Well hello there. It's been some time, right?

Did the world keep spinning for you?

Everything ok your side of the simulation?

Still got that cute little daschund?

Job treating you well?

Coddled any eggs, lately?

And have you bought any kosher salt to go with those spherical delicacies?

I gotta level with you, here. Though it’s been a ride, I didn't abandon you.

I just tried to find some shape, a little structure - although in my case, it's more heavy-duty scaffolding to stop everything falling down.

It's been a lot for everyone, hasn't it?

But I'm seeing the tiniest shard of light spear through the darkness.

And even though I'm starting to freak out about the after-vaxx times, shooting daggers at people who don't wear masks in shops and only patronising my favourite bars because if I was gonna lose my sense of taste at least I know, here, it's for the common good, everything (horrors of war notwithstanding, which is a pretty big notwithstand, I fully appreciate) is on a positive tilt.

So here's what's happening.

A new name. Heart o Thack.

This is always going to be a personal newsletter. But Thacknology felt a little restrictive. A bit too 'futurist' or 'academically earnest'. Neither of which fits me.

Heart o Thack is about my lifelong mission to be a bit more human. And since most guys expire courtesy of a blocked artery or other, to me unknown, forms of coronary implosion, it feels like a perfect circle starting and ending here.

The heart is something I've been contemplating for the past couple of years.

I waited a heck of a lot of them to be overtaken by romantic love. It changed my life forever.

I didn't spend the time prior in some kind of lunaticorium. I wasn't imprisoned from people. I love my family with the kind of passion that can only be understood by following the bloodline.

I just left it a little later than usual to begin understanding what it meant to look into someone's eyes and see your future.

And in the short time since that blood-red bomb landed, I've been trying to better understand what it means to be in love.

We all start with limerence, that infatuation phase. Can't get enough of it, of them, of every second blinded by that chemical rush that generates the kind of giddiness you can't synthesise otherwise.

And then the work begins. Digging in, understanding each other's - I hate myself for even saying this with a modicum of gravity - love language (ugh).

I had a great book read to me last week all about the five love languages. It had profoundly religious overtones but strip away the non-secular nonsense and what you have here is the great awakening for dormant relationships. I discovered my love language is words of affirmation and something to do with 'I will be moist if you do even the tiniest thing for me'.

I recommend everyone either in or considering a relationship to read that book. It's called . And it should be in the Mind section below.

Because from now, I'm compartmentalising this newsletter. You'll know exactly where to go for whatever you want.

The sections as you'll see below - it's a practice right now, but we're getting there - are

And let's not forget this is a team effort. I want to know what's been making your heart melt, so we can share it with others who also want to see what it feels like to live their 2.0.

• Heart - all the feels; what's shipping delight for the soul in terms of development, relationships

• Here - where the body is right now; the local picture not just to me, but to you (audience participation to the max!)

• Mind - what's tickling the grey matter; in my case it's mostly media, from YouTube, to Netflix, to mini courses, and podcasts and (audio)books. In which you might also care to indulge.

• Things - probably mostly about food. But you'll also find apps, web pages, tech, things you can hug. The whole enchilada.

Ok so you got a heaping plate of Heart already. With a helping of Mind in the form of that

Your 2.0. That's why I'm here.

The home

Though it's been several lifetimes since you last heard from me, the hunt continues for a new abode.

Here's why.

When rona arrived, our government decided to scrap something called stamp duty, which is another tax on homebuyers.

As if to capitalise on people's desperation to swap the same for walls for another set, 'fishy' Rishi (our chancellor) had also encouraged people to go spread the virus to strangers' homes. Genius!

Anyway the net effect is house prices soared.

I've had offers accepted and then been outbid. I've had offers accepted and sellers have just decided to stay put. I've tried to see houses but been unable to even get on waiting lists for open days. It's all a bit bewildering.

I actually got shortlisted for a house viewing this week. Just seeing one brings butterflies. It was £169k in late 2019, and now selling for £290k. Owners must have spent about £30k, max, on renovations. One of those ‘laminate on the floor, Victoria Plum all over the bathroom’ jobs. Icing on the cake was they’d started to peel off the rendering from the house and garage, then realised they couldn’t squeeze out any more profit so left it for the buyer as some kind of ‘original features’ pitch.

A house, by a railway line. That I was told by the guy showing me round, would ‘only need 15 to 20k and it would be lovely.’ Nearly a third of a million quid, in an unassuming town here in the north west. Scandalous would be an understatement.

But it’s the same everywhere - and worse in the States where a Pac-Man game of house gobbling by a tech company has resulted in a disastrous market for everyone.

I read in the i newspaper the other day that we’re poised for a housing crash. But since everything is propaganda these days, and we’ve been staring into this void for years, I'm taking that with a pinch of salt.

And anyway, there's another out on the longer-term horizon…

Mind

I've probably blathered on already about Farnam Street’s Shane Parrish and his excellent The Knowledge Project podcast. Think Maria Popova (she of Brain Pickings fame and now something even more intellectual) but more 'for the masses'.

One of the latest episodes featured Balaji Srinivasan, known thinker and author of upcoming brainbuster, The Network State (out July).

Among Balaji's prophecies to hasten the housing crash is 3D printing houses. Which sounds great if you're a robot, but if you watched the BBC Three documentary series, Brickies, you'll be somewhat dismayed because the kids are doing alright.

I've seen a quite remarkable feat of civil engineering at the hands of our CCP overlords. They put up a high-rise using probably AI in about 15 days. It's a proper triumph of man losing his footing to a machine that met some metal and aggregates and piled up a residential mountain of gleaming hope. Well, it worked for me.

I'm big on construction. I love this stuff. More because I know it's highly implausible I will ever build anything myself, and I like to live vicariously through people who are good at it. There are a couple of things in this world I recommend - The B1M (YouTube) and the Construction Physics newsletter (but if you’re reaching peak news, only sign up if you’ll still have time for little me, deal?).

When it comes to the reads, I'm the guy who can't bear to have just the one book on the go so I'm all-in on Ray and Joan, some random title about the wife of Ray Kroc (McDonald's og).

A little leftfield - but absorbing. Joan K led such an incredible life in the decades following Ray's passing, and this book charts her final months and what to do with all those billions she'd accrued not only through her husband, but incredibly shrewd investing.

I don't know about you guys but I find reading on a Kindle really... dull.

I think I need to amp up my ereading game with a different display. Ideas? Bring them to me!

Totally favourite podcast episodes

• Smartless - with Bill Maher. Bill's a super smart and funny political pundit and he's earned his spurs. Bill's also got his own podcast which is spicy but very worth listening.

• Guy Kawasaki's Remarkable People: Jim Weber. Jim's endured a lot to get where he is, and where he's been for 20 years at the helm of Brooks Running where he's totally changed the game. A true leader in every sense, Jim's got a book out (as you'd expect for a podcast guest) and you should buy it if you love business and the people running them.

• A Thing or Two with Claire and Erica: Guest Thingies We've Tried and Loved. The women recommended a book on this round-up of greatness called Empire of Pain about the Statler dynasty. And it blew my head off. Claire and Erica are awesome.

• All The Hacks: Minimalism and the Things That Matter for a Meaningful Life. Look around you. How much stuff do you need? Some great hoarder-coping strategies here, including the one that riddles us all - 'what do I do with that ball that I might just pick up one day?' Talking about consumerism and stuff you don't need - here's Things!

Things

I've been full-pelt at all the kitchen opportunities. Discovered super cheap Thai curry pastes (Penang, yellow, and Tom Yum spicy soup mix) that have transformed my dinner game.

Ethan Hays @ethanhays

@PeterAttiaMD Prevent / massively slow oxidation by cauterizing the wound Tearing 1 banana from the bunch creates the wound Hold the raw area of the remaining bunch over your gas stove or butane lighter until burnt Bananas will last waaaay longer

How insane is that banana bulletin, btw? Probably the only verifiable fact I’ve heard on Twitter this, er, since it started.

Last night was a rehearsal for next week's dinner party, making mini mushroom wellingtons. Against all odds, and with the most basic of cooking skills, they were somehow delicious; I thought they'd be underseasoned but for a splodge of thyme and a very scant sprinkling of salt on the mushrooms to make them cry (dehydration through determined overcooking ultimately won the day) but the double hit of mature cheddar (who has Stilton this time of year) made these petite parcels sing.

All this cheese got me contemplating joining a gym just to bring some routine to fitness, James Clear Atomic Habits style. But what do you guys think? I'm currently walking at least 25 miles a week, just to keep things ticking over. I'd like a bit more HIIT in my life, though. So maybe I'll get stuck in before too long.

Had a fabulous walk round the reservoir of Jumbles Country Park near Bolton last weekend.

Now I'm desperate for the upgrade - some hardcore hills and those views that make you wonder whether it's the hills or the view that's making you weak at the knees.

I'm done here. You can only pretend for so long that you're hard at it. I'm unabashed saying spending time in service to you, is a total joy.

Get in touch if there's ever anything you need. Professionally I'm a writer, journalist, speaky person and content maverick. And it's precisely because of my journalism roots I'm fascinated with everything. So don't hesitate, if there's an idea you have, or you just need a chat - dave@wordandmouth.com and let's chat very soon.

To your 2.0.

Thack

Morning, funksters. I’m trusting your weekend was extraordinary. If not, why not? You know where the comments are and I’m excited to find out.

What’s been happening?

As it turns out, quite a lot.

And it’s mum’s birthday today so I baked a Guinness cake.

That’s supposed to be the head of a pint of stout. In cake and icing form.

I’d make an awful bartender.

#Storytelling100

I’ve been thinking for a while how I can add my voice to the cacophony around storytelling. I had this half-baked idea a while ago called Storyselling. It didn’t go further than my brain. I’m relieved.

But while I have some time to myself, I’ve decided to start an audacious project to help anyone seize story and transform their own narrative. To support colleagues, customers and their companies.

It’s called #Storytelling100. 100 weekdays from 2 August 2021.

If you’re on LinkedIn, check out my #Storytelling100 Pre Show Party video - recorded live just a few moments ago. It goes into some detail about what to expect.

I have so much to tell you

It’s all safely stored in Obsidian. That’s my new notetaking app of choice. I probably mentioned it before. Now it’s also available on mobile, it’s complete. Everything I need. I just need to be more organised around using it every day.

But all the stuff I need to tell you is there. And I’ll outpour in days and weeks to come.

Right now, you need a break from me.

Thank you for all that you do and are. And as always, I’m here when you need me.

• @davethackeray on Twitter

• dave@wordandmouth.com by email

• Fancy a chat?

Have a wonderful week!

Please god, no. Never again.

What an abomination!

Hey, cats. How’s your world? It’s been some week, right? And the football, thing. Icing on a cake.

Talking of cake, I’d be honoured to serve you up one of my exquisite chocolate banana muffins.

They even got a seal of approval from our very own domestic goddess.

Nigella Lawson @Nigella_Lawson

@DaveThackeray Beautiful!

About the title of this email

So, this curation thing. I’m obsessed with it.

Because information. Simply, there’s way too much of it.

We need a break (beat - that’s a seamless segue to what’s coming a little later on).

Curation is in our hands. As much as we can consume, so we can cleave our way through the noise. To find a signal. And to bask in what it is we need. What we need to succeed.

If you don't find immense joy in everything you read and watch, and the people you call friends, you're dancing to the wrong tune.

📚 Read if it's making your mind moist.
📽 Watch if it's making you think.
🤼 Hang around people making you smile.

💝 None of us have enough breaths and heartbeats left.
💰 Invest them in the delightful.

Can’t break this beat

I’ve always been fascinated learning directly from those at the top of their game. Somewhat serendipitously during a trawl into a throwaway line in Brad Horowitz’s What You Do Is Who You Are, a literary study of modern corporate culture, I discovered hip hop visionary Lenny Roberts and through that name, his producer partner Breakbeat Lou.

This video gives you a glimpse into the great man’s work and his approach to getting on his A game.

Sometimes you come across someone who takes great delight in their mastery. Without even considering their gift to the world, of simply being who they are. That’s why I relish Breakbeat Lou. And why you, too, can be an unassuming master. Just by focusing on deliberate practice…

Lifelong learning

I didn't do Art GCSE, so I could justify diagrams like this.

When you start learning anything, typically you'll be aspiring to autonomy. That stage where what you're doing feels instinctive - invisible, even. You do it without a second thought.

But the true masters aspire to deliberate practice beyond that third stage of learning.

Once you've got cognitive and associative learning out the way - the basics, and layering up with some experience in the form - you need to always focus on technique, constant feedback, and longer-term goals.

This is why some people aspire to be advanced motorists. Why javelinists don't just stop when people start oohing them on the school sports field. And why Gareth Southgate is the best coach England ever had.

The more you know, the less you know. Keep a beginner's mind and you'll keep improving. Forever.

Unsurprisingly, I'm at the cognitive stage of my Google Drawings learning.

Remote working - where do you stand?

In March 2020 when Boris told the nation to stay at home, terror and panic was in the air at my last workplace.

This loss of control. Not having colleagues within earshot. Senior management simply couldn’t take it. Here was a huge trust issue that had been simmering for years. Now the pot was boiling over, and it was all too evident that there were a multitude of issues way beyond instituting a remote working policy.

I’ve always believed that when you hire people with the right mindset, you can put them anywhere and they’ll thrive.

I also understand that young colleagues need the most mentoring, and therefore remote working is not their perfect environment to thrive.

What the pandemic has taught us is that there needs to be a better way to work than being sat in a distant office when you could do a perfectly good - probably better - job closer to, or in, your home.

Commuting is abhorrent. Aside from the environmental impact, it’s two hours of our day stolen away.

I loved this article. I’d like to know what you thought.

What the hell is happening here?

I’ve seen some illusions in my time but I don’t feel like I’ve properly seen this one. Genuinely, how are these cubes not moving? This isn’t illusion. This is MAGIC.

Need for speed

I hate buying a book then discovering it’s trash. Not only because I loathe the wasting of money. But because often the author has tried quite hard and you feel some empathy with them for the time invested in it.

So I’ve decided to learn how to read with speed.

I’ve tried a few of those lousy courses. And then I hit upon a great book - Speed Reading with the Right Brain. I heartily recommend it simply because this endorses a comprehension-first approach to quickening your devouring of books.

I can’t be arsed with affiliate links - so here’s an entirely unmasked link to the buying of this great book on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Speed-Reading-Right-Brain-Instead-ebook/dp/B00O3OD5WY

Did you enjoy this?

I love writing to you. Is it working out? What else can I tell you? Shall we get together on Zoom for a chat sometime?

Thanks for being here.

We’re having a bit of a switchabout here on the newsletter.

I’ve been pondering for a while how I can toy with the format and give you what you deserve.

Which is way more than I can give. So we’re in a rut. But it’s a good rut. I’m climbing out now, all soggy but determined to give you my best. And hope that you’ll be content settling for 90% of what you deserve.

The manifesto for the future of this newsletter is thus:

How to human

I’m gonna let the rest unfurl below. Practicing what I’m preaching.

What’s below is a melange of what I’d proposed to put out this weekend, with a few accoutrements for good measure.

Including Mondaze - the new production bringing motivation to your Monday.

On the show we talked about a dissolving pacemaker, solar panelled cycleway in the middle of a frickin South Korean motorway (and a rubbish version in the Netherlands, where typically everything is gilded and perfect), and why - yup, you got the hint - we should just get on with being ourselves because everyone is winging it.

The Saturday sermon

We've all struggled to find answers to some of life's biggest challenges.

It's not enough that we have the world of information in our hand.

More than often what we need isn't out there. It's in here.

My greatest lesson is teaching.

Talking out what I think I know.

Finding out that I didn't. Which helps me figure out what needs more work to form a more abundant, clear picture of the world.

Staying curious. Reading widely. Meeting people who are your complete opposite.

Bringing your best self is how you thrive and progress. Doesn't even have to be completing the task in hand. You'll be ready for that. We all work at a different cadence and when we do our best work differs. This is why it's so hard for knowledge workers to fit into a 9-5 rhythm.

Find your inner charisma. Whether or not that means you're the naturally silent type, or someone more gregarious. What's important is that you're the most authentic you. The rest is easy.

Going good

I've been doing a lot of charity work lately - plenty of capacity in the schedule. Volunteering is great. Especially in the great outdoors. But you can do it anytime, anywhere. I'm a massive fan of the Media Trust. Go check them out if you're in the creative sector and want to do your bit for a good cause.

So social

Nielsen Norman have just published some super useful social media research. Post 5 to 8 times per week, experiment with interactive features like carousels and that. And be explicit with your contextually-relevant CTAs. Also, not related to NN - use the word 'abysmal' more if you want people to get the message that something is truly lousy.

Easy on the eyes

I've been reading some great books lately. One is a relic - The Timeless Way of Building. I'm using Obsidian as ever to pull together my notes on that. Essentially it's a philosophical approach to creating purposeful and meaningful spaces. Hunt it down. It has loads of amazing lessons in it for everyone, not just architects.

I'm also hearting Worst Idea Ever, a funny chicklit book from Jane Fallon. Definitely on the recommend list. Haven't enjoyed a fiction book this much since The Silent Patient.

Rice, rice, baby

My last suggestion is to get your fried rice game on. I’ve been struggling the longest time to separate the grains. Now I have the secret.

• Rinse

• Cook in boiling water for 3 minutes

• put in strainer. Cover with foil. Pop over boiling water, lid, and steam for 10 minutes.

• Wait 5 minutes then spread out on plate for fried rice.

The full MO is here. Alex is a fab French cook - do him a solid and get scouring his back catalogue.

You’ll remember him from the jungle

I’m just getting ready to check out the all-new livestream from Iain Lee and Katherine Boyle. They’re the YouTube saviours no one knew they needed.

But somehow we do. And I recommend you at least subscribe to them, if not join the Patreon gang and their games.

You are immense

I also want you to give yourself a huge pat on the back. For being amazing. Whatever you do. It's recognised. Appreciated. So go, you!

Shokupan

Greetings! It’s so good having you here. Smell that bread? Glorious. I’d like to get to know you and your fantasies a little better. So if you’re just stopping by and haven’t yet become a fully-fledged member of the club, subscribe. It costs nowt and the benefits are staggering*.

MORNING!

Humpday’s here. From nowhere. Woke up this morning convinced it was Monday and won’t you just look at that - it’s already halfway to the weekend.

You must have been working hard. Only the good get the great. And now we’re all sharing the spoils. There’s no better feeling than coursing towards another couple of days’ freedom. And a couple days closer to the end of Euro 2020. Yup, not a fan. And it does tend to disrupt schedules. Still, look on the bright side - it’s Love Island next week!

Although if Japan gets its way, you could be looking at an even better break. Fancy a three-day weekend? It could be on the cards.

With accelerating time comes an abbreviation of output. Rumours for decades we’re living in a simulation. I can’t think of any other way it’s now, at about 11am on Monday.

How do we grab time as it flies by? We need to adjust our schedules. Four-day workweeks are just one way. Just Walk Out is another. Imagine being able to open your store 24/7 without staffing it. It’s already happening in the US’ Midwest. Pay $50 a year - similar to Costco - and you get a key. Let yourself in, do your shopping - at 3am. A bit like staying at a B&B and using the honesty bar, except walking out with soapy suds, veg for the chilli, and a hollow sense of missing the chance to talk to people in a world that’s missing human touch more than ever.

Ready, steady… bake! I tried my hand again this week at shokupan. I’ve been looking for a loaf sitting between a regular sandwich and a full-on, greedy brioche. Shokupan is a Japanese bread that floats on air but provides a pretty decent steed for fillings. I asked my friend Nigella Lawson for her favourite shokupan recipe and it delivered on all counts. Second time around I decided - accidentally - to add in the tangzhong (flour and water slurry) midway through the mixing process, rather than the beginning when it should be infused. Cue a rather exciting Something About Mary moment as the roux brew flew everywhere…

What can you do with a kilobyte? Play a mean game of chess. Kilobyte Gambit packs quite the punch on the chequered board. Tried beating it a dozen times. Lost - 12 times.

Brouhaha over Amazon’s ‘destroy’ policy for many of its returned items. The etailer denies it sends goods to landfill sites. ITV trailed its trucks and disputed the claim. Wonder how long it’ll be until Amazon completely denies anything happens outside its distribution centres, blaming robots for taking over.

The magnificent Dave Trott told a great tale about a racing driver able to win a race after his engine malfunctioned - by knowing everyone else’s job.

LinkedIn Live

As you know, in my other life I rather enjoy helping people and their companies to ace content strategy and copywriting.

I was delighed to finally be accepted by LinkedIn as a Live broadcaster. So I quickly set about producing some workshops.

So far we’ve covered creating quicker conversions finding your voice through conversational marketing, and creating your first newsletter.

If you run a business or work in a marketing team and struggle with creating content that converts customers, or need someone to review your website or apps to make them work harder, you know where I am.

Thack of the bus

From hereonin this newsletter has a new identity. It reflects the rowdy, rebellious nature of our creator-driven world - and my place in it.

I’m happy to be persuaded that’s not a good name. It won’t take much.

One more thing…

Anyone got experience applying to register a trade mark?

Thank YOU

Love you. See you soon. And don’t forget to tell me whether you like this stuff or whether like that oven with the shokupan inside, I should have turned it off earlier…

Also, if you want to jump on my podcast and share a story or tell a tale - I’m always up for that. I want you.

Bye, then.