Uncut Gems

I just saw this movie on netflix and it’s the best movie I’ve seen in 2020. It revolves around Adam Sandler playing the first serious role I’ve encountered him in, and follows a few stressful days in his life running a jewelry store. Kevin Garnett stars in the movie as himself and plays a role in the story, growing fascinated with a rare opal that just got into the shop.

As soon as our protagonist Howard has the money, he’ll gamble it away on sports odds or find a way to double down on something with the assumption he will get money back from another bet. The movie does a great job of building suspense and the feeling of walking on a tightrope. It also felt inspiring, glorifying risk-taking.

A couple days after watching Uncut Gems, I was watching a UFC fight at a local bar with some friends. Subconsciously inspired by the movie, I bet money on the fight with another person at the bar. Even though I lost, the feeling was exhilarating and it was the most engaged I’d been while watching a sports game – my money was on the line, so the outcome directly and materially impacts me.

Still interested in the movie, I did some research on the Diamond District on 47th Street in NYC. There’s an entire subculture and slang associated and the history goes way back. For such expensive goods, the transactions and pricing are very informal.

Things I’m Liking

• Yanick Fratantonio’s Mobile Security Course: Mobile dev has always been opaque to me, and Yanick’s course goes over the basics of Android development before delving into security.
• The Social Dilemma: A netflix documentary about the societal impacts of big tech and the attention economy. It’s all stuff that I’ve been reading about on HN for years, but it’s a great sign that people I know in real life are bringing these problems up now because of the documentary. The one glaring flaw is the bicycle analogy: At one point, Tristan Harris compares the growth of bicycles and social media, saying “Noone got upset when bicycles showed up.” This is historically false, and the confidence at which he said something so untrue cast a shadow on the rest of my time with the program.