TIL about the Three Hares motif
The Three Hares Motif is this weird, fun enigma -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_hares
-
-
The future of country music is here, and it’s AI
Sensationalist title, but I like how it digs into the specific *jobs* in the music industry that are going away -> The future of country music is here, and it’s AI
-
Wait But Why on The sights and sounds of Bhutan
Lovely post about an intriguing country -> The sights and sounds of Bhutan — Wait But Why
-
Why are Americans Unhappy? by Chris Arnade Walks the World
Yeah – I think this is broadly right -> Why are Americans Unhappy? – Chris Arnade Walks the World If…
-
Why RSS matters
This -> Why RSS matters
-
I love AI. Why doesn’t everyone?
But it’s ok to say, “yes, I want to mitigate the negative effects of this massive change, but also, this technology is really freaking cool.”
-
TIL about The Cagots
The Cagots, a minority in France whose persecution began in the eleventh century and continued well into the last one….that no one knew how to recognize or why they were persecuted.
-
-
Forty News – The News Cycle from This Day, Forty Years Ago
Brilliant performance art -> Forty News. Events are important, but the daily news is not the medium to understand them.
-
The Five Great Forests of Mesoamerica
I absolutely love this short video from the Cornell School of Ornithology.
-
Google’s Gemini 3 Passed My Deep Local Knowledge Test
I’ve been using LLM projects before ChatGPT even came out. I was using OpenAI’s GPT 3 and GPT 2 back…
-
Wyoming Has Fewer People Than 116 Counties
I find this map via Mapper_X absolutely insane. And the first thing that comes to mind is the Equal Representation…
-
What advice do I give to my students?
Very good career advice -> What advice do I give to my students? by Michael Levin
-
5 Ways To Add Randomness To Life
The Internet has added an astounding diversity of choices to everyday life…but somehow the more choices that we move to…
-
-
Why Continue To Invest In Public Lands?
The Wilderness Land Trust is one of the most effective, focused, and agile conservation organizations in the United States. They…
-
Everything Is Television
This. 1000x This -> Everything Is Television by Derek Thompson
-
Annual Number of Perfect Weather Days in the US
Yes, California is all that.
-
The Gopher Tortoise is Gaining Ground
In September, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (Georgia DNR) announced that the 65th gopher tortoise population (minimum of 250…
-
What Made Blogging Different?
Nice reminder -> What Made Blogging Different?
-
A Human on a Bicycle Is among the Most Efficient Forms of Travel in the Animal Kingdom
Scientific American updated their classic chart of mobility efficiency. A human on a bike is better than a fish in the water.
-
How to share: 300 guides to help your community thrive
Exhibit A for why the Web is still awesome -> How to share: 300 guides to help your community thrive
-
The Inverse Law of Conference Speaking – On my Om
More prestige, Less Value. Good observation from -> The Inverse Law of Conference Speaking
-
The simplest, hardest way to "live like a local"
Well-stated perspective -> The simplest, hardest way to “live like a local”
-
TIL about Schelling Point
A Schelling point is a solution people naturally pick when they need to coordinate but can’t communicate. The classic example…
-
Bird of Prey: A Documentary on Saving The Philippine Eagle
A beautifully shot & beautifully told documentary about (IMHO) the world’s most beautiful bird.
-
5 People Rewilding the Internet
The good ‘ole Internet is still out there. And there are still people trying to “rewild” it and promote it.
-
How does a default WordPress install with the Kadence theme display a post with no title? Let’s see! I didn’t…
-
Friedrich Hayek on Why He Wasn’t a Conservative
Though lionized by “free market conservatives”, the economist Friedrich Hayek wrote an incredible essay on “Why I Am Not a Conservative”.
-
A Neuroscientist’s Guide To Reclaiming Your Brain
Transcript Those deep-rooted beliefs about who we are and how we perceive ourselves in the world and where we place…
-
The Why of Substack by On my Om
Excellent piece -> The Why of Substack
-
Curate your own newspaper with RSS
RSS has been the future that just won’t die for 25 years -> Curate your own newspaper with RSS by Molly White
-
Optimizing Ourselves to Death
Yeah….this is right on -> Optimizing Ourselves to Death by Nick Maggiulli
-
Everything I Know about Self-Publishing by Kevin Kelly
Excellent guide from someone who has done all the publishing -> Everything I Know about Self-Publishing by Kevin Kelly
-
Barack Obama on When To Speak Up & Stick With It
Three threads on taking a bundle of opinions and making them real in a way.
-
-
Short Videos as Digital Folklore by Andrey Mir
Very provocative idea -> Short Videos as Digital Folklore by Andrey Mir and I think it’s right on. I also love the medieval carnival analogy.
-
A Classic Childhood Pastime (aka Biking in the Neighborhood) Is Fading
Kids biking might be fading, but can absolutely make a comeback -> A Classic Childhood Pastime Is Fading
-
Dispatch from Disneyland – Cal Newport
Very interesting post – Dispatch from Disneyland – Cal Newport
-
TIL about Gell-Mann amnesia
Gell-Mann amnesia is where we recognize that the media reports inaccurately on topics we know well, yet trust their expertise…
-
The Toronto Suburb Where the Humble Bus Is King
As a former bus driver, I love this -> The Toronto Suburb Where the Humble Bus Is King. It’s cheap, it’s effective, and it works.
-
What The ‘Lentil King of Saskatchewan’ Knows About World Trade
A nice reminder of why trade can be a win-win-win and is so essential to the world we live in.
-
India’s Collapsing Poverty Rate
Over the past decade, India has significantly reduced poverty. Extreme poverty (living on less than $2.15 per day) fell from…
-
Georgia House of Representative’s Minority Leader Tanya Miller’s Closing Speech
Tanya Miller is my Representative in the State of Georgia House of Representatives. She is one of those rare individual politicians that I actively vote for (rather than ticking a box for an abstract person / party).
-
-
-
Why School Vouchers Are Awful
There is a lot that’s wrong with education in the United States. And there are a lot of potential solutions…
-
The Technium: 50 Years of Travel Tips
This is a legit list -> 50 Years of Travel Tips
-
Cash Flow Businesses vs Cash Suck Businesses
I’ve read a lot of business books and talked to business-owners, but I wish I had just seen this illustration years ago. Very smart, worth a thousand words…or thousands of dollars.
-
Wikenigma – A Website of Unknowns
Ohhh…I love this -> Wikenigma – A Website of Unknowns
-
-
Vanguard Explains Cryptocurrency in a Portfolio
So concise & succinct -> Vanguard Explains Cryptocurrency in a Portfolio
-
How To Evaluate Professional Opportunities
Love this flow chart.
-
18 Life-Learnings from 18 Years of The Marginalian
I love these kinds of lists, especially from people living a non-traditional life -> 18 Life-Learnings from 18 Years of The Marginalian
-
50 things I know by Sasha Chapin
Long, but funny and useful -> 50 things I know by Sasha Chapin
-
I Ditched the Algorithm for RSS—and You Should Too
Brilliant, brilliant post -> I Ditched the Algorithm for RSS—and You Should Too
-
Everyone’s a sellout now
Wow, this article resonates -> Everyone’s a sellout now
-
52 Things I learned in 2024
This guy finds the best stuff, every year -> 52 Things I learned in 2024
-
Things to argue about over the holidays instead of politics
All of these lists are hilarious, useful & awesome -> Things to argue about over the holidays instead of politics
-
I Have a Few Questions
Very thought-provoking -> I have a few questions by Morgan Housel
-
-
-
I Went from Reading 40 Books a Year to Reading 0
Very interesting post -> I Went from Reading 40 Books a Year to Reading 0
-
How To Compose a Successful Critical Commentary
If you disagree w/ someone and want them to actually listen – express their position better than they can; list any points that you agree with; say what you’ve learned from the position; only then can you express disagreement.
-
Is There Such a Thing as a Classic?
Interesting take -> Is there such a thing as a classic?
-
Bluesky and ensh***ification
Yup. This post is right on -> Bluesky and enshittification
-
What I want from Mozilla
Well-done post -> What I want from Mozilla
-
Private Equity Is Coming for Youth Sports
Youth sports aren’t what they used to be.
-
How Fraudsters Are Bilking the Government Out of Billions of Dollars
Fascinating podcast episode from Odd Lots -> How Fraudsters Are Bilking the Government Out of Billions of Dollars
-
-
Sloth was not the right answer
Love this post about the intersection of politics & culture -> Sloth was not the right answer
-
Health Is Not That Hard – Behavior Change Is
Exercise regularly, eat a nutritious diet, eschew cigarettes, limit alcohol consumption and nurture meaningful relationships.
-
Barack Obama on Connected Disconnection
We live in a time of such confusion and rancor, with a culture that puts a premium on things that don’t last: money, fame, status, likes.
-
TIL about Mimetic Desire
Mimetic Desire is the idea that we want what other people want. Beyond the absolute basics of bodily need, our…
-
How Will You Save Small Midwestern Towns without Mass Immigration?
Thoughtful post on a hot topic -> How Will You Save Small Midwestern Towns without Mass Immigration?
-
TIL about Taste Games and Status
One of the favorite reads this year was Status Games. It’s a brilliant tour of how humans cooperate in groups…
-
TIL Narcissism of Small Differences
The Narcissism of Small Differences is the idea that the more a relationship or community shares commonalities, the more likely…
-
Who died and left the US $7 billion?
Fascinating financial story about the largest single tax payment ever -> Who died and left the US $7 billion?
-
What Excessive Screen Time Does to the Adult Brain
Fascinating findings from Stanford’s longevity lab -> What Excessive Screen Time Does to the Adult Brain
-
Coming home – Creating On Your Own Website
A persuasive & well-written post on doing creative work on your own website -> Coming Home
-
Private Equity Ruins Tech Companies
Short & sweet context post on WordPress drama -> Private Equity Ruins Tech Companies
-
Governments are bigger than ever. They are also more useless [Because Almost All The Money Goes To Old Age Care and Not Investment]
There’s yet another fake fight brewing in the United States (and across the rich world) about government spending and borrowing….
-
Testing Out WordPress -> Mastodon Integration
I posted a picture on Mastodon a few months ago – and now I’m replying to it from WordPress!
-
Threads’ Deeper Fediverse Integration
Threads made it possible to reply to posts via ActivityPub enabled social networks – including WordPress!
-
Health benefits of pedestrian and cyclist commuting: evidence from the Scottish Longitudinal Study
This study, based on a large representative sample followed up for 18 years, provides robust evidence of lower risk of…
-
What’s with the hostility towards personal publishing?
CJ Chilvers wrote a good reminder about personal publishing on the Open Web in a world of AI writers.
-
Some blogging myths
Julia Evans has an excellent post on blogging myths.
-
What To Read In Addition To Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt has created a lot of chatter and concern among parents and policymakers. With the United…
-
5 Types of Birds at the Birdfeeder
I’ve had a birdfeeder (I bought this one) for 5 years now. I’ve now seen the same patterns and species…
-
Functional Truck
An actually functional truck, as seen in the neighborhood. For context, Americans are buying ridiculously massive trucks that don’t even…
-
Rise of Dopamine Culture
Rise of Dopamine Culture was one of the better blog posts I’ve read this month. I’m sure it’s a bit…
-
Forest Service Staffing
I do a lot of hiking, backpacking, and recreation in Georgia’s Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. It’s beautiful and amazing. But it’s…
-
4 Things I Didn’t Know About Backyard Birds Until I Got A Feeder
Red-bellied woodpeckers are the backyard big guy. Cardinals are the consistent friends I take for granted. But Bluebirds are the…
-
Georgia’s 12 Seasons
I’m definitely enjoying the daffodils, peach blossoms, and camellias during Fool’s Spring
-
SEO in 2024
A satire of where Google is pushing website owners with their “E-EAT” guidance.
-
‘Enshittification’ is coming for absolutely everything
It’s rare for a single word or theory to explain what is going on, especially about something as complex as…
-
How to Buy Happiness
Eric Barker is one of my absolute favorite authors. I loved reading Barking Up The Wrong Tree and Plays Well…
-
-
The [Disney] Magic of The Public Domain
I love the attention that the concept of the public domain is receiving this year after the first version of…
-
If You Want To Be Able To Do [X] at 80, You Need To Be Able to Do [Y] Now.
I discovered this chart from the book Outlive via Andrew Chen’s blog, where he writes that –
![If You Want To Be Able To Do [X] at 80, You Need To Be Able to Do [Y] Now.](https://www.nateshivar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Decline-in-Fitness.jpg)
