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From: Farnam Street Weekly <newsletter@farnamstreetblog.com>

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Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2014 10:00:55 +0000

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Subject: Avoiding Stupidity and Winning Arguments

Mastering the best of what other people have already figured out.

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If you missed last week's edition —What billionaire's read, the simple heuristic that saved 150 lives, the science behind Bruce Lee's one-inch punch, internet trends and more—you can catch up.

Start Here

The most popular article this week was Avoiding Stupidity is Easier than Seeking Brilliance.

What else was interesting?

How To Win An Argument — "If you want to win an argument, ask the person trying to convince you of something to explain how it would work."
The Four Stories we tell Ourselves About Death — "Just as a book is bounded by its covers by a beginning and end, so our lives are bounded by birth and death. And even though a book is limited by a beginning and end, it can encompass distant landscapes, exotic figures, fantastic adventures."
The Simple Problem Einstein Couldn't Solve … At First — "An old clattery auto is to drive a stretch of 2 miles, up and down a hill, /\. Because it is so old, it cannot drive the first mile— the ascent —faster than with an average speed of 15 miles per hour ...."
The History of the Martini — "Shaken, not stirred."
An Argument Against Censorship — "In my work, as a writer, I only photograph, in words, what I see. If I write of "sadism" it is because it exists, I didn't invent it, and if some terrible act occurs in my work it is because such things happen in our lives."

Bonus

Filter The Noise: Finding The Signal in an Information Overload World — A peak inside how I filter.

Something to Read

The Nature of Value
The author is a long-time Farnam Street reader who sent me a pre-release copy of the book. The book takes a multi-disciplinary approach to "help investors understand the economy and how investors can use this new understanding to improve their allocation decisions." While I got lost in some of the terminology at times, the book does have a unique perspective.

A Philosopher's Notes
Another book in the how to live category. The idea of learning about life through Marcus Aurelius, Emerson, Nietzsche, Buddha, and others is a good one. In many ways it reminds me of Farnam Street: I'm trying to help you live a more meaningful life. I think that's why a friend passed it along. If you're looking for a good book on how to live for the beach, you could do worse. If you're going to the cottage, however, I'd go with Sarah Bakewell's book: How To Live.

Living with Wine: Passionate Collectors, Sophisticated Cellars, and Other Rooms for Entertaining, Enjoying, and Imbibing
A beautiful book about wine collecting with fascinating pictures of amazing wine cellars. As I embark this year to make wine — from sourcing grapes to charring oak barrels you can expect a few more wine books to appear. This makes an awesome gift for someone who loves wine.

See the big list of what I've been reading.

Re:Think Innovation

Only two weeks left for the early bird discount. Not only are you going to learn some cool stuff—that applies both to you personally and your organization—but you're going to meet some amazing people. I was looking at the list of people who've already signed up and all I can say is ... wow. In order to make sure you get the best experience possible, seating is limited to only 40 people. Register today. Can't wait to see you in Chicago.

Still Curious?

+ The dandelion — No really. This is more interesting than you suspect.

+ How Psychology Can Help Us Write Well — "Psychology looks in one direction to biology, to neuroscience, to genetics, to evolution. And it looks in another direction to the rest of intellectual and cultural life—because what are the arts but products of the human mind which resonate with our aesthetic and emotional faculties? What are social issues but ways in which humans try to coordinate their behavior and come to working arrangements that benefit everyone? There's no aspect of life that cannot be illuminated by a better understanding of the mind from scientific psychology. And for me the most recent example is the process of writing itself." (Complement with Pinker's new book: The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century.)

+ 55 Thoughts for English Teachers — "3. Do not confuse reading passions with reading biases. Be aware and upfront about your biases and work to decrease them. Your passions are healthy, as long as you help students understand why certain words stir you." (Pair with Bertrand Russell's 10 Commandments of Teaching.)

+ The Chemistry of New and Old Book Smells — "Generally, it is the chemical breakdown of compounds within paper that leads to the production of 'old book smell'. Paper contains, amongst other chemicals, cellulose, and smaller amounts of lignin – much less in more modern books than in books from more than one hundred years ago."

+ How Chocolate Might Save The Planet — "Both kissing and chocolate raised heart rates. But chocolate's effect was longer lasting and more powerful."

+ Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system — be careful getting on the treadmill of the latest research. With that said, seems interesting. (Pair with Ancient Wisdom For Lifelong Health and Eat, Fast, and Live Longer.)

+ A clever way to get people to stop texting while driving.

+ People Severely Underestimate How Much They Drink — "... to the extent that the findings represent failures of memory rather than dishonest reporting, it's problematic that many people don't seem to have a very good idea of how much they drink."

+ Work Smarter: Even a 3-Second Distraction Can Screw You Up — "Even the teensiest distractions can seriously throw us off. One recent study found that interruptions as brief as 2.8 seconds were enough to more than double the number of errors study participants made on a given task."

+ Species Extinction Happening 1,000 Times Faster Because of Humans — "according to a review published on May 29 in the journal Science, current extinction rates are up to a thousand times higher than they would be if people weren't in the picture."

+ At the 'End of History' Still Stands Democracy — "The problem in today's world isn't just that authoritarian powers are on the move but that many existing democracies aren't doing well either."

+ The most popular article from last week's edition of Brain Food was: What Billionaire's Read.