More Pleasure, Less Joy: Anna Lembke's Dopamine Nation on Why Easy Hits Leave You Flat
A psychiatrist's case that endless easy pleasure tips the brain toward pain, her 30-day reset, and why the famous dopamine numbers come from rats.
People Are Patterns: Robert Greene's Laws of Human Nature, and How Far to Trust Them
Greene's 18 laws for reading the people around you, and yourself. A useful lens for paying closer attention, built on stories from history rather than studies.
The Seed Investor Who Won't Fight the Giants: David Tisch on Why Small Has to Be a Choice
BoxGroup's David Tisch says seed funds shouldn't fight the giant firms head-on, that 90% win-rate claims are "total BS" and that low ownership is an emotional worry, not a business one. Here is his case, with what we checked and his conflicts.
How Robert Caro Gets the Truth Out of Power: Know the Documents, Ask Why, Watch Who Calls
Robert Caro has spent 50 years getting powerful people to say what they shouldn't. Talking to Dwarkesh Patel, he explains how: know the documents, ask why, read small signs of power and get every book down to one sentence. We check his numbers.
Narcissism Is a Dial, Not a Diagnosis: Ramani Durvasula on Spotting the Pattern and Healing Without Leaving
Ramani Durvasula says the question isn't whether someone is a narcissist but how narcissistic they are. Her guide to love bombing, gaslighting and healing without leaving, plus a check on the headline's "1 in 6", which isn't a diagnosis rate.
Anthropic's Numbers Are Real. So Is the Bill: All-In on Who Pays for the AI Build-Out
Anthropic's S-1 shows $16.3 billion of first-half revenue and a mostly non-cash loss, while Google lost $500 billion in a day over AI costs. The All-In hosts argue over who pays for the build-out. We check the numbers and the hosts' ties.
The Test That Sorted You Was Built on a Belief: Jiang Xueqin's Case Against the Meritocracy, Checked
If a test score ever sorted you, Jiang Xueqin says the system behind it is failing children, and that it grew from a quasi-religious faith in reason. We check his history of the SAT, IQ and the word meritocracy, and look at the school he'd build instead.
The Biggest Crypto Robbery, Explained Like You're Five: What Happened at Binance
What if a robber made a big shop's machine hand out everyone's coins? Andrei Jikh explains the record Binance theft, and we explain it so a five-year-old can follow: what's known, what's still a guess, and how to keep your coins safe.
The Time You Have Left: What Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air Teaches About Living Without Knowing
At 36, neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi saw his own lungs matted with tumors. His doctor wouldn't give him a number. When Breath Becomes Air is his answer to how to live when your time is short but uncertain, and where its statistics stand.
One Root, Many Branches? What Good Energy Gets Right About Metabolic Health, and What It Oversells
Fatigue, weight gain, blood pressure, low mood: Casey and Calley Means's Good Energy blames one root cause. Its everyday advice is sound. Its 93% statistic, glucose targets and the authors' business ties deserve a closer look.
Does It Actually Work? AI Snake Oil and How to Spot AI That Can't Deliver
Software is quietly deciding who gets hired, insured or released on bail, and much of it barely beats chance. Narayanan and Kapoor's AI Snake Oil separates real AI progress from hype, and gives you the questions to ask.
Why You Did That: Robert Sapolsky's Behave, Rewinding One Act From a Second to a Million Years
Why did you do that? Robert Sapolsky's Behave rewinds a single act through your brain, hormones, childhood, genes and culture. His case that biology amplifies rather than dictates, which studies aged badly, and the free-will fight.