Hey Reader,

Greetings from the Shinkasen on our way to Kyoto.

The trip’s off to a great start. I even bit the bullet on Premium Economy, no regrets.

I wanted to share the most impactful online course I’ve ever taken.

This January, I was in a rut, looking for a new challenge.

I randomly took Nat Eliason’s course Build your own Apps with AI and got hooked on coding.

I built some amazing things like my new website and a buy vs. rent calculator).

But the biggest unlock was a completely new perspective on how AI is going to change everything.

(And you all know that I’m typically more of an incrementalist, when it comes to new technologies.)

The next cohort, which includes live mentoring sessions, starts on April 16th. As an alum, I’ll be there helping my fellow students out. (Note: Proud affiliate.)

Here are this week's top reads:

// one

Traveling to Finland for lessons on happiness

8 minutes | NY Times

A journalist visits Finland to learn happiness hacks from the world's happiest nation. Saunas, forest walks and universal health-care all have their moment. Yet the real lesson isn't mimicking Finnish habits. It's finding presence in everyday moments.

→ Read the article​

// two

AI usage is now a baseline expectation

2 minutes | Tobi Lutke

A Fortune 500 CEO now incorporates “AI Literacy” as part of their performance reviews. He describes the skill as being iterative, informal and built through constant trial-and-error. I think that this will become the norm sooner than we think.

→ Read the tweet​

// three

My favorite products and apps

5 minutes | Kevin Roose

Kevin Roose is an NY Times Tech Reporter. He surveyed his community (probably a touch more tech-forward than ours) for their favorite to-do list apps, socks, kids books and wearables. When you click on each category, scroll to “Emerging Challengers” for less mainstream picks.

→ Read the report​

Stories from my life

The markets took us on a wild ride this past week.

Investors saw their 401(k)s and down payment savings get eviscerated.

And some of our younger readers asked how this tumult compared to 2008.

Mark Twain famously said:

In the video below, I share my experience watching the world's largest financial institutions and hedge funds meltdown.

And while this isn't financial advice, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Ensure that your investment horizon matches your investments' risk profile. The post-2008 ebullience makes us forget that stocks can be down for an entire decade.
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• The wealth effect is real, so now may be a good time to take a good hard look at your emergency fund and overall spending.
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• The four most expensive words in the English language are "this time it's different." (I keep a log of all the doomsday sayers.)
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• If you're thinking about market timing, you have to be right twice. A lot of my peers were wrong twice - they sold at the lows and were too gun-shy to re-enter, missing massive gains.

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And remember, financial markets represent just a tiny sliver of life.

A hedge fund investor explains the global financial crisis

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This week's episode: Is it 2008 all over again?​

Stories from my life

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Below the Fold
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LAST WEEK'S MOST READ

• ​Here’s what it’s like to retire in America at age 55 or younger (Wall Street Journal, 792 clicks)
• ​The Gen X career meltdown (NY Times, 583 clicks)

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And finally, Gaitok is not the shy and timid security guard you think he is.

With gratitude,

Khe

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