Welcome to the forty-third edition of '3-2-1 by Story Rules'.
A newsletter recommending good examples of storytelling across:
Let's dive in.
You could say that Earth has 1.38 billion sq km of water...
... or just show the above striking visual.
Read this source article to view a higher-resolution image and to know more about this striking data point.
PS: The Epic Maps Twitter handle should have given credit to the creators of this map - Howard Perlman of USGS, Jack Cook of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Adam Nieman.
It would be so cool to stand here and cross over from 'America' to 'Europe' in one giant leap!
Just two words. And a picture that's worth a thousand more. Also, great use of hyperbole.
a. 3 dead-simple steps to edit your writing in 10 minutes or less by Dickie Bush
Dickie shares some useful advice on how to edit your writing better.
It may not be possible to do it in just 10 mins (that was needless clickbait)... but the tips are useful.
On #3 above: For this newsletter, I write it on a laptop, but for editing, I always read it on my phone!
b. How raw materials shape global politics by Caitlin Allen (reviewing Ed Conway's book)
This is a great WW-2 story:
And it has present-day implications:
a. The Inside Story of Microsoft’s Partnership with OpenAI by Charles Duhigg
A fascinating long-read about the OpenAI CEO removal-and-reinstatement saga, told primarily from Microsoft's point of view.
The story shares how Microsoft saw the massive potential for improving its own products using OpenAI's work:
...and learnt from its earlier missteps in incorporating it:
I found the above portion surprising. Generally, anthropomorphization works for me. But every tool is context-dependent and has its limitations.
Incidentally, the story does a great job of humanising a mega-corporation like Microsoft - by sharing personal anecdotes and stories of its leaders. Here's the author on Kevin Scott, Microsoft's CTO:
I'm sure - after reading just those two paras - you just found Mr. Scott much more relatable and worth rooting for right? That's the CTO of a $200B company by the way.
And here's an anecdote on Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella:
Aww - an Indian-American CEO following a cricket match while working on a major workplace crisis... that's cute!
And to cover the OpenAI angle, here's the writer on its CTO, Mira Murati:
Overall, Duhigg paints a picture where Microsoft comes across as a highly capable giant yet one with its heart in the right place. Duhigg is a feted author (Pulitzer-winning journalist, author of NYT bestsellers like 'The Power of Habit' and 'Smarter, Faster, Better'), so he's got the credibility. Still, the piece comes across as one with the blessings of Microsoft's PR team!
That's all from this week's edition.
Ravi
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A Storytelling Coach More details here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishankar-iyer/
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