remind you that you have the will to live.”

- Paulo Coelho

4. “If we don't face our fears, our fears will chase us forever.”

- Paulo Coelho
PRINCIPLES
Andrew Duggan
Andrew Duggan
@ajdduggan
15 Life Changing Insights from Swami Vivekananda

| Thread 🧵


1. We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.

- Swami Vivekananda

2. Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea.

Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone.

This is the way to success.

- Swami Vivekananda

3. You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.

- Swami Vivekananda

4. You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.

- Swami Vivekananda
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I'm gonna do my other star wars thread tomorrow, which will primarily be me yelling at a @RowanKaiser-shaped strawman for calling the First Order and The Resistance "cosplayers who the rest of the galaxy has to deal with"

the deal w/the New Republic, the First Order, and the Resistance is very weird and complex and I actually take issue with how Story Group frames the actual conflict.

pre-TFA stuff is presented as a "cold war" between the New Republic and the remnants of the Empire that form the First Order, which 100% makes sense.

But they frame the First Order's attack on the Hosnian system and the subsequent battle that takes place across TFA and TLJ as a full on war when it's very clearly a coup. A war implies at least equal standing, but the First Order completely wrecks shop and takes over the galaxy.

ok never mind I'm fucking doing this now.

The First Order fleet we see in TLJ is *not* the entire fleet of the First Order (I don't even think Starkiller Base was their main base of operations honestly, it couldn't have been considering they were operating out of Wild Space)
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foone
foone
@Foone
So I was talking to @gewt about Job: A Comedy of Justice and I came up with a theory that I think explains why Heinlein's late-period work is so kinda-terrible and why I still enjoy it so much


So Heinlein had always been very interesting in the short parts of his novels, like the little snippets inside chapters. He had a very fun writing style, and wrote some fun dialogue with fun characters, right?>
It probably comes from how much of his early stuff was short fiction

And I think what happened with a lot of his longer works is that he'd just start writing fun bits and hope it would end up going somewhere or having a bigger plot by the end. like eventually he'd figure out where this was going, then go back and rewrite it into a cohesive whole

and I'm sure he had editors that'd help this process. No editor would let you publish something as rambly and changing-gears-every-other-chapter as The Number Of The Beast, for example... unless you were God-King Of Science Fiction 1980s Robert Heinlein.

so basically I think what happened is that by the 80s (when he was in his seventies!!) he lost the drive to go back and rewrite and he was too Untouchable for editors to make him.
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Jonathan Ware
Jonathan Ware
@ReassessHistory
Rhino Barges

One of the dullest, coolest, more bizarre and fascinating pieces of kit used in Normandy.

Which NO ONE REALLY CARES ABOUT.

BUT I DO AND YOU SHOULD TOO.
/1

#WW2 #SWW #History


Planning for Overlord and Neptune had a serious snag, how to get troops from LSTs onto the beach as simply ramming them onto the beaches and dropping the ramp was known to damage the exceptionally vulnerable LSTs and felt to be unsustainable in the mid to long term. /2


LSTs were essential in sustaining Overlord's progress and were a subject of major headaches in the planning phase, and a real subject of friction when it came to launching additional amphibious operations such as Dragoon.

A single LSTs loss represented a capability nick. /3


So, logic dictated, we don't really want these remarkable but rare and highly valuable vessels constantly doing beach landings, we want something to act as a medium between ship to shore, and in came the (mostly) American designed Rhino. /4


I fucking love Rhinos.

Seriously.

Graceful lines of pure industrial pedigree.

Modular.

LOOK AT IT. /5
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Talha
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@dhiblawe1990
Thread: History of Mogadishu and it’s conquest by Imaam Al Yaqubi


One of the First Imaams of the Hiraab Imamate was Mohamed Ibn Imaam Ahmed ibn Imam Ahmed Ibn Imaam Mohamoud Ibn Imaam Cumar Halol Al Yacquubi (Abgaal) during the year 1097 hijri.


After the collapse of the Ajuuran Abgaal nomads from the interior had started moving to take over the strategic port town of Mogadishu which was then under the muzzafar dynasty. By the 1600s Abgaal warriors had captured the city and set up their base in shingaani.


Mogadishu at the time was a large and well known port town. The Abgaal clan taking over control allowed them to obtain political power and world wide recognition.


Under Imaam Yaqubi’s time in power it’s reported that French merchants had arrived at the port in 1701
and stayed for 11 days. They had attempted to take the city but were successfully repulsed.
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Danielle \U0001f1e7\U0001f1f4
Danielle 🇧🇴...
@dinkydani21
❤✈️🌎 2 years ago today @JamesIvings and I sold all our belongings and left the UK to travel for a year. We've never been happier and we have no plans to ever return there 🙂

Thread 👇

Since then we've started a remote web dev company @SquarecatWebDev and been lucky enough to have completed several freelance projects 💻 that have kept us on the road.

In the last few months we've become a huge part of this amazing new Maker community and have found so many new friends from @makerskitchen, @women_make_ and several others! 🥰

We love travelling together (even if I'm only a glorified laptop watcher 😒) but we're both much happier being able to share our ideas outside of our own little bubble and our products have benefitted too!

Here's to another year of nomading with my favourite person and to the Maker community continuing to grow with our help! Maybe one day we'll all get to meet each other ✌️ 💛
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