I’ve traveled to a lot of cities. I’ve also lived for more than a few months in several of them. It would seem obvious that the places I know best be the ones that I spent the most time in. But strangely, this often isn’t the case. I did far more sightseeing and tourist activities […]
The Problem with Advice
If you want to eat healthy, you need to have a balance between eating too much and too little. If you want to be responsible with money, you need to balance between saving enough to enjoy your future and spending enough to meet your needs today. Not too much, not too little. Most problems in […]
Genes and Free Will
How important are your genes? If your genes determined most of your life outcomes, would that mean you have more or less control over your life? The answer to the first question, at least with respect to a lot of traits, seems to be fairly important. Researchers using various techniques (such as identical twins separated […]
Which Ideas are Overrated?
“All models are wrong, but some are useful.” – George Box There are some ideas which are true. “2+2=4” is an idea that is hard to doubt. There are also ideas which are false. “The moon is made of cheese” is wrong, no matter how you look at it. But most ideas are somewhat in-between—neither […]
I'm a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, podcast host, computer programmer and an avid reader. Since 2006, I've published weekly essays on this website to help people like you learn and think better. My work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, TEDx, Pocket, Business Insider and more. I don't promise I have all the answers, just a place to start.