Random on mco.dev

No one knows where these common words came from

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Do blind people understand vision?

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Best Camp Ever?

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I’m down with any initiative that encourages book people to spend more time with other book people.

Loneliness may be killing you

Sat, 05 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

How important do you think social interactions are? Are they just nice to have or a critical ingredient for a healthy and happy life?

As close to magic as you can get

Sat, 14 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Writing as Therapy

Sat, 31 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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.

The Death of Daydreaming

Sun, 18 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Metal Worms

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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.

The Lost Art of Handwriting

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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.

An Epic Quest

Sat, 15 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Ask For No

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Today’s one great thing is a short article about a powerful life hack everyone should know about.

Getting Stuck at a "Station of Despair" in Tokyo

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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”.

John Lennon: Real or Imagined?

Sat, 25 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

If, like me, you’re a Beatles fan and you enjoy a good amateur detective story, this article will be right up your alley.

The Little Life

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I’m always pondering what it means to live a good life, a meaningful life, a rewarding life.

On Accepting Differences

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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.

The Impermanence of Memory

Sun, 05 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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.

My Favorite Productivity Tool

Sat, 23 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

You know that feeling when you have something important to do and you just can’t seem to get off the starting block? It’s not necessarily an unpleasant task, and once you get working on it, it’ll be fine. It’s just that the energy required to make the transition from idle to active can feel overwhelming at times. In this article I’m sharing the best solution I’ve found to this problem.

The Northern Lights are on fire this week

Sat, 12 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

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.

More vulnerable than you think

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Today’s one great thing is a new video from one of my favorite Youtube channels, Veritasium.

Seeing America by Train

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I didn’t know this was even possible but apparently you can travel across the entire United States by train.

How the Web Works - In One Easy Lesson

Sat, 18 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Neither a Giver Nor a Taker Be

Sun, 05 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Great conversations flow effortlessly and collaboratively. I enjoyed this short piece about applying the rules of improv comedy to improve your conversations.

Are you Japanese or English?

Sun, 29 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Surfing Saved My Life

Sat, 14 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Reviewing our Reviews

Sun, 08 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

What would an alien civilization think of us if the only record of our existence was Google Reviews?

What happens to your smart phone when it gets stolen?

Sun, 11 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Check out this fascinating thread on Mastadon, which is the distributed messaging app many people have migrated to since Twitter started imploding.

The Eyes Have It

Sat, 03 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Why July is a Bad Time to Get Sick

Sat, 19 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

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?

Breaking 108 Bones

Sun, 09 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

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.

The Most Dangerous Building in New York Doesn't Exist

Sun, 18 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

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.

A Modest Proposal on Pronouns

Sun, 28 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

In what should surprise no one, human gender identity is more complex and nuanced than the conceptual frameworks on which most of us were raised. Expressing a preferred pronoun helps, but there’s a problem with that approach.

Drowning Out a Pandemic with Alcohol

Sun, 10 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

From longreads.com, I found this beautifully written short story, by William Torrey, about a man self-medicating his way through the pandemic, while attempting to keep his increasingly dysfunctional life intact.

2016 Was a Little Longer Than Usual

Sun, 12 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

By one second. On December 31, 2016, at 11:59:59pm UTC, one second was added to Universal Time Coordinated (UTC), which is the basis for the worldwide system of timekeeping.

Another brick in the wall

Sat, 14 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

I missed my Mom today. I think it’s the first time I’ve genuinely missed her since she died six months ago. That probably sounds harsh. Let me explain…

What's going on under London?

Sun, 21 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This short video from Vox reports on a phenomenon I’d not heard about but, as a central London resident, is apparently happening all around me.

Are we running out of tweets?

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Twitter’s 280 character limit raises an interesting question: how many tweets are possible before nothing new can be said?

It's Not You, It's Me

Sat, 25 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Dear Smartphone,

We’ve had a great relationship over the years. You bring the world right to my fingertips. And you’re always there for me. Unfortunately, I’m a little too into you.

Do Not Remain Nameless

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This is a beautiful letter from Richard Feynman to a former student on what constitutes “important problems”. I’ve always felt that important problems are those that advance your own knowledge, and ideally, the knowledge of others. But there’s an even simpler definition: any problem that brings joy in its solving is worth your time.

Fast Lie, Slow Truth

Sun, 14 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

A man in Maryland got misidentified by twitter users as the perpetrator of a deplorable attack and he published an article about what the experience was like for him. The accusation was retreeted half a million times. This part jumped out at me:

On Flexibility

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0000

I learned something important today. I had an idea to suggest to someone. But I wasn’t neutral about this idea.

Chess and Intelligence

Tue, 04 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Over twenty years ago, for the first time in history, the greatest living chess player lost to a computer.

Why I Quit Facebook

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Are you like me? Do you find yourself checking your Facebook news feed regularly and with ever increasing frequency? When you see a good movie, or take a cool photo, or experience something unique, is your first thought “I need to write a status update about that”?

No Tie, No Problem

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Twenty nine years ago, I started my first and, up till now, only job, at Bell Labs in Holmdel, NJ (the lobby of which is pictured above). Bell Labs was a magical place in those days, sort of like a cross between a corporate think tank and a Grateful Dead concert.

Airport Reunion - A Short Film

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Airports are generally pretty boring places but, every once in a while, something amazing happens.

A Better Way to Search Amazon.com

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Which Beatles’ album is the one best loved by fans? I’ll answer that question below in a new and unique way, but first a brief detour…

Reconnecting After Forty Years

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000

I recently celebrated one of those birthdays ending in a zero and was rummaging through some old photos, school records, etc., when I came upon my fourth grade class picture. For those of you who can’t get enough 60s era fashion and hairstyles, the cover photo above is Miss LaRusso’s Fourth Grade Class, Collins School, Livingston, NJ in 1970, when I was ten yours old.

A Killer Feature for Amazon.com

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Dear Amazon.com,

There’s one feature I really wish you would add.

Learning to Speak English - Seven Strange British Sayings

Sat, 30 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

You’ve probably heard the famous George Bernard Shaw quote about America and Britain being “two nations divided by a common language”.

The Ghost in the Machine

Fri, 29 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

(Image courtesy of https://claudeai.wiki/)
I switched on the power and stood back, not knowing what to expect. Led lights briefly flickered and in an instant I heard someone, or something, call out to me, in a surprisingly natural sounding voice:

The Hand on my Arm

Fri, 29 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

My daughter, Maya, is growing up too quickly. At some point the little girl who used to love to jump into my arms turned into a sophisticated pre-teen with an aversion to displays of affection, especially toward her father. That’s why the hand on my arm took me by surprise.