In 1930, famed economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that within a century nobody would work more than 15 hours a week… Yeah, I’m giggling too. He didn’t take into account that human desires just never level off. There’s always a shiny new thing to buy and always new Joneses to keep…
Fixing the plumbing on a toilet is far from exciting. But Chris didn’t mind... But that’s probably because he was in outer space. It’s not a stretch to assume common household chores take on another level of interestingness when you’re on a space station. And so Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian…
Head out to the Inyo National Forest in California and you’ll see plenty of bristlecone pine trees. There’s one in particular worth noting. It’s aptly named “Methuselah.” As of 2021, that tree is at least 4,853 years old. Methuselah was there when woolly mammoths were still wandering around. It calls the…
Whether it’s UFOs or Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk, we’re hearing a lot about space travel these days. But they seem to gloss over one thing: a lot about spaceflight sucks. Send me an angry email if you like but it’s undeniable. Being isolated in an unimaginably cramped living space, weird…
The World Health Organization says that Icelandic guys are the longest living men on the planet. They make it to 81.2-years-old, beating the world average by 13.2 years. But it’s not because of their lifestyle. Their obesity rates hover around the global average and their activity levels are nothing to write home…
There’s a little-known group of people who live really good lives. Studies show they’re happier. They have more friends. They’re more successful. Accomplished and warm, they’re solid parents and community members. They live purposeful, meaningful lives. What’s really interesting is that their circumstances vary enormously. Some are rich, some are poor.…
Why do we do the things we do? Aristotle said everything we do was in service of happiness. We weigh the options and pick the thing that is likely to make us happiest… Boy, was Aristotle wrong. Your brain just does not work like that. How many times a day do…
Living a good life means managing your time. Problem is, we don’t understand time at all. Go ahead, explain time to me; I’ll wait. (Eric hums to himself and drums fingers on the tabletop.) Don’t blame yourself. To be fair, the nature of time has been a matter of some debate…
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