We already have books, music, movies, and TV shows that can’t be loaned or resold – are video games the tipping point?
Category: ideas
Why The Distinction Between ‘Less’ And ‘Fewer” Matters
“In fact, far from being a mere linguistic slip, this error does a profound disservice to concepts that are at the very foundation of modern technology. The fundamental distinction that is glossed over in that usage is the one between the continuous and the discrete.”
The Power of Parting Words
“Goodbye is larger than just a word. It encompasses an entire ritual.” And why do many of us, for instance, end an email message with “Thanks” even when there’s been no occasion for gratitude to the reader?
How To Generate An Out-Of-Body Experience Without Drugs
Some scientists in Switzerland (of all places) seem to have figured out a way. (You didn’t think we were going to spill the secret in the blurb, did you?)
The Physical Benefits Of Laughter
“At the physiological level, humor reduces levels of stress hormones such as cortisol and is thought to enhance our immune, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems. Laughter also provides a workout for the muscles of the diaphragm, abdomen, and face. A joke can raise our spirits, or ease our tension. If we’re able to laugh during a stressful situation, we can put psychological distance between ourselves and the stress.”
Want To Become A Less Rigid Thinker? Read Novels
“Are you uncomfortable with ambiguity? It’s a common condition, but a highly problematic one. The compulsion to quell that unease can inspire snap judgments, rigid thinking, and bad decision-making. Fortunately, new research suggests a simple antidote for this affliction: Read more literary fiction.”
What Creativity Researchers Know About Performers
“Three seeming contradictions – energy/rest, extroversion/introversion, and openness/sensitivity – are not separate phenomena but together seem to form the core of the creative performer’s personality.”
Your Hidden Censor: What Your Mind Will Not Let You See
Over the last generation, “hundreds of studies have backed up the idea that when attention is occupied with one thing, people often fail to notice other things right before their eyes.”
Algorithms Are Running Everything Now – Even Movies
“Thousands of times every second, above your head, someone will search for something on Google. It will be an algorithm that determines what they see; an algorithm that is their gatekeeper to the internet. It will be another algorithm that determines what adverts accompany the search–gatekeeping does not pay for itself.”
Does ‘Yeah, No…’ Mean Yes Or No (Or Both)?
“In fact, according to research by a couple of Australian linguists, ‘yeah, no’ (and its less popular sibling ‘yes, no’) has a hidden logic all its own and can be used in a number of discrete ways. Listen to Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo dissect a construction that appears to be contradictory but is actually quite useful.”