💪Finkel's Fast Five 134 - August 21, 2020

Welcome to Finkel's Fast Five #134. Thanks for reading and subscribing!
ONE
MUSIC - Depending on how old you are or how much of a pop music fan you are, the 1985 We Are the World video with Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie and Bruce Springsteen and Cindy Lauper and everyone in music who mattered in the 80s is either the most memorable music video/song of all time or just a goofy look into old stars when they were young.

Either way, Esquire just published a magnificent behind-the-scenes longform piece about how the epic music night came together. I can't state enough how HUGE this was when it came out. Collaborations of this size just didn't happen. Fun fact: it was Springsteen's 'yes' that got the mega star train rolling. If you care about these musicians at all, then read this.

TWO

ENERGY - To drink copious amounts of caffeine, or not to drink copious amounts of caffeine? That is the question. I swing all over the place on this. I admit to zero consistency. I like not having any caffeine in me. But I also like caffeine's benefits. Lately, I've been looking at nootropics.

Whaaaat? Nootropics are basically supplements (or drugs) that improve your brain's horsepower and energy (like caffeine). There are a bunch of formulas out there with ashwagandha and beet root extract and all kinds of crazy mushroom blends. They all claim to offer energy and focus. After doing a little research I opted to try Jocko Willink's 'Go'. The serving size is 3 capsules, but I take one to limit the caffeine to just 40mg. In short, I like it. You get a nice little brain tingle and with a glass of ice water, you do feel a little more dialed in for a few hours. May be placebo, maybe not. Check it out for yourself.

THREE

FITNESS - This one's for my meathead, garage gym crowd of readers. We recently moved and the movers lost my basic metal spring collars for my barbell. The pair that I had was fine, but nothing special. They worked, but definitely didn't really jam the plates too tightly.

I'd planned on shopping for a new pair online but found myself at Dick's Sporting Goods. They had only one pair of those thick, Ethos lock-jaw collars that I've seen around from other companies. I decided to buy them. To the extent that the clips matter to you (and they really aren't a big deal) I like these a lot. Easy slide on. They're thick so they jam the plates up nice. If you're in the market for them, try these.

FOUR

BOOKS - I loathe politics, but one of the things I find extremely entertaining in an election year is the way news media (on all sides, relax) frame stories to illicit the desired reactions from their viewers (anger, frustration, fear, etc...). They do this with imperceptible tone manipulation, subconscious priming, color choices, photo choices, groupthink word assaults and advanced persuasion techniques that you won't believe because you'll frankly feel duped.

I am not saying I am any kind of master in this regard, but I've been re-reading parts of a book I bought a few years ago that will blow your mind about how you're manipulated daily by advertisers and content creators. It's by a world renowned psychologist and NY Times bestselling author, so it's not some fringe thing. This is hard science. And once you start noticing the tricks, you can't not notice them. It's like you're watching people being hypnotized. That's the best way to describe it. Anyway, I highly recommend you read this book: Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade by Robert Cialdini.

FIVE

A great quote about persuasion:

He who wants to persuade should put his trust not in the right argument, but in the right word. The power of sound has always been greater than the power of sense.

- Joseph Conrad

Check out my most popular Instagram post this week. It's one of my great amateur photography pieces of my dog swimming right here.

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