What did Benjamin Franklin, Ludwig van Beethoven and Michael Jordan have in common? They all woke up each day and jotted down a to-do list. Of course, none of those guys (even heyday Jordan) had access to today’s apps or programs, which are able to automate tasks and set reminders and track your progress with an... See more
A fan of both Herman Melville and long-forgotten archives, Grann landed on the journals of a 16-year-old midshipman who was stranded with his crew members on an island off the coast of Patagonia. It was not the document’s descriptions of typhoons, shipwreck, or mutinies, however captivating, that convinced Grann the story of The Wager was worth... See more
a prime example of why a common book is so helpful! two very different ideas coming together
Have killer voice. How do you develop killer voice? Be confident. How do you develop confidence? Read oodles and write oodles more. If you’re sending a “list newsletter” you better have one hell of a point of view because, well, there are oodles-upon-oodles of list newsletters out there. Generally, like with much good writing, the magic for readers
You don’t need a vacation — you need 6 months of ambitious underemployment, of relaxed discipline, of productive exploration, of intentional meandering, … of hard leisure.
The Coffee Beans Procedure is a way of doing what psychologists call unpacking . Our imaginations are inherently limited; they can’t include all details at once. (Otherwise you run into Borges’ map problem—if you want a map that contains all the details of the territory that it’s supposed to represent, then the map has to be the size of the... See more
Audiences want romance. Stars want romance. We have a formula for romance that works when given the benefit of strong direction, witty writing, charming leads, a slightly unexpected soundtrack (Maggie Rogers, what are you doing here?!), and on occasion, a lithe and spirited British muse.
But most websites today prioritize efficiency and usability, which leads to a kind of architectural sameness. “Everybody's house sort of looks the same,” he says, “you're taking the same hallway... because we’ve fallen into the same UI patterns.” He wonders about a new kind of website that invites curiosity rather than just guiding a behavior.... See more
“Hot girl food” is about a sense of romanticizing simplicity; like the act of cracking open a can of smoked fish, “hot girl food” is seemingly effortless. But of course, even the things that are portrayed to us as “effortless” require effort; this is the myth of “no makeup” makeup, or the “effortless dinner party” that can be flung together with... See more