Issue No. 65 | Nov 24, 2023

Most photo apps on our devices today have built-in facial recognition. It even allows you to search for photos with specific people in them.

This feature has been around for a few years, but I haven't used it much until yesterday. When I discovered this function, I played with various combinations of myself and the people important to me. The photos on my phone date back to 2013, so these searches returned thousands of frames. Suddenly, I was watching a movie in reverse chronological order.

Oh, I was there for Christmas in 2016?

It was surreal to relive a decade within a few minutes. The app revealed a story of where I was, how I spent my time, and whom I spent the time with.

My phone has about 30,000 photos, so it represents only a tiny fraction of the moments lived. If each second were a frame in a movie, ten years would be 315 million frames.

What struck me was that while each second in our life does not seem like much, the frames will eventually string together to form an overarching narrative. This observation made me realize two things happen over an extended period:

Most things will become inconsequential... Most of the people we meet will fade into the background. In a few years, we will laugh at most of the problems that make us anxious today. Whether a given day goes well doesn't matter much in the long run.

...yet a few things will shape the story arc. A small group of people will define our most meaningful relationships. A handful of events will transform our worldviews. The effect of a few decisions we make consistently—what and who we prioritize—will compound and magnify.

This insight makes me wonder: How will the story play out if I get another 315 million frames? What will my photo album look like in 10 years?

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Have a great weekend!

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Until next Friday,

Jimmy

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p.s. photo of the week​
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p.p.s. If someone forwarded this letter to you and you enjoyed my writing, you can subscribe here.

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Past issues — 2023: 11/17 | 11/10 | 11/3 | 10/27 | 10/20 | 10/13 | 10/6 | 9/30 | 9/23 | 9/15 | 9/8 | 9/1 | 8/25 | 8/18 | 8/11 | 8/4 | 7/28 | 7/21 | 7/14 | 7/7 | 6/30 | 6/23 | 6/16 | 6/9 | 6/2 | 5/26 | 5/19 | 5/12 | 5/5 | 4/28 | 4/21 | 4/14 | 4/7 | 3/30 | 3/24 | 3/17 | 3/10 | 3/3 | 2/24 | 2/17 | 2/10 | 2/3 | 1/27 | 1/20 | 1/13 | 1/6 | 2022: 12/30 | 12/23 | 12/16 | 12/9 | 12/2 | 11/25 | 11/18 | 11/11 | 11/4 | 10/28 | 10/21 | 10/14 | 10/7 | 9/30 | 9/23 | 9/16 | 9/9 | 9/2​