In a revelation that will surprise no one who knows me, I was a very enthusiastic child. When I found something I liked, everyone had to hear about it. Come to think of it, I’m still the same way now, hence “One Great Thing”.
I’m convinced you could spend the rest of your life watching YouTube videos and barely scratch the surface of fascinating educational content (not that I would recommend spending your life that way). The video featured in today’s post is one such hidden gem, on the mysterious origin of several common English words.
Have you ever imagined what it might be like to be blind? I don’t mean to lose your sight, but rather to never have had it in the first place.
I’m down with any initiative that encourages book people to spend more time with other book people.
How important do you think social interactions are? Are they just nice to have or a critical ingredient for a healthy and happy life?
Two weeks ago, in Writing as Therapy, I wrote about how much I’ve enjoyed and profited from journaling for ten minutes every morning. Continuing that theme, here’s a related article, which summarizes some scientific findings on the surprisingly powerful mental health benefits of this daily practice.
I’ve been journaling every morning for the last several weeks and have found it to be a great way to organize my thoughts and process some of the many loose threads in my head.
As a child, I was a world class daydreamer. By which I mean that my mind was constantly wandering, which was often commented upon with some concern by my teachers.
One of the best things about living in London is the pervasive and efficient train network, affectionately known as the Tube. You can get just about anywhere in this sprawling metropolis by train and it’s my favorite way to travel around the city.
I’ve been teaching a class at the University of Surrey in South London. During a recent lab session, a friendly student named Satish Ranganathan Mohan approached me with a question and I noticed the most exquisite hand-written diagram and calligraphy I’ve ever seen.
Whether you’re a long time fan of Jeopardy! or not, you have to appreciate Harvey Silikovitz, who, despite having Parkinson’s Disease, won the notoriously challenging quiz show last Monday after a 24 year journey.
Today’s one great thing is a short article about a powerful life hack everyone should know about.
Have you ever done that thing where you fall asleep on a train and miss your stop? If you do that in Tokyo, you might just end up at a “Station of Despair”.
If, like me, you’re a Beatles fan and you enjoy a good amateur detective story, this article will be right up your alley.
I’m always pondering what it means to live a good life, a meaningful life, a rewarding life.
I recently had a conversation with someone close to me about religion. They were asserting that the Tibetan belief in a reincarnated soul is not a form of religious indoctrination. I disagreed but the point of this article is not the substance of that discussion but rather my reaction to the conversation.
Our memories are what make us who we are. They are the building blocks of our identity. I feel sad when I think about how many little details of my life I can’t remember.
The Sun had a bit of a meltdown on Tuesday, spewing massive streams of high-energy particles into space. Outbursts like this follow an eleven-year cycle, of which we’re just now nearing the peak.
Today’s one great thing is a new video from one of my favorite Youtube channels, Veritasium.
I didn’t know this was even possible but apparently you can travel across the entire United States by train.
Like an old infomercial claim (“It slices! It dices!"), this article’s title sounds too good to be true, but it is true – in one article, I’m going to explain how the web works and you will walk away a better informed human being. All you have to do is give me a few minutes of your time.
Great conversations flow effortlessly and collaboratively. I enjoyed this short piece about applying the rules of improv comedy to improve your conversations.
Imagine growing up in an English-only household, in a rural village in Japan, fully immersed, for your entire life, in two very different cultures.
Growing up surrounded by poverty and gang violence, this inspiring and mesmerizing short film tells the story of a young man who found his path to happiness on a surfboard.
What would an alien civilization think of us if the only record of our existence was Google Reviews?
Check out this fascinating thread on Mastadon, which is the distributed messaging app many people have migrated to since Twitter started imploding.
Another case where AI does things we can’t explain: apparently male and female retinas are different enough that a computer can guess your gender just by looking at your eyes.
I recently heard something amazing: July is the worst month in which to undergo a medical procedure because the risk of a mistake is higher in July than in any other month of the year. But why?
The best thing I read this week was this gripping and beautifully written story about a building engineer who, in 2013, fell five stories from a church attic, shattered half the bones in his body, and somehow managed to survive.
One of the most compelling reads of my week was this odd tale from the New York Times about a compulsion unlike any you’ve heard of before.
