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Tag: Tom Holland

Andrew Carnegie, Creativity, Inc., Locke, Simon Sinek, and a Quran Passage

Sunday Supplement #140 (January 14th, 2024)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

Please take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it.”

– Andrew Carnegie

Book of the Week:

Creativity, Inc. – Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace

Co-cofounder of Pixar Animation Studios, Ed Catmull, tells his journey from childhood to retirement. 

At first, his mission was to make a fully computer-animated feature film. He accomplished that goal relatively early and had to find another mission to drive him through his later career.

Catmull’s later mission was to be the best leader possible for the people who worked at Pixar to ensure the employees’ and the company’s success.

The book is a dissection of how Pixar became a powerhouse of animation, but it focuses on the business and management side.

If you’re looking for a biography, this isn’t it. The book has some great stories about Pixar and Steve Jobs, but it very much reads like a business book. 

Movie of the Week:

Locke

Steven Knight, creator of Peaky Blinders and writer of Eastern Promises, wrote and directed the 2013 Tom Hardy solo-performance film Locke.

The movie clocks in at just under an hour and a half and follows Tom Hardy as Ivan Locke, a dedicated family man and successful construction manager, who receives a phone call on the eve of the biggest challenge of his career that threatens to ruin his carefully constructed life.

It’s not often you see a film with only one actor portrayed throughout, with all the supporting characters only featuring as voice actors.

Supporting cast members Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, and Tom Holland stand out with their voice acting, but Tom Hardy makes the film work with his performance as Locke.

The film follows Locke behind the wheel of his car as he handles the crisis he created by taking ownership of his actions. It’s worth checking out.

Brainfood of the Week:

Be a Better Leader | Simon Sinek

Sinek is a bestselling author and speaker. He spoke at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit in 2016 and has an imprint at Penguin Random House, Optimism Press.

I come across his videos every now and then and usually take the time to check them out. You’ll probably see me feature one of his books soon.

In this video, Sinek answers three questions: How do we become leaders? How do you create teaming? And, As a leader, how do you enforce accountability?

Sinek answers each question with some gems that are worth picking up. My favorite is not pretending like you know all the answers. Be open about needing help from time to time. Be open about not knowing everything and needing to find out.

Check out the short five-minute video if you are interested, and if you like it, check out the previous Sunday Supplements, where I’ve featured Sinek’s content.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Believers, why do you profess that which you do not practice? It is most loathsome in the sight of Allah that you should say what you do not do!”

– Surah As-Saf 61: 2-3

I think this passage from the Quran is pretty straightforward, but the intensity with which the statement is made stands out for me.

Not practicing what you preach is a common phrase, and many stories exemplify the maxim.

For me, this Quran passage is a reminder to be impeccable with your word. It is a reminder to think carefully before speaking.

If you want to be a person who can be counted on, be careful of the promises you make. If you don’t want to be a hypocrite, keep true to your word.

Lead by example and keep your word, give credit to others, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Ansel Adams, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, The Lost City of Z, Insider Tech, and a Quran Passage

Sunday Supplement #106 (May 21st, 2023)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

Please take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“In wisdom gathered over time, I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.”

– Ansel Adams

Book of the Week:

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars – Christopher Paolini

Christopher Paolini is probably best known for his Inheritance Cycle series and was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the youngest author of a bestselling book series.

Almost a decade after the last novel in his famous Inheritance Cycle series, Paolini published the adult Sci-Fi novel To Sleep in a Sea of Stars.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars follows xenobiologist Kira Navárez in 2257 as she discovers an ancient alien technology that covers her body.

Different parties want the technology that has bound itself to Navárez, and the xenobiologist finds herself in an outbreak of war that threatens Earth and its colonies.

The novel is a beautiful exploration of science fiction and humanity. Rarely do I read books around a thousand pages and am completely fulfilled with the entire journey.

Movie of the Week:

The Lost City of Z

David Grann’s New York Times bestseller The Lost City of Z was adapted to the 2016 film of the same name starring Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, and Tom Holland.

The film follows British explorer Percy Fawcett and his explorations to the Amazon in the early 1900s to find a supposed ancient lost city.

The Lost City of Z was not a financial success, but it received praise from critics. The acting and cinematography, in particular, were outstanding.

I don’t think the film is for everyone, but if you enjoy a slower-paced film with historical context and an intriguing story, check this one out.

Brainfood of the Week:

This Incredible Animation Shows How Deep The Ocean Really Is | Insider Tech

This Insider Tech video starts with the question, “Just how deep does the ocean go?” The following animation gives a perspective of how deep the ocean actually is.

If you took the highest point on land and submerged it, you would still have more than a mile between you and the deepest point in the oceans. 

The video breaks down some of the history of human exploration in the oceans and the animals that live in its depths.

At the end of the video, Insider Tech discusses the Challenger Deep trench and how scientists estimate there are potentially thousands of marine species we have yet to discover.

Insider Tech’s YouTube page has over 4 million subscribers and shares videos regularly about technology. 

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“If you have the power to go beyond the bounds of the heavens and the earth, go beyond them!”

– Surah Ar-Rahman 55:33

This passage from the Quran is often quoted in the context of space travel but is often interpreted as meaning you cannot escape Allah’s (God’s) grasp.

I think there is worth in looking into both the call to explore and the idea that we cannot escape Allah’s (God’s) grasp.

The latter is one I believe is something that holds us to our actions. Whether or not you believe in a God, I think we have to answer for our actions in some way.

For the former on exploration, I think it is a call to search far and wide for meaning. Maybe we come back to the realms of earth and heaven, but I believe we were meant to explore.

Explore yourself and the world, and have a blessed week ahead!

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