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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,...

Dear Leon and Charlie, In the story of the creation, God makes the world, and everything in it, in six days. On the seventh day he rests...

Why college is a Girardian nightmare; *Big Little Lies* on HBO; Proust; memes; why America's greatest feature is both tolerance and rejection of mimesis.

My favorite creative prompt.

Now that everyone seems interested in blogging again, here’s a list of early and influential bloggers that shaped the genre. Maybe you can borrow some pointers.

Actor, writer, and comedian Nick Offerman on the value of making things yourself, and why you should stop buying useless crap.

Plus Not Boring Founders

Thoughts on educating my kids in a fast-changing world

Contrary to the claims of the psychotherapy myth, humans can be resilient and tough-minded; they can suffer the slings and arrows of life without expensive interventions from “experts.”

​ ​ ​ The US paperback edition of my book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals is out now – see here for purchase options! – and the Canadian edition, out the week a...

How to be a successful content entrepreneur

The Washington ur-blogger’s slightly contrarian, mildly annoying, somewhat influential, very lucrative path toward the political center.

“YouTubers have become diversified businesses. The channels I partner up with often have 5+ major income streams. Here is a (non exhaustive) list of income streams that I've seen YouTubers build and my thoughts on each: 1. YouTube ad revenue What: Ads placed on videos…”

I’m excited and super-f’n-anxious to share a 5+ year obsession/project nearing the finish line (and now available for pre-order!). THE…

How Perceptions Are Made Look at the image below. To try to make sense of the black and white blobs, your brain sifts through its library of experiences, looking for something it has encountered before that matches or nearly matches what it is currently looking at. If your brain can’t find a match, you are

Finding ways to relax and allowing your mind to wander on a regular basis can give your brain the breather it needs to be creative.

“They Don't Teach You This About Honey Bees in Schools 🐝: 1. Honey is the only food that has every single substance to sustain life. 2. Honey doesn't ever turn bad. You can actually eat honey that was found in Egyptian tombs thousands of years ago. (if you dare) ‼️ 3. A single…”

A reader who wishes to remain anonymous, has sent in this report of of a talk with Pixar's Michael Johnson. Enjoy!

Hey, you. You're doing great. Click here to read this on the web. Header image: Mine Welcome to the 143rd issue of Total Annarchy, a fortnightly…