How social media shortens your life. “The most common noun in the English language is “time”. We talk obsessively about time because it’s the most important thing in the universe. Without it, nothing can happen. And yet most of us […]
An author whose point of view on history I admire also has a point of view on the future. “We’re at the precipice, and we’re about to jump off the cliff of AI superintelligence, whether we want to or not. […]
Google celebrates the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop. ~ learn more
We know that history is written by the winners. But remember also that sometimes the new winners erase what the old winners wrote. | learn more
“If you’re looking for the whipping boy for all of medicine, and most of science, look no further than Galen of Pergamon.” History tells us that he was an uncritical propagator of the ‘four humors’ concept of medicine. This deeper […]
This was fun to read! “Bed Bath & Beyond’s plus-size mailer, known as Big Blue, has made it to TV, eBay, even a mobster’s kitchen drawer. “The poor mailmen,” the company’s former marketing V.P. said, “what we did to them.”” | learn […]
“The second kind of history to learn from are the broad behaviors that show up again and again, in multiple fields and different eras. They are the 30,000-foot takeaways from events that hide layers below the main story, often going […]
“Discussing the evolution of the cash-on-delivery system for mailing goods, why it faded out, and where it actually remains in use.” | learn more
Author: Thomas Hager Before a drug can change the world, it must be discovered. Ten Drugs tells stories of these fateful discoveries. Taken together, they paint a picture of humanity’s long and complicated relationship with drugs. We often hear polarized […]
“Cadavers, childbirth, and the rise of the Soap Industrial Complex all played a part in getting handwashing to catch on.” | learn more