Monthly Rewind: November 2023

Hmmm, that's interesting!

Dec 23, 2023

Thoughts 💭

“It is really hard to quit the first time, not so tough the second time, and by the third time it becomes a habit.”
- Paul Assaiante

“Premature optimization is the root of all evil.”
- Donald Knuth

“To stimulate life, leaving it free, however, to unfold itself--that is the first duty of the educator.”
- Maria Montessori

“The privileges of knowledge have to be bought at the cost of the consolations of ignorance.”
- John Fowles

Explore our Two Thoughts series: doses of wisdom delivered straight to your inbox every Sunday. Warning: may trigger incurable curiosity.

Conversations 🗣️

Katherine Dee: On Attention, Astroturfing and the Nostalgia Trap

A guide to internet culture.

“It is very tempting to start drama because that's how the attention economy works […] It's difficult for people who think of themselves as writers or anthropologists or basically anything else besides an entertainer to pursue that life.”

Roon: On Shape Rotators, AGI & Tenet

Vignettes of different worlds.

“It's a wordcel world at the end of the day.”

Ben Westhoff: Fentanyl, Inc.

Navigating the worst drug crisis in American history.

“[T]he rule of thumb with all these new drugs is, the old version may have been addictive, may have had its issues, but the new versions like fentanyl are much, much worse.”

Will Schoder — On Curation, Consumption & Compression

Finding the true meaning of happiness.

“I think stories in general are one of our most powerful tools to fight entropy. We dive into the chaos and come out with a more ordered existence, a lesson in how to fight the chaos.”

Venkatesh Rao & Tim Beiko — The Summer of Protocols

The most important framework you’ve never heard of.

"Civilization progresses by increasing the number of actions we can do without thinking about them.”

For root access to your humanOS, dig into our back catalogue of 193 episodes (and counting).

Words ✍️

Infinite Books | “2023 marked the launch of Infinite Books. From anthologies of wisdom to science fiction, there is a fleet of exciting projects coming down the pipeline!”
This Book Will Transform How You Think About Capitalism | “To me, it's fairly obvious that a faceless group of bureaucrats picked by politicians wouldn't even be able to imagine an iPhone.”
Zanies Episode 3: Fake it Till You Make It | “This was psychological warfare at its most entertaining, and Henry was a master general with an intuitive understanding of the battlefield.”
Introducing: The Life of David Rhoiney | “This is a story of ambition, ruthlessness, sacrifice, hubris, intelligence, stubbornness, loss, and, ultimately, hope. This is the story of how David Rhoiney reached the top.”

Updates 📰

Writer & Director Wanted: we’re on the lookout for a filmmaker to write and direct a feature-length documentary film covering the life of Dr. David Rhoiney. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an up-and-coming filmmaker to make their mark in the industry. To learn more and apply, check out our website.
OSV Fellowship x Interintellect Partnership: a behind-the-scenes glimpse of some of the most exciting work being carried out today. You may even find that you leave the series with a world-changing idea of your own.