No. 504 — December 25th, 2022 — Read on FS

A short one today, as it's time for family and reflection.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas or a happy holiday!

FS

Advice for curious people:

“There is no certain way of telling in advance if the daydreams of a life dedicated to the pursuit of truth will carry a novice through the frustration of seeing experiments fail and of making the dismaying discovery that some of one’s favourite ideas are groundless.”

— Source

Insight

“The trouble is that most people want to be right. The very best people, however, want to know if they're right.”

— John Cleese in Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide

Tiny Thought

Choosing something once is easy. Choosing it repeatedly makes a difference.

Ordinary choices compound into extraordinary results.

(Share this Tiny Thought on Twitter)

Etc.

Kindness Can Have Unexpectedly Positive Consequences:

"These findings suggest that what might seem small when we are deciding whether or not to do something nice for someone else could matter a great deal to the person we do it for. Given that these warm gestures can enhance our own mood and brighten the day of another person, why not choose kindness when we can?"

— Source

The History of Christmas:

Christmas, as a festival, has changed a lot throughout history, with many of its core modern traditions being more recent than we think or of surprising origin. Historically, Christmas was often a time for upending social structures

— Source

MetaLab has helped some of the world’s top companies and entrepreneurs build products that millions of people use every day. You probably didn’t realize it at the time, but odds are you’ve used an app that they’ve helped design or build. Apps like Slack, Uber Eats, Facebook Messenger, Coinbase, and many more. Let them take your product idea and turn it into the next big thing. Check them out at metalab.com

Cheers,
— Shane

P.S. The best science images of 2022.

P.P.S. If you're looking for the perfect last-minute gift, you can give the gift of knowledge with a one-year membership to our community.