Two new studies on exercise and the brain
Whoever came up with the idea that intelligence and physical activity don’t mix should be dropped into one of the lower circles of Dante’s Inferno. Two new studies,
Nelson Mandela on exercise on Robben Island
When he was in prison on Robben Island, Nelson Mandela spent long periods engaged in hard manual labor— breaking rocks into gravel, and working in a quarry. You
How Richard Feynman had time for physics: “I have invented another myth for myself—that I’m irresponsible”
One of the pleasures working on a book like REST is that it provides a great excuse to read about the lives of all kind of fascinating people, and
“The human voice still holds our attention”
Writer Joe Fassler has a piece in The Atlantic on “How Fiction Can Survive in a Distracted World.” It’s mainly a conversation with author Kevin Barry, and it
“Gaining attention has always involved a struggle of ideas and ideals”
University of Kent sociologist Frank Furedi writes about the “Focus Fracas” in the Chronicle of Higher Education (behind a firewall), riffing off Sherry Turkle’s Reclaiming Conversation and the writings
Pew Research Center: “Almost constantly” online now survey response option
The Verge reports: The Pew Research Center is one of the largest sources of information on how Americans use technology like smartphones, social media, and broadband networks. This
“digital tools have been engineered specifically to elicit compulsive behaviour”
Michael Schulson in Aeon writes about designing devices for addiction: [S]hould individuals be blamed for having poor self-control? To a point, yes. Personal responsibility matters. But it’s important
Silence as performance art
It's kind of amazing that this needs to be a thing, and can be seen as an avant-garde phenomenon: a distraction-free concert. In classical circles, a performance of
Why you don’t have self-discipline on screens
This. Exactly. “The ‘I don’t have enough willpower’ conversation misses the fact that there are 1,000 people on the other side of the screen whose job is to
Walks and world events
Given the many benefits of walks in nature, the suggestion by Jason Mark, the editor of Sierra Magazine, that “The Paris climate negotiators should go take a hike”