articles

I’ve been reading and rereading biographies of Bach lately (for some podcast prep), and it strikes me he might count as the greatest achiever of all time.  That is distinct from say regarding him as your favorite composer or artist of all time.  I would include the following metrics as relevant for that designation: 1. […]

They're designed for storage, not sparking insights. Can AI change that?

Hint: I start with hyperbole.

One estimate finds that about 117 billion anatomically modern humans have ever been born; I don’t know how accurate the “117 billion” number really is, but it seems reasonable eno…

File over appFile over app is a philosophy: if you want to create digital artifacts that last, they must be files you can control, in formats that are easy to retrieve and read. Use tools that give you this freedom.File over app is an appeal to tool makers: accept that all… pic.twitter.com/DUhRU7HkYv— kepano (@kepano) July 2, 2023

On working for money, burnout, and the importance of doing what you love.

Note: This is an updated version of an article from 2018. With macOS, Apple makes it easy to set up a drive to be a target for other Macs to use with Time Machine. Say you have a Mac mini on your network, and a MacBook Pro. You can hook up an external drive to [...]

Tom Peters's classic report on how regardless of age, job title, or industry, all of us need to develop a strong personal brand.

I was honored to give a Last Lecture for the Stanford Graduate School of Business Class of 2023. Read on for a summary of the message I shared, or watch the entire lecture video.

Quote from Jeff Bezos via @acanada

How a Montreal copywriter swindled victims out of $200 million by pretending to be a legendary psychic

Hint: I start with hyperbole.

The case for sabbaticals

null

Are you wondering how to write a cold email that sells? Remember about including these 6 elements when composing your message.

Let's dive into what makes Notes so good. We’ll provide a few simple quick tips of things that make any Notes experience that much better, as well as the latest features coming to Notes in iOS 17.

All those daily activities we'd rather avoid — taking the stairs, cleaning the house etc. — have a big metabolic payoff. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis can help manage weight and boost health.

Tidbits I've learned that have made my life better

Arete—the most powerful word to the Stoics. It means excellence, and it was the ultimate expression of human greatness—moral, physical, spiritual. It’s what the Stoics were chasing. It’s what we’re all chasing.  Reaching it requires a certain philosophical approach. Because brilliance and inspiration and skill are not enough. Summing up Aristotle’s thoughts on excellence, Will […]

The 92-year-old nonfiction master has published 32 books, over 100 magazine features, and some 3 million words. With a new collection out this summer, he shares the simple secrets to his staggering productivity.

A man passes away without a word in the mountains of North Carolina, and his grandson sets out to write about the importance of a seemingly unimportant life.

I gave a talk on Sunday at North Bay Python where I attempted to summarize the last few years of development in the space of LLMs—Large Language Models, the technology …

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″][vc_column][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text] The Inner Ring By C. S. Lewis*[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]May I read you a few lines from Tolstoy’s War and Peace? When Boris entered the room, Prince Andrey was listening to an old general, wearing...

Network topology and the ghost of the digg homepage

There's a great Twitter thread from Tom Critchlow that responds to the narrative of the "status game" being played online. In particular,...