Why Read the Classics?
Italo Calvino argues that we should dedicate part of our adult life to re-reading the classics that shaped us as children. In fact, reading in youth can be rather unfruitful, owing to impatience, …
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Michael Mauboussin’s Behavioral Economics Reading List
Michael Mauboussin is one of the smartest people you’ll ever meet. Need proof? Just listen to this podcast interview we did. If you’re looking to learn about behavioral economics, he …
Rembrandt — The Power of Art
You’re a painter. What’s the worst thing that can happen to you: neglect, derision, disgrace? Worse than all these misfortunes is to have to mutilate your masterpiece, the bravest thing …
Daniel Kahneman: Thinking That We Know
“Critical thinking has to include assessing one’s own thinking.” — Daniel Kahneman *** In this extraordinary talk at the National Academy of Sciences, Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman …
Not All Good Arguments Are Logically Sound
Some interesting thoughts from James Gray on whether all good arguments are logically sound. Understanding why helps us appreciate good arguments. Proof that not all arguments are logically sound An …
The Power of Negative Thinking
An insightful piece by Oliver Burkeman on the folly of the all-positive thinking movement and its rejection of the possibility of failure. “The psychological evidence, backed by ancient wisdom, …
Increasing The Productivity of Computer Programmers and Engineers
If you want to make your computer programmers and engineers more effective give them “privacy, personal space, control over their physical environments, and freedom from interruption.” Via …
The clarity paradox — why success is a catalyst for failure
Greg McKeown explains why successful people don’t become very successful in The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. Why don’t successful people and organizations automatically become very …
Why Are Olympic Athletes So Much Faster Today?
We all know that sports records keep getting broken, but we generally don’t appreciate just how dramatic the progress has been, or the reasons for it. For example, the Olympic records of a …
Susan Sontag: The Function of Common Sense
I made it through Susan Sontag’s recently released notebooks: As Consciousness Is Harnessed to Flesh: Journals and Notebooks, 1964-1980. “As Consciousness” is the second of three …
Why Can’t Someone Be Taught Until They’re Ready To Learn?
Clay Christensen is best known as the author of The Innovator’s Dilemma. He’s also the author of a new book, How Will You Measure Your Life?, which has some wonderful insights (see …
When Storytelling Leads To Unhappy Endings
“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald *** John Kay, …
Nassim Taleb: We Should Read Seneca, Not Jonah Lehrer
For those who didn’t follow him, Jonah Lehrer has a gift for turning science into a great story. His beautiful writing made it hard to resist the narrative fallacy. The recent news about him …
Simplicity’s Best Friend: Small Groups of Smart People
More brains don’t necessarily lead to better ideas. When it came to leading meetings, Steve Jobs had no qualms about tossing the least necessary person out of the room. An excerpt from Insanely …
Susan Sontag: Aphorisms and the Commodification of Wisdom
A brilliant post from brain pickings drawing our attention to Susan Sontag and the commodification of wisdom. As the interconnectedness and velocity of information continue to grow, these passages …
The Château de Versailles: From The Seat of Power to The Museum Of The History of France
The Palace of Versailles, also know as The Château de Versailles, began as King Louis XIII’s hunting lodge. It is now considered one of the most beautiful achievements of 18th-century French …