Not every fun activity or moral good is a waste of time.
Eradicating Unhappiness
Is there a manual for living well? Where modern science, society, and psychology underserves, a philosophy nearly as old as time emerges. “Take a simple idea, and take it seriously.”—Charlie Munger…
Guy Who Sucks At Being A Person Sees Huge Potential In AI
SAN MATEO, CA—After spending the past three decades of his life being totally unable and unwilling to engage in any meaningful way with the world around him, James Parker, a local guy who sucks at being a person, told reporters Thursday that he saw huge potential in AI. “While it’s still in its early phase, artificial intelligence will one day accomplish things that humans could have never even dreamed of doing,” said Parker, who, by all accounts, has never stretched himself to do something he found difficult; has never created anything truly original; and, deep down, has absolutely zero understanding of what makes things good, enjoyable, or rewarding. “Just yesterday, I asked an AI program to write an entire sci-fi novel for me, and [as someone who will die an empty shell of a man who wasted his life doing nothing for the world and, perhaps, should never have been born] I was super impressed. Soon, humans won’t need to do anything at all! Awesome.” At press time, Parker added that as someone whose contributions to society would almost certainly be measured cumulatively as a net loss, he also saw great potential in the future of the metaverse.
Cory Doctorow on Enshittification, with danah boyd and Lee Vinsel
Highlights from "Daily Rituals" by Mason Currey
1. A solid routine fosters a well-worn groove for one’s mental energies and helps stave off the tyranny of moods. 2. “A modern stoic,” he observed, “knows that the surest way to discipline passion...
Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER - FROM THE 2025 BBC REITH LECTURER A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE SUMMER 2025 'Gives us hope, humour and guidance at a time when all are in short supply' TIMOTHY SNYDER 'The rare read that might actually help you become a better person' ADAM GRANT THE ANTIDOTE TO APATHY FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR RUTGER BREGMAN Every day we're bombarded with methods, mantras and life hacks that promise us wellness and prosperity - while time and talent remain some of our most squandered resources. The average full-time worker will spend 80,000 hours at their job: are you making the most of them? Do you truly believe in what you do, day in, day out? What if you want to do something more with your limited time on the planet? Internationally bestselling author Rutger Bregman shows us that with moral ambition - the will to make the world a wildly better place - we can be both idealistic and successful, and change the world along the way. Uncovering the qualities that made the great change-makers of history so effective, he shows how we too can lend our talents to the biggest challenges of our time, from climate change to inequality to the next pandemic. With moral ambition, we can do more than be on the right side of history: we can make history itself. This book won't make your life easier, but it should make it more meaningful. The question is: what will you do with it? As the 2025 BBC Reith Lecturer, Rutger Bregman will present 'Moral Revolution', a four part series: -A Time of Monsters -How To Start a Moral Revolution -A Realist's Utopia -Zoom Out Available to listen on BBC Four
Why do we collect things?
Desire, nostalgia, loss, and completeness in the personal collections of Joseph Cornell, Peter Blake, and Vladimir Nabokov
How to be perfectly unhappy
This comic was inspired by essay from Augusten Burroughs: How to live unhappily ever after. In addition to the essay, I highly recommend reading his books. It's also been described in psychology as flow.
So you want to write a package manager
You woke up this morning, rolled out of bed, and thought, “Y’know what? I don’t have enough misery and suffering in my life. I know what to…
A Father, a Dying Son, and the Quest to Make the Most Profound Videogame Ever
Ryan Green is making a game that is as broken—as confounding, unresolved, and tragically beautiful—as the world itself.
'Red Dead Redemption 2' Is the Only World in Which I've Ever Felt Guilt
The real skill of the AAA gaming blockbuster is its ability to make you feel bad.
I went to the ‘existential hope’ gala and left hungry
Exploring the frontier of human flourishing with Curtis Yarvin's ex, the light of Apollo, and no booze whatsoever.
Opinion | In Praise of Mediocrity (Published 2018)
The pursuit of excellence has infiltrated and corrupted the world of leisure.
The downside of being happy
Nobody likes to be sad, but it can have a powerful and positive effect.
