Welcome to Friday,
It is definitely still winter in the Carolinas – hello 40 degree running weather – which means it’s definitely still the perfect time to cozy up with a book, a steaming mug of tea, and a slice of pumpkin bread. Which is exactly how I plan to spend this weekend. How about you? While you’re cozying up, here are the best links from this past week:
First up, a sentiment I fully agree with; “How You do One Thing is [absolutely] Not How You Do Everything.” As the author points out, we all have certain interests and hobbies we will devote a great amount of care and energy toward, and other activities we simply don’t care to overachieve in. Doing just enough while washing the dishes doesn’t mean you won’t go all out running your next race, or putting together your next presentation.
This essay from Aeon’s Psyche is excellent; it views pseudophilosophy as a similar phenomenon to the pseudoscientific claims making the rounds so steadily today. Pseudophilosophy exploits ambiguous language or unclear terms to make claims which seem grand at first glance, but, upon closer examination, don’t actually hold much meaning. I’ll let you discover who’s work the author squares off against.
A look at the hyper-local, less-discussed social network; How Next Door is Replacing the Small Town Newspaper. Will Oremus discusses the give and take when social media posts take the place of journalism. Critically, he hits on the role of journalism putting current events into context, which is missing from most social media exchanges.
Two years ago, I changed my phone to grayscale and have not looked back. It makes a huge difference in mental bandwidth, reducing anxiety, and making my phone less appealing for mindless scrolling. The only time my phone is in the full grandeur of color mode is while I scroll through Instagram, made easy by the button hack included in the linked article.
This op-ed on the “attention economy,” the internet, and the doomsday cliff we’re all headed for. In other words, an interview with the Cassandra of the Internet.
Currently reading: Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
Have a wonderful weekend.
