Nerds in the woods

Also the dangers of labels, stigmatized activities, and a request for product.

If you’re new here: Hi, I’m Ryan Hoover, founder of Product Hunt and early-stage investor at Weekend Fund. I also helped write Hooked and occasionally publish essays. This newsletter highlights my latest experiments, essays, and curiosities. If someone forwarded this to you, subscribe alongside 20k others here. :)

1. I attended FWB Fest last weekend in beautiful Idyllwild. It was exactly what I expected: a unique mix of eclectic artists, fellow nerds, and stimulating talks. My favorite part: Photay’s set, surrounded by Envelop’s speakers (pic above). SoFTT’s Latin electro pop/trance dance party was also hype.

2. Beware of the ego tax. Michael Karnjanaprakorn describes this as, “the price we pay when we chase external validation at the expense of our own happiness. It's the gap between seeking recognition from others and finding true fulfillment in what we do.”

3. Request for product: A tool that auto-edits hours of home video footage. I started filming (embarrassing) videos in middle school. I have ~60 hours of footage and would like to surface the most interesting moments without sleuthing through it all myself. Bonus points if I can prompt the tool to create a 5-minute clip of specific moments (e.g., that time we pranked people on the golf course, goals scored in my soccer matches, videos that include my parents).

4. Recommendation: We’re Not Really Strangers. I was introduced to this game on a date (lol). It’s a series of thoughtful questions to spark conversation and get to know someone better.

5. I wrote a piece about the dangers of labels. It was inspired by a conversation with my good friend Carmel.

6. What emerging trends will be destigmatized within the next 5 years? That’s the question I asked Twitter earlier this week. People responded with plant medicine (legal in more places), AI girlfriends (don’t forget AI boyfriends!), non-monogamy (hello, SF), botox (which is used for more than beauty), and men in skirts (no judgment, but I don’t think skirts are for me).

7. I realize y’all might be tired of me gushing over Porter’s new album. This short post might explain why I connect with his music so deeply.

8. Shoutout to Ida. Hiring an EA was one of the best decisions I made last year. The best EAs are proactive. For example, Ida knew my flight was arriving early and called the hotel to confirm an early check-in. If you’re interested in hiring an EA, drop me a note at [email protected] and I’ll share a referral to Athena.

9. People Watching is a newsletter highlighting under the radar creators and builders. I’ve always been very interested in supporting earnest and driven people, especially early in their career. Shoutout to Carter, Gaby, Jordan, and Michael for working on this.

10. Don’t be a dealer. Naval’s recent tweet, “Ethics in business means ‘don’t sell anything you wouldn’t buy’,” reminded me of this blog post by Nir Eyal. Also a plug: Hooked, Nir’s book that I helped write, is just as relevant as it was a decade ago. Technology and design patterns change, but human psychology remains the same.

11. I still check Product Hunt every morning. It started with a goal to surface novel products and apps among friends, to inspire our own creative exploration. A few recent discoveries that caught my eye: Simply Draw, toby, Friend, Rome AI, and Olo. You can see everything I upvoted here.

12. Shower thought: There’s so much unknown. “Smart” people fall into a trap of over-relying on science. The truth is, science and our understanding of the world evolves. It’s foolish to think we have all the answers. Some things won’t be explained in our lifetime. For this reason, I’m more sympathetic to “woo-woo” beliefs than I once was.

13. Avlok, CEO of AngelList, was recently interviewed about the company’s history and what’s next. I’ve been a fan of the co, well before it acquired Product Hunt in 2016, and remain bullish (even if I’m a bit biased).