After his father died, the physicist Richard Feynman went into a deep depression. He found himself unable to work on research problems. So he told himself that he’d instead play with physics—not for immediate practical results, but for its own sake. One day, he was eating in a cafeteria at …
Motivation
The problem with chasing gold medals
Jason Alexander (famous for playing George Costanza on Seinfeld) was nominated 8 times for the Emmys. He never won. Glenn Close was nominated 8 times for the Oscars. She never won. Carl Sagan was nominated for membership in the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors in science. …
The best of what I’m reading, watching, and exploring (September 2021)
From time to time, instead of my usual email with one big idea you can read in 3 minutes or less, I share with you the best of what I’m reading, watching, and exploring. Enjoy! Books Ballad of the Whiskey Robber by Julian Rubinstein. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. …
Summer recommendations (July 2021)
From time to time, instead of my usual email with one big idea you can read in 3 minutes or less, I share with you the best of what I’m reading, watching, and exploring. Enjoy! Books Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. Summer means vacation, and vacation is a great time …