Friends news: Street style 🧲

Published over 1 year ago • 4 min read

Hello Reader, from your friend Nick in Austin.

In this issue: a font identification tool you MUST know about, an argument against icebreakers, credit repair and how to do it yourself (legit), an HEIC photo converter, why random phone calls are good, my favorite NYC street style photographer, and more.

Why you’re getting this: I'm Nick Gray and this is my Friends Newsletter. I send this every month to interesting people I’ve connected with and friends I want to keep in touch with. You can un-subscríbe any time and I won't be mad. I won't even be notified!


Random Links (1 of 2)

🧊 The Atlantic: Against the Fun Fact

An article against icebreakers?! "Forced, awkward personal disclosures are a terrible way to kick anything off." I agree with some of this: there is a real strategy to doing a good icebreaker. It is why I devoted two entire chapters in my book (Ch 12 and 13) on exactly how to run a good icebreaker.

👿 Credit repair: How to do it yourself + forms that companies use

Twitter thread from the DoNotPay CEO: "Credit repair companies offer to “fix your credit” for hundreds or thousands of dollars. We sent a DoNotPay employee to interview for jobs at credit repair companies to figure out how they do it so that we can automate it and replace them. This is what we discovered..."

📝 WhatTheFont: font identification tool

One of my favorite classic tools on the internet: Ever wondered what font is used in an ad or graphic? Take a screenshot and upload it here to find out. They will tell you exactly which font is used in the image.

📷 Convert HEIC photos to JPEGs without harming the quality

HEIC is Apple's proprietary image format. I get annoyed when I get an HEIC photo via email. This is a simple tool to convert HEIC files to JPG. It works well, legit, no charge, easy and straightforward.

📞 CNBC: Your friends want you to call them more, new study finds

Controversial! But my real friends know that I love phone calls. "An out-of-the-blue phone call or text is actually very appreciated by the receiver, and the more surprising the better." via John Arrow

🏢 Why Empty Offices Are Becoming Apartments in Texas's Big Cities

Article in Texas Monthly magazine, via my friend Michael Galpert.

📷 Johnny Cirillo: NYC Street Style (Instagram)

My new favorite street fashion photographer. He has a great eye to capture interesting people in NYC! Thanks to whoever sent this in.


Brigitte's Housewarming Party

This is my friend Brigitte. She just moved into a new house.

I'll tell you something interesting that happened.

Brigitte wanted to host a housewarming party. But she was making excuses and dragging her feet about it.

Remember: There is no "perfect time" to host a housewarming party.

There's no "perfect time" to start to make new friends or build your network.

Things will not settle down for you to finally plan a meetup with those neighbors you've been meaning to invite over.

Sometimes you just have to dare to do it.

I gave Brigitte a copy of my book. She was able to skim through it in 45 minutes to get the key lessons. Then she followed my step-by-step guide to help her pick the perfect date, invite the first 5 people (what I call a "Core Group"), and then know exactly what to do at the party.

She knew that her party would be a success... and it was! Look how it turned out:

My book The 2-Hour Cocktail Party helped give Brigitte the confidence to know that her friends would show up and that she had a plan to keep them entertained. She was so proud to have brought people together.

Brigitte was the 70th person that I've talked to who read my book, hosted a party using my formula, and then sent me the group photo afterwards.

I collect everyone's photos on this page of my website:

Here's why you should try it yourself: you'll re-connect with old friends, make new friends, meet your neighbors, boost your network, and even help your career. And if all of these people can host a great party... you can, too!

Are you interested? Email me back and I will help you get started. Or order my book on Amazon or Audible.

My goal this month is to help 25 new people to pick a date for their first party. That's the first step!

This will be fun. Your party will be great. I'll show you how to make it easy.


The Creative Processor


Random Links (2 of 2)

😤 Say Hello to Crazy Thin ‘Deep Insert’ ATM Skimmers

See photos and a tech teardown. "A number of financial institutions in and around New York City are dealing with a rash of super-thin “deep insert” skimming devices designed to fit inside the mouth of an ATM’s card acceptance slot."

🧙‍♂️ Palantir CEO Alex Karp on Escalating War in Ukraine and Outlook for Tech | CNBC

15-minute interview that I watched twice. Alex Karp is one of the sharpest and most well-spoken leaders today. I also enjoy Andrew Sorkin as an interviewer.

☀️ image: woman's face and neck, showing UV sun damage

Drastic image, wow. I guess this is why I should use sunscreen. "Cheek and neck of a 92-year-old female, who used UV-protective moisturizers on her face but not on the neck for 40+ years."

🏕️ Best Picnic Spots in Central Park: Sheep Meadow (2022)

I feel strongly that Sheep Meadow is the absolute best part of Central park. I wrote an article about exactly where and how to have a picnic there. Related article you can save for warmer weather: How to Plan a Picnic.


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The End

I'm headed to Phoenix tomorrow for a secret conference about politics, current events, business, and international affairs. We aren't allowed to talk about it online!

Then back in Austin this weekend for Austin City Limits (ACL). My apartment is right outside the park. I plan to set up a table with a sign that says "FREE DATING ADVICE" and see what fun people I can meet.

Last week I filmed two more video blogs: Coworking in Austin and Podcast recording in Austin. This short video I uploaded also got a few thousand views: How to END your Party. I'm going to keep playing around with videos this month.

Thanks for reading to the end!! Have a great week.

🤠 Nick Gray

p.s. Here's the About Me on my website if you forgot who I am. We met [HOWWEMET GOES HERE].

An investor, entrepreneur, and author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party. I started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Join 20,000 CEOs, investors, and founders and receive business tips, productivity tools, and other resources from me.

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