Courting couples was an indication of the relationship #VanGogh yearned for. Bouquets of flowers were related to the theme of love and Vincent made this connection clear in his letters. Love was a primary desire in the art of Van Gogh and why his work has such a universal appeal.
Friendship's Solace 👬👭👫 ‘My word, these anxieties... who can live in modern life without catching his share of them? The best consolation, if not the only remedy, is, it still seems to me, profound friendships.' Vincent to his artist friend Paul Signac, 1889.
Here's my conversation with Pieter Levels (@levelsio), self-taught developer and entrepreneur who designed, programmed, shipped, and ran over 40 startups, many of which are hugely successful. In most cases, he did it all by himself, while living the digital nomad life in over 40 countries and over 150 cities. This was a fun and inspiring conversation!
It's here on X in full, and is up on YouTube, Spotify, and everywhere else. Links in comment.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:03 - Startup philosophy
9:34 - Low points
13:03 - 12 startups in 12 months
19:55 - Traveling and depression
32:34 - Indie hacking
36:37 - Photo AI
1:12:53 - How to learn AI
1:21:30 - Robots
1:29:47 - Hoodmaps
1:53:52 - Learning new programming languages
2:03:24 - Monetize your website
2:09:59 - Fighting SPAM
2:13:33 - Automation
2:24:58 - When to sell startup
2:27:52 - Coding solo
2:33:54 - Ship fast
2:42:38 - Best IDE for programming
2:52:09 - Andrej Karpathy
3:01:34 - Productivity
3:15:21 - Minimalism
3:24:07 - Emails
3:31:20 - Coffee
3:39:05 - E/acc
3:41:21 - Advice for young people
Great admiration for Pieter @levelsio and his dad for the strength of the work ethic inculcated in one by the other! Most admired Dutch men since Vincent Van Gogh and Eric Heiden (speed skater of Dutch extraction). Thank you for this incredible insightful interview @lexfridman!!!
@BuiltWorks_com@levelsio@lexfridman Song by Mike Smith about an old couple from Holland (though he never visited) beautifully rendered by Steve Goodman.
"The Dutchman's not the kind of man who keeps his thumb jammed in the dam that holds his dreams in ... "https://t.co/4BSp0DrVEJ
Michelle was in a coma for three months after being shot by Hamas on October 7th and is now wheelchair-bound.
Her boyfriend has stayed with her throughout all this time and has now proposed to her. Michelle said yes.
This is what true love looks like.
First met in French class our sophomore year of high school, hung out, dated our senior year of high school, married 4 years later. Can’t remember one damn thing in French but found an amazing, strong, independent, beautiful wife. #Blessed#HighSchoolSweethearts❤️👹
Happy 6 year Anniversary to my daughter Megan and her husband Anthony. They’ve been together 16 years, #HighSchoolSweethearts This was one of the happiest days of my life.
4 years ago… the worst day of my life. The doorbell rang… I answered it thinking it was you coming back from your mountain bike ride hours late. I was about to scold you half jokingly for being so late and for not calling me all day, which was so unusual for you. Little did I know that everything in my life was about to change. The brave police officer at the door told me that you had passed away earlier that day. I went into total shock. I grabbed Blu from inside and put him on my hip and held him close. He was just 3 years old at the time. My whole world imploded. I could barely stand.
In the days and weeks to come, I survived on 1-3 hours sleep. I cried myself to sleep every night for about 18 months solid. I had experienced sadness and loss before in my 45 years, but this tsunami of grief was unlike anything I ever knew was possible. I finally understood what it meant to die of a broken heart, as my own heart felt like it would fail me physically so many times from the immense pain and grief I was feeling emotionally.
I still think about you all the time. You come to me in my dreams now and then and I know it’s you saying hello from the other side. I try to keep your memory alive with stories to our son. The smell of pine trees brings back so many memories of our hundreds of hikes in the forest together. Your lips are still the last lips I have kissed.
I am trying my best everyday to bring joy and happiness into the life I have left with our son. He is my first priority. I see so much of your beauty and kindness in him. He is growing into a handsome young man and you exist in every cell of his body.
Sometimes I think about the stupid arguments we had with deep regret, wishing we had lived with a lighter, more forgiving heart. But I can’t go back in time. All I can do now is to take that regret and transform it into love and kindness towards myself and others and to live each day with more happiness, purpose and intention.
I have had to let you go, so that I can continue living, but it wasn’t easy and it hasn’t been without an ocean of tears. I know that you are in a better place. But I hope that you will always know that you are forever in my heart, Mark. You changed me for the better. I know your soul is at peace. You were a man amongst men. A leader. My king. I am so grateful that I was given 18 years with you. Until we meet again… Your wife, Leah 💗🌸