77 Cocktails, Clothesline Animals, How to Build a Windmill & Unoffice Hours

#49 of 10+1 Things | Abu Dhabi

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Something weird happened with Substack last week. After publishing my latest edition, Gmail flagged it as spam, marking it as “dangerous”— and a friend confirmed seeing the same thing. Normally, my newsletter gets over 3000 views with a 50%+ open rate, but this time, it dropped to just 15% with fewer than 1000 views. I’d put a lot of effort into finding some great resources for that edition, so, in case you missed last week's edition, you can read it here.

If you have a spare moment, could you please reply to this email? It may help prevent it from being flagged as spam in the future.

Without further ado, here are 10+1 things that I thought were worth sharing this week:

🗿 Lindy Effect

I recently wrote a blog post exploring the Lindy Effect—a theory suggesting that the longer an idea, tool, or tradition has lasted, the more likely it is to keep enduring. Originating from observations at Lindy’s Deli in New York, the concept was later formalized by mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot and popularized by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in Antifragile. The Lindy Effect highlights how time-tested practices gain resilience, offering a fascinating lens on why some things withstand the test of time.

🎡 How to Build a Windmill

I found an old blog post by Jacques Mattheij explaining how he built a windmill at home. Driven by a fascination with windmills, he took on a complex, two-year journey filled with challenges, from designing pitch control mechanisms to fabricating stator elements with custom-made plasma cutters. Along the way, he tested prototypes, overcame engineering hurdles, and collaborated with skilled friends to bring his vision to life. The result: a reliable 2.5 kW windmill that withstood extreme climates and provided his home with power, all crafted with ingenuity and dedication

⏳️ Time Guessr

I've been enjoying a game called Time Guessr lately. It's an interesting trivia game that challenges you to guess the exact year historical photos or events took place. The game is simple—you’re shown historical photos or events, and your task is to pinpoint the exact location on a map and guess the year it happened. Each round challenges your knowledge of geography and history, combining clues in the photo with your intuition about the time period. It's a fun, immersive way to learn and see how close you can get to the actual date and place.
Challenge me to a game!

🆓 Free Things Online

I accidentally stumbled upon this interesting discussion on r/AskReddit, where users shared free online resources worth exploring. From Radio Garden for live global radio to Flashpoint Archive’s collection of early 2000s Flash games, and tools like Darktable for photo editing and Fakespot.com for spotting fake Amazon reviews, it's an impressive discussion with some hidden gems I didn’t know about.

📚 You are a Writer

I decided to re-read You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One) by Jeff Goins this week, a book I first read in April. It’s a compact read (under 130 pages) that I enjoyed the first time, especially for its blend of Jeff’s story of overcoming self-doubt and his practical steps for aspiring writers. In a nutshell, You Are a Writer is about what it takes to be a writer in the 21st century. It’s a guide to rekindling your love for writing while building an audience that shares your passion.

My favorite quote from the book is

“Everything is practice. Every word you write and action you take is a chance to get better.”
~ Resurfaced by Readwise, a FREE service

Last Week's Read: Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop

🍹 77 Cocktails

Came across this cool visualization of 77 classic cocktail recipes everyone should know from the International Bartender’s Association. I like how simply they’ve presented each recipe in a compact, universal way. Instead of traditional measures, each ingredient is listed as 'one part,' letting you scale the recipe with whatever measuring vessel you have on hand. There are so many I didn’t even know about!

Unoffice Hours

Unoffice hours are informal, open slots for casual, agenda-free conversations—a concept Matt Webb introduced in 2020 as a twist on traditional office hours. I recently came across this idea and decided to add it to my site, joining Dave Smyth's webring of others offering Unoffice hours. Now, every Tuesday and Thursday at 9:00 PM GST (UTC+4), my calendar is open for 45-minute discussions on anything you’d like to chat about. I’ve already had two conversations, and it was quite fun—feel free to check out my notes from those chats! If you have a website, I’d encourage you to add your own Unoffice hours and join the movement.

🚲 Bike Air Pressure Sensor

While browsing through Kickstarter, I came across an interesting product called the Outrider—a tire pressure sensor that connects to your Garmin bike computer. If you’re a cyclist, having real-time pressure monitoring directly on your Garmin is a game-changer, as it helps keep your tires at the perfect level for any terrain. Plus, with a battery life of about two years, there’s no need to worry about frequent recharging. The attachment is tiny and easily connects to your existing valve, but please note that you need a tubeless setup for this to work.

🏏 Fake Indian League

What can I say—I’d read a bit about this cricket scam that happened in India last year, but this detailed article was a real eye-opener. A local merchant, Shoeb Davda, was recruited by mysterious Russian investors to create a fake cricket league, complete with uniforms, high-quality equipment, fake crowd noise and even a scoreboard setup. This operation streamed fake matches online, rigged through walkie-talkie instructions from Russia, targeting bettors with staged games that looked like a cricket league. In the end, Davda, now calling himself a victim, claims he was left without the promised payouts, while the villagers who participated were left unpaid and facing social fallout.

📷 Clothesline Animals

Source: Helga Stentzel

I had so much fun exploring Clothesline Animals, an imaginative art series by London-based artist Helga Stentzel. She uses everyday clothing items pegged to a washing line to create playful animal shapes. Each piece cleverly arranges items like trousers, jumpers, and tea towels to evoke distinct creatures, transforming mundane household chores into whimsical art. Her first creation, Peg-asus, began as a spontaneous moment during laundry when she noticed her son’s trousers looked like a horse’s head; this inspired her to add a few more items and “complete” the animal. Since then, she has meticulously crafted each animal with specific colors, shapes, and custom-dyed fabrics to bring each character to life, giving them personality and charm against picturesque landscapes.

💿 How Vinlys are Made

This Wired video takes us inside Third Man Records’ vinyl pressing plant in Detroit, covering each step from cutting to final checks. It starts with cutting the lacquer, a soft coating engraved by a stylus on a vintage lathe. Afterward, the lacquer is electroplated to create a "stamper" used to press vinyl. Heated PVC is molded, cooled, and trimmed, then each record is visually and audibly inspected to ensure quality before packing. The video showcases the blend of precision and craftsmanship involved in making vinyl records.

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That’s 10+1 Things for the week.

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With Love,
Rishi

It’s ok if you fall and lose your spark. Just make sure that when you get back up, you rise as the whole damn fire.
- Colette Werden