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As freelancers, we're part of the economy. So it's useful to have a basic understanding of economics, even if it's just for small talk with clients or reading the business media. The Economist has addressed this need with their free glossary of about 500 terms, The A to Z of economics, written in plain English. Check it out!
Note: Sadly, the term freelancer is not included.
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Our editor Daniel Sacha writes from Japan:
This is news to me too.
I was going to write you about something else today, but on my way to a meeting at the train station in Mitaka (basically Tokyo), something caught my eye. Station Work. A room right on the platform that you can rent for quiet work. You have a desk, WiFi, a power outlet, and air conditioning. Somewhere even a monitor with HDMI connection or other services. The idea behind it? Use your time efficiently, for example when you're waiting for a transfer and don't want to leave the station. The price is about €1.9 for 15 minutes.
The smaller boxes are for one person, the larger ones can accommodate a small team, so you can have a joint work session or meeting, for example. You can also easily pay with the card you use for train travel, you just have to register in advance. Station Work website is in Japanese, but with a translator that won't be a problem.
On past trips to Japan, I've written a few articles at train stations (just waiting for the next connection), but the roar of the express trains doesn't help with concentration. Anyway, it looks like I have a nice alternative. I'll definitely give it a try! By the way, you can find them in other cities as well.
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Easy searching of scientific studies, publications and other sources is one of the first tangible benefits of AI for freelance knowledge workers.
For a non-scientist, searching on Google Scholar tends to lead to more frustration and questions than good answers. This is where AI-based research tools like Elicit.org and Consensus.app come in to help. Both allow users to search many millions of scientific papers using natural-language queries and present the best results with comprehensive summaries and citations. They are far from perfect, but they are definitely worth bookmarking in your browser.
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Free enterprise by free(lance) individuals is an important part of a free society. But democracy is never safe from the autocrats and tyrants, who hate it more than anything else. That is why Timothy Snyder, a highly acclaimed historian, wrote his groundbreaking book On Tyranny, and why Robert Vlach chose it as the first candidate for the book of the year. Here’s his review.
Timothy Snyder's book On Tyranny (Updated with Twenty New Lessons from Russia's War on Ukraine) is the best book I have read this year.
Here's why you should read it, too:
A professional historian, Snyder wrote the original book in 2017 when he was concerned about the threat to American democracy posed by Donald Trump's presidency.
He wrote the short book, and its 20 lessons, as a kind of handbook for his fellow citizens on how to protect democracy.
But there was an unexpected twist:
When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, he realized that the need to stand up to tyrants like Putin was more important than ever.
He sat down for 1 DAY and recorded an unscripted addendum to the original audiobook. And what a remarkable day it was!
In the addendum, which is far longer than the original recording, Snyder applied each of the original 20 lessons to Ukraine.
As a historian of Central and Eastern Europe, and Ukraine in particular, he speaks with deep knowledge about the threat to Western democracies from Russia, China, and other autocracies.
The newly added material is so remarkable that it blew me away.
More than that.
I realized how great Snyder's book is as a template for discussions about democracy and past or present tyrants with our 8-year-old son.
We took long walks by the ocean and discussed why we should NEVER take our freedom for granted.
That's how rudimentary and simple most of these lessons are:
A truly unforgettable audiobook with 20 timeless lessons for all of us in the free world.
You can get the Expanded Audio Edition from Audible. Also, there’s an excellent PBS interview with Snyder recently released on YouTube:
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Our editor Daniel Sacha writes from Japan:
Is Japan an ideal country for digital nomads? Well… let's see. Here are some first-hand observations.
Personally, I'm perfectly happy with the time difference here, since I can go on a trip and be active on the PC at a time when colleagues and clients in Europe are just waking up (while it's 4 p.m. here, it's only 8 a.m. at home). You just have to remember to come back from these trips, because if you really love this country, you really don't want to come back to the computer. And at the same time, I'm working on things that I really enjoy.
It's worse with the internet, which I feel especially when I'm actually traveling. Although I think it has improved a lot in the last ten years, I prefer not to rely on internet connections in public places. And I recommend asking before booking accommodation, because even in hotels or Airbnb apartments, the internet can be an Achilles' heel.
Fortunately, you can solve this problem with something called Pocket WiFi. It's a little box about the size of a power bank that contains a SIM card (in my case) with unlimited data and transfer speeds. It's a fact that it's been bugging me a lot this year, but other times I haven't had a problem with it. To give you an idea, the monthly rental for such a device comes out to about €4 per day and multiple devices can be connected to it at the same time.
By the way, while I'm on the subject of accommodation, there are plenty of types to choose from here and changing them can be a great way to get the creativity flowing. While my first post was sent to you from a typical apartment near downtown Osaka, a city of several million people, today I'm sitting on the tatami between the four bare walls of a traditional, centuries-old house in the middle of the Kannawa spa area.
And in a few days, my favorite capsule hotel, where I've done most of my work on past trips, awaits. The possibilities are endless. But I'd recommend practicing working in a slightly hunched position, since it's definitely not the norm to have a classic desk in your apartment.
Of course, you can also go to a coworking space, of which I happen to have one across the street (a day's work for about €6.60 / month from €66 depending on the plan), and in Tokyo and Kyoto there are branches of the well-known Impact Hub (basic membership from €75).
You might also be interested in what it is like to work on trains, especially the Shinkansen. It's fine, you have an electrical outlet, WiFi, a small table at each seat, quite a bit of leg room and space for your backpack, but I find it hard to work there. Part of the reason is that I find the constant going through the tunnels distracting, which is a bit annoying without better noise-canceling headphones, probably because of the speed. And because Japan is a very mountainous country, you'll be in tunnels for a good part of the trip on some of the main lines. Other than that, I love trains and it is by far my favorite mode of transportation.
A big help for all local travelers are definitely the ubiquitous konbini (convenience stores), which in most cases are open 24/7 and you can buy whatever you need at the time. A charger, a towel, ice cream, an energy drink and a hot lunch. You can make a cup of tea, connect to WiFi, get money from the ATM, go to the bathroom and print documents. I love it. Just be aware that this convenience comes at a price, and compared to supermarkets, you'll pay about 10-20% more for mainstream products. The most common chains are 7-Eleven, Lawson's and Family Mart. Public laundromats are also plentiful.
You'll especially appreciate ATM withdrawals, as Japan, strange as it may seem, is still very much a country of physical money and, especially outside the big cities, they often won't take your card.
So. Maybe my brief summary will help you make your own decision. And if you're interested in anything else, let me know. Mata ne! In other words, I'll see you soon.
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Breaking news: OpenAI has released the highly anticipated GPT-4 AI model in a limited trial version for paying users of ChatGPT Plus.
By the way, OpenAI recently acquired the AI.com domain, and every new product they release causes a worldwide stir. The GPT-4 model will be no exception. Many freelancers and especially knowledge workers will undoubtedly use it as a working tool.
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If you work on a computer every day, good eyesight is essential. The world-renowned Huberman Lab popular science podcast covered this topic in an episode titled The Science of Vision, Eye Health & Seeing Better.
In less than 2 hours, Stanford neurobiology professor Andrew Huberman presents an amazing overview of the science. He explains how vision works and what each of us can do to improve and maintain it into old age. Among other things, he mentions these principles and protocols:
If you're interested, listen to the full episode on Spotify or YouTube:
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If you enjoyed the first season of Clarkson’s Farm TV series which airs on Amazon Prime, you’ll be happy to know that after two years, Jeremy Clarkson is back. According to the reviews, Clarkson’s Farm 2 is as good as it gets (Rotten Tomatoes 100% so far, IMDb 9/10 overall).
In this eight-part documentary series, you can once again follow Jeremy Clarkson, creator and co-host of the popular shows Top Gear and The Grand Tour, as he takes up freelance farming (as a complete amateur). Watching him solve problems and avoid numerous business pitfalls is enlightening, exciting, frustrating, and a lot of fun. You can get an idea from the trailer:
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Here’s a new testimonial from our member Jaromir Dvoracek, who’s an infrastructure solution architect and project manager:
“I needed to create a brand new website with my freelance services to back my ongoing offers and negotiations. But, unfortunately, the new website would take weeks of my time at best! So instead, I found a respected freelance portal, Freelancing.eu. The user experience is fantastic: I just explained what I do, and I've got a copywriter-level profile online in just a few days.”
⭐ Are you a freelancer too? Join us and reach out to new clients.
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Our (senior) editor Dan Sacha writes from Japan:
Japan is the land of senior freelancers. This is not a joke or an exaggeration, but a statistical fact. There are over 90,000 people over the age of 100 in Japan. I notice this on a daily basis because, surprisingly, it is the elderly people with whom I strike up conversations — often at their instigation.
Of course, Japan's aging population and longevity pose many challenges. But from a purely day-to-day perspective, similar encounters and dedication to craft or commitment to life change at such an advanced age have always motivated me tremendously. And entertained.
I'm all the more curious to see what story awaits me this time…
PS: You can probably guess who is on this photo without further explanation.
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