sparks

How to avoid cynicism:

Act in ways opposite to your instinct. If you hate something, find out more about it. Again ask 'What is this?', 'Who made this?', 'Who is this for?' Genuinely. Never stop doing this"

-via @being_on_line

Stop chasing miracles.

Miracles, by definition, are things that happen outside of your control.

Sherry Ning • How to be Insightful

Few things shock me like my own forgetfulness.

Frederik Gieschen • Revisiting 2023: Books and Podcasts

I feel a wave of dystopia whenever I confront the intellectual inconsistency of highly educated people.

Boring must die

Edgar D. Mitchell, an astronaut on Apollo 14 and the sixth man to walk on the moon, memorably put it like this:

“You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You

Brian Klaas • We Are Different From All Other Humans in History

Second, most of the folks making the most noise in a technological bubble either i) do not read history, ii) need to make it seem like their technology is world changing and the change is closer than anyone can ever imagine (because otherwise investors would not be willing to hand over their cash) ... or iii) blindly believe the folks who are

Commoncog • Letter to a Young Person Worrying About AI

truth

The first thing I would like to say is ‘thank you.’ Not only has Harvard given me an extraordinary honour, but the weeks of fear and nausea I have endured at the thought of giving this commencement address have made me lose weight. A win-win situation!

JK Rowling commencement address