Planet Money is an NPR podcast that explains economic concepts through narrative-driven stories rather than dry analysis. It treats economics like a conversation with a friend—accessible, surprising, and actually engaging.

• The show makes economics approachable by grounding abstract concepts in real stories and human situations
• It's built on the premise that learning about the economy doesn't have to feel like a lecture

This article lays out two guiding principles for PMMs: safeguard your unique skills (storytelling, judgment, strategic thinking, and stakeholder influence) and protect your cognitive abilities by using AI as a second step. It then offers a practical three-tier framework—execution, thinking, and scaling workflows—and advice on selecting high-impact use cases based on how you actually spend your time.

• Do the thinking yourself first, then use AI as a critic/amplifier—not the other way around—to avoid "AI brain rot" that erodes storytelling, strategic reasoning, and influencing skills
• Real insight still comes from live customer conversations and sales calls, not AI transcripts of them
• A three-tier framework works best: Level 1 (execution tasks like summaries/release notes) for low-risk time savings, Level 2 (thought partnership) for stress-testing messaging and strategy, Level 3 for high-stakes work still requiring full human oversight
• PMM's job is shifting from content producer to quality gatekeeper, strategist, and connector as AI floods the market with generated content

The article outlines five steps to turn AI-generated dashboards from eye candy into actionable tools. It covers defining clear questions, matching chart types to those questions, intentional design (colors, layout, context), narrative flow, and thoughtful interactivity. It also shares prompt examples and tips to enforce these rules in any AI charting tool.

• Before prompting an AI for charts, nail down who's looking, what decision they'll make, and the one key takeaway—otherwise you get eye candy that tells you nothing.
• Match chart type to question: line charts for trends, bar charts for rankings, scatter plots for correlations, and skip pie charts with many slices, 3D effects, dual axes, and spaghetti charts.
• Limit dashboards to five meaningful colors, start bar axes at zero, and add context markers like a WHO guideline line or a COVID-lockdown marker.
• In the WHO air quality example, 93% of cities exceed safe PM2.5 limits, and framing the dashboard as normal levels → problem → improvements (e.g., China's Blue Sky Policy) → next steps turns it into a narrative rather than just charts.

The author shares key lessons from conducting nearly 1,000 interviews at Amazon, emphasizing that technical skills alone aren't enough to secure a job. Candidates often fail due to poor self-presentation and lack of preparation for behavioral questions. Investing time in storytelling and delivery can significantly improve interview outcomes.

• Candidates spend ~95% of prep time on technical skills, but behavioral rounds are what actually sink most rejections.
• Just 10 hours of dedicated story preparation can meaningfully change interview outcomes.
• Unpracticed delivery causes rambling; treating interview answers like a work presentation (rehearsed and concise) fixes this.
• Fit with the team, not raw technical ability, is the final deciding factor in hiring.

Minimoirs™ offer a unique way to share life stories in just 18 words, making them both irresistible and concise. The platform encourages readers to engage with bold insights and humorous takes on various topics, fostering a community of storytelling.

• Minimoirs condense entire life stories into just 18 words each
• The format aims to make personal storytelling concise, engaging, and often humorous

"This Is Not A Jump Scare" explores the nuances of horror media, emphasizing psychological tension over traditional jump scares. The article discusses how effective horror can evoke fear through atmosphere and storytelling rather than relying solely on sudden frights. It highlights various works that exemplify this approach to horror.

• Effective horror relies on sustained atmosphere and psychological tension rather than sudden jump scares.
• Storytelling and dread-building are more important to lasting fear than momentary shock tactics.
• Certain horror works are cited as examples of prioritizing this slow-burn, atmospheric approach over cheap frights.