I don’t know anything about cars. Exhibit A: My friend picks me up in his car, which I’ve ridden in over a dozen times. We go out, and when we head back to the parking lot, I tried opening the passenger door. Except it wasn’t his car. It wasn’t the same make or model. It […]
Everyone is Trying to Sell You Something
I remember when I was a kid, I was often warned to beware of people trying to sell you something. The implication being, salespeople are often self-serving with their persuasion, if not downright dishonest, and therefore you’re rarely getting an unbiased account of the information. I feel this attitude is profoundly unfair. But not because […]
How I’m Continuing to Learn (and Hopefully Master) Chinese
I spend a lot of time writing about learning in intense bursts. Part of that is for efficiency’s sake—doing a short project forces me to think hard about how to learn more efficiently. Part of that is that a short project is more interesting to write about. But most learning doesn’t take place over an […]
My New TEDx Talk: One Simple Method to Learn Any Language
Funny story about this TEDx. We had decided, as you’ll see from the video, to open with a question to the audience. We wanted to know how many people had put effort into learning a language, but they still can’t hold conversations in it. We were expecting about half the room to raise their hand. […]
I'm a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, podcast host, computer programmer and an avid reader. Since 2006, I've published weekly essays on this website to help people like you learn and think better. My work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, TEDx, Pocket, Business Insider and more. I don't promise I have all the answers, just a place to start.