Categories

Current affairs, Entertainment , Family, Insights, Inspiration, Spirituality, Sport, Technology

Archive

: I left Substack ages ago, but Anil Dash’s latest article) offers a helpful perspective, and counsels …

: This is a smart, sensible take from Suzanne Wrack on the challenge of building sustainable fan bases …

: Good piece on the importance of just continually showing up. In my experience making content, …

: Wasn’t anticipating having to abandon the car coming home after seeing Gladiator II! (Which is great …

: All the energy you put into arguing with reality comes at the expense of improving your situation. …

: “I’m changing the way I read news”. This is good from Laura Hazard Owen: I’ll read news, not other …

: Impressive results from ChatGPT’s new search functionality I asked ChatGPT Search to search my own site for ‘AI’. What I got back feels significantly better …

: Reinhold Niebuhr on why we need faith, hope, love, and forgiveness. Nothing that is worth doing can …

: “If you’re waiting for inspiration, you’ve already lost.” The hard part isn’t …

: The Strong Words Sunday Book Club. We all get lots of email newsletters. I’m pretty disciplined at …

: Qualities of masculinity. How should re respond to the crisis of masculinity? This is spot on: …

: 100 new words a year thanks to TikTok. Fascinating look at the impact of social media on language: …

: Avoiding mental junk food. A good reminder from Shane Parrish: Before diving into the news or …

: The science of Zoom fatigue. Much to ponder in this excerpt from a new book called ‘Your Stone Age …

: How would we write differently if… Love this hypothetical raised by Todd Rogers, author of ‘Writing …

: Screenable: the new app supporting digital parenting. Om Malik, the San Francisco-based writer, …

: TikTok knows its app is harmful for teens. For the first time, internal TikTok communications have …

: Nature absorbed almost no carbon last year. The hope is that this is temporary, but the implications …

: “My girlfriend dumped me by text — and my iPhone sent me a summary”. A software developer …

: Vaping teenagers. …parents are passing vapes through the school fence to pupils, according to head …

: When empathy is too hard. A series of experiments led by Pennsylvania State University psychologist …

: Inventing good and evil. The Economist reviews ‘The Invention of Good and Evil’ by Hanno Sauer, …

: Finalists from the 2024 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards competition. Here are the finalists from …

: Why ChatGPT made this teacher quit teaching. Victoria Livingstone, a writer, educator, and editor: …

: How AI can help diagnose depression and anxiety. This feels like it could be genuinely …

: ChatGPT uses four times more water than previously thought. You may be hungry for knowledge, but …

: Number of non-believers is surging in Britain. Britain is entering its “first atheist age” as …

: What makes a good manager? Really want to be a manager? You probably wouldn’t be a good one. The …

: Zero cases of cervical cancer among women vaccinated before age 14. A historic new study out of …

: “Holding death close so I remember to live”. Kelly McMasters, writing in the New York Times: I …

: Love is literally everywhere Bishop Steven Charleston, quoted by Brian McLaren in Life After Doom: …Sometimes, in this …

: New London restaurant is staffed by the recently homeless. Love this story. In cities across …

: New law: All tips must go to workers. All tips, whether in cash or by card, must be shared between …

: Why Malcolm Gladwell still appeals. With the recent release of his newest book, The Economist …

: Broken Britain. Fascinating essay by Ben Southwood, Samuel Hughes, and Sam Bowman unpacking why …

: The return of the knob. Turns out that making everything a touch screen interface isn’t what we …

: On Monday Britain will become the first rich nation to quit coal. A good news story on Britain’s …

: Chance and fortune. Thought-provoking conversation on the Start the Week podcast, hosted by Tom …

: Oscar-winning star Maggie Smith dies aged 89. Maggie Smith, the prolific, multi-award-winning actor …

: Wendell Berry on how capitalism’s failures are beyond disguise Quotation from ‘Life After Doom’ by Brian McLaren: No amount of fiddling with capitalism to …

: “Sometimes heaven is just a new pair of glasses.” Mirabai Starr, the American author and speaker: …

: Thoughts on: ‘The Midnight Feast’ by Lucy Foley ‘The Midnight Feast’ is the fourth book by Lucy Foley that I’ve read. After reading ‘The Guest …

: Less open-plan, more nooks. Max Rollitt, an antique dealer and decorator: We’re seeing a reversal …

: Why is it so hard to get humans back on the moon? All about the money. [The current programme] …

: “Israel’s pager attacks have changed the world”. Bruce Schneier, a security technologist and a …

: How the medical profession made peanut allergies worse. In a second clinical trial, published in …

: More to snoring than just being an annoyance. Graham Lawton, staff writer at New Scientist, explains …

: Animals don’t worry what tomorrow will bring. The psychologist Steve Biddulph on his new technique …

: Keir Starmer’s excessive freebies. If you’re in the UK, you’ll be well aware that the political news …

: Having counts for nothing Author and activist Brian McClaren in his book ‘Life After Doom’: I recall the wisdom of Catholic …

: “The nonviolence of courageous action”. Jean Zaru, a Palestinian Quaker, reflects upon her lifelong …

: “Are we too impatient to be intelligent?” Instinctively, people love to codify things, and make …

: Instagram is now restricted for teenagers. Starting today, Instagram will begin putting new and …

: The pivotal psychological reality of our time Buddhist author and activist Joanna Macy: Until the late twentieth century, every generation …

: Comparing Apple under Tim Cook to Apple under Steve Jobs. John Gruber, the technology writer who has …

: Shōgan wins big at the Emmy’s with several firsts. The hit FX samurai series is the first …

: “Citizens’ jury in England backs assisted dying for terminally ill”. Thirty jurors were selected …

: The 365 most famous quotes of all time. The quotes are grouped into 27 categories, with each …

: Arsenal manager’s contract extension highlights rarity of managerial stability in the Premier …

: “People can be better than the worst thing they’ve done”. Author and activist, Shane Claiborne: …

: “Goodbye Tinder, hello Strava”. Singletons looking to shack up with their soulmates online have …

: Thoughts on: ‘The Running Grave’ by Robert Galbraith It’s taken me nearly two months, but I’ve finally finished book seven in the Cormoran Strike …

: Australia looking to ban children from social media. Children in Australia could be banned from …

: Free speech for humans (not bots). William Hague, the former Conservative MP, highlights Yuval Noah …

: Apple updates AirPods Pro with new hearing health features. On the day Apple introduced their newest …

: World’s first physically disabled astronaut. John McFall, a Paralympic sprinter who later became an …

: Free speech too important to become a political football. Free speech has become a black-or-white …

: Never admire quietly. Chimamanda Nzozi Adichie, author of Half of a Yellow Sun, offers some simple …

: Micro kindnesses. Sometimes the simplest nudges towards a change in behaviour are the most powerful …

: Parenting getting more and more stressful. Camilla Cavendish, columnist at the Financial Times, …

: “Put the smartphones away, I’m trying to eat.” Giles Coren, the restaurant critic and Times …

: Thoughts on: ‘Sunny’ on Apple TV+ I have just two episodes to go of the new ten-part Apple TV+ drama called ’Sunny’. It’s been …

: Why is India so bad at sport? Tej Parikh, the Financial Times’s economics leader writer, delves into …

: Religion should be grounded in nature. Franciscan friar and ecumenical teacher, Father Richard Rohr: …

: Studies confirm shared experiences, more than material things, bring people together. I think we all …

: Will AI ever be able to make true art? Ted Chiang makes the case for AI never being able to make …

: “Mobile phones not linked to brain cancer”. The review found no overall association between mobile …

: Incredible cloud art! Adore this cloud art that artist Chris Judge has been sharing on Instagram …

: Pickleball ever more popular, but tennis is better for fitness. I’ve only played pickleball once but …

: All forecasting is storytelling. Morgan Housel serves up a good reminder: …while data-driven …

: Why we should all be writing more. There are plenty of science-based benefits to writing. Here’s …

: Over 6,000 suicides in England and Wales last year Lots of alarming statistics on suicide rates in …

: Hope vs. Nope Look, I get it. Labour has just won a big majority, and if there’s a time to make hard, unpopular …

: Beetlejuice! My daughter and I watched ‘Beetlejuice’ tonight. I had never heard of this movie until …

: The Democrats scrap plans to abolish the death penalty Shane Claiborne, the activist and author, has …

: Food allergies have doubled over the last decade Analysis of data from GP surgeries in England …

: The need for more ‘social prescriptions’ Interesting article in Scientific American discussing the …

: Clint Smith on dealing with criticism as an artist From an interview with Brené Brown: Criticism is …

: New London tube map idea is great, but this is all I need: Image source: The Spectator

: Behind the scenes with the system prompts guiding Claude AI Interesting to get a sneak peak at some …

: “How ‘Inside Out’ and its sequel changed therapy” Amazing to see how an animated movie is having …

: Adapting to a world where we can no longer trust what we see From a technology perspective, what the new Google Pixel 9 can do with images is remarkable. But, …

: Hollywood stars talk about the second half of life I don’t listen to every episode of the podcast Smartless, but I do dip in every now and then. And …

: “Return-to-office mandates hurt employee retention, productivity, survey says” Surprise, surprise: …

: ‘Free speech’ and online offences Today’s briefing in the Guardian explores what we can learn from …

: What it feels like living in a tourist hotspot Locals against tourist stories have been in the news …

: London – Day 3 of 3 Day three in London was the official reason for heading here this summer. Our two daughters were …

: “The Marshmallow Test does not reliably predict adult functioning” We’ve all likely heard about the …

: London – Day 2 of 3 Day two of our family mini-break in London was all about a visit to Regent’s Park outdoor theatre. …

: “Consensus is the enemy of greatness” Brian Halligan, co-founder and former CEO of HubSpot, on why …

: London – Day 1 of 3 On a mini-break to London with the family. Went to see HADESTOWN this afternoon. It was incredible! …

: “Hopefulness is the warrior emotion that can lay waste to cynicism” Beautiful and moving response by …

: Do we no longer want to be unique? Fascinating study showing that fewer people want to stand out in …

: How it feels to be a British Jew after October 7 Many on the Left most energised by Israel and …

: “If cynicism was a pill, it would be a poison.” An interview in New Scientist with a recovering …

: Rude disregard for female teachers is unprecedented Alarming, anonymously written, piece in The …

: Tim Harford on AI and plausible bullshit Not for the first time, we learn that large language …

: Long Way Home: New motorbike adventure with Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman The new season …

: Adam Peaty: Why silver is better than gold As soon as you define your whole life by medals, you’ll …

: People with type 1 diabetes may soon only need to give themselves insulin once a week Scientists …

: Be nice – but not too nice – to chatbots Using polite prompts…can produce higher-quality responses …

: “Trump and Musk share tips on running companies into ground” “I think the key to turning any …

: Season four trailer for Slow Horses One of the best productions to have emerged from Apple TV+ is, …

: “Mother Father God” In Fr. Richard Robr’s daily meditations this week he is reflecting on the life …

: “How to do one thing at a time” Chris Guillebeau outlines a helpful, simple process: You must …

: Graham Thorpe’s daughter: We’re not ashamed of talking about his suicide I grew up watching Graham …

: “What happened when I made my sons and their friends go without smartphones” This article in The Sunday Times is a must read if you’re a parent or carer with teenagers or …

: Archbishop Justin Welby: “Christian iconography that has been exploited by the far right is an …

: Prima Facie play coming back to UK cinemas Jodie Comer has announced that the recording of her …

: Adam Grant on why he was wrong about the Olympics. “You can love your people without hating …

: “Inside the ‘cult’ of the Far Right” This interview with Kaelin Robertson, a former …

: “Concentrate! How to improve your focus” Lots of good tips and reminders in this article …

: What lies beneath: the growing threat to the hidden network of cables that power the internet …

: Turns out a quantum leap isn’t what I thought it was. (Who knew ‘quantum’ doesn’t mean huge? I …

: What would it mean to be done for the day? What you realise, the moment you ask “what would it mean …

: UK disorder: What’s Elon Musk’s game? Mr Musk has highlighted his concerns that the …

: “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things …

: The far right riots, Starmer’s response, and the role of Elon Musk This episode of The News Agents …

: Can’t help but enjoy this photo of Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bowing down to Rebeca Andrade …

: Elon Musk’s misinformation machine made the horrors of Southport much worse We’re in danger of …

: Appreciated this on interested versus committed from Shane Parrish’s latest post. Most people are …

: Turtles All the Way Down I remember sitting on a train, coming back from Manchester, reading the final pages of ‘The Fault in …

: Talk to your neighbour, your barista, or the person on the bus, your health could depend on it This …

: After a ten-year hiatus, my long-time friend and mentor, Alex McManus, is back writing. The Digital …

: “It’s good to mock and make fun of people who are bad or want to do bad things. It’s also necessary …

: How decline of Indian vultures led to 500,000 human deaths This is both fascinating and alarming in …