The Movement To Stop Having Children, How TikTok Is Like Opium and Why People Shuttle Frogs | Non-Obvious Insights #410

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Dear Newsletterest,

I am back home from week being surrounded by people launching things. Movie premieres, music careers, books and technology were all on display this year at SXSW. And though I was previewing my upcoming book, it won't be out until September so this year in Austin my team spent a lot of our time doing something different: showcasing others through our events and itineraries. Along the way we reconnected with the joy of celebrating someone other than ourselves. Most of us don't get enough chances to do that.

In stories this week, you'll read about how a startup may change the landscape of book publishing, how the ban on TikTok might work, why the antinatalism movement is growing and a startup that shows the hopeful side of AI. Enjoy the stories!

Stay curious,

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Inside the Big Announcement from Author's Equity and How It Changes Book Publishing

Two of the best selling non-fiction authors from the past decade have both indicated they will skip the traditional publishing deals and choose to go with new hybrid publishing entity called Authors Equity for their next books. They have also taken a stake in the company. And it's founded by the former CEO of Penguin Random House. This is a big deal in the world of book publishing. Traditional publishers are reliant on authors of breakaway hit books ... the exact personalities that Authors Equity are likely to steal away.

Interestingly, the business model is exactly the same as the one that our team at Ideapress Publishing and a handful of other reputable and selective hybrid publishers like Bard Press have already been using for years. Consider these five points from the article that mirror exactly what I have been telling authors who consider the hybrid model:

The "contracts are more straightforward."
With fewer titles "the attention to each author will be more concentrated."
Authors will "make more money per copy."
Books will "get better distribution than via self-publishing.”
Royalties will be "between 60% and 70% of each book’s profit."

It is hard to read this as anything but a major validation of the hybrid publishing model and a signal that the future of publishing will likely include far more savvy authors choosing to bet on themselves, go hybrid and keep the lion's share of their own profits in the process.

Inside the Ban On TikTok and Why It Could Work

In general, the idea of banning something that kids really want to do or use hardly ever works. Betting against the ingenuity of young minds is usually a losing wager. Yet the fact that the US House just passed a bill that could ban TikTok if it doesn't separate from it's Chinese parent company could actually work.

It has long been known that the experience of TikTok that kids in the US have is dramatically more evil than the experience in China. One expert even described the difference as opium versus spinach. In China, kids are time limited with how long they can use the platform and the algorithm intentionally serves up more positive and educational content. In the US, one disturbing report found it only takes a social media feed 17 minutes to turn negative and encourage vulnerable kids to commit suicide. It's no wonder there is a growing movement to ban smartphones at school.

So yes, it does seem like the right thing to do is to ban the American version of TikTok offered by Chinese company ByteDance and instead either replace it with a more ethical version (assuming those who are newly in charge would do it), or encourage kids to move to platforms that invest in creating a more positive and uplifting emotional experience like Roblox or Snapchat. What do you think? Is banning TikTok the right move?

The Rise of Antinatalism

There is a growing movement of people who believe that having children is unethical—which is known as antinatalism. A feature in Harper's magazine this week explores what may be a growing number of people looking at all the "polycrisis" in the world and deciding that the logical conclusion is to advocate for bringing no more children into the world.

A South African philosopher named David Benatar first introduced the term of antinatalism in 2006:

"Existence contains both benefits and harm, whereas non-existence contains neither. The most ethical choice, given this asymmetry, is to avoid harm. In fact, he argues, each of us has a duty to keep from increasing the world’s net suffering, a responsibility that procreation necessarily violates."

The entire philosophy seems mainly driven by a single prevailing mindset: pessimism. When you believe things will turn out for the worse, you may also likely see children as something to avoid ... which may also explain why so many optimistic people find the beliefs of antinatalists so hard to understand.

You cannot turn a pessimist into an optimist by telling them they are wrong. And maybe they aren't wrong. It's hard to logically argue that everyone needs to have children.

This Bereavement Startup Shows the Hopeful Human Potential of AI

Dealing with the passing of a loved one is hard emotionally, but the paperwork and procedures involved can make it far worse. A startup called Empathy has made it easier for more than 40 million people and just landed a new round of funding to expand their offering. The need for the tool is clear. Apparently according to US government statistics, it takes an average of 420 hours to "properly wind down a deceased person's affairs." Empathy.com helps with everything from using AI to write obituaries to step by step guides offering help with how to shut down social media profiles and close bank accounts.

In contrast to cold-hearted government forms that offer little support, this tool also uses AI to build in elements that can help with well being such as breathing reminders, empathetic messages and useful easy to follow checklists while people are in moments of shock or mental anguish. Altogether, this is the sort of implementation of AI that we should all hope becomes more common. Human-driven automation that truly fills a need and helps people get through a difficult time.

The Curious Annual Ritual of Frog Shuttling and Why People Do It

You may have seen videos in your social media feed of animal lovers saving a baby chick who falls into a storm drain, or a dog trapped by a flood or a baby elephant struggling to get out of a mud pit. These human-saves-animal videos often go viral at least in part because of how rare they seem ... but what if they happened predictably every year? It turns out in some places, they do.

An annual ritual known to volunteers as the "frog shuttle" brings residents together to help frogs who cross a dangerous highway to make the trek safely. The sight of this crossing must be something to see. The quest to save the frogs draws hundreds of people and has even had the city of Portland considering building a highway underpass to allow the frogs to cross more safely. If they do, hopefully the frogs are better readers than those deer who never seem to see those clearly marked deer crossing signs.

Even More Non-Obvious Stories ...

Every week I always curate more stories than I'm able to explore in detail. Instead of skipping those stories, I started to share them in this section so you can skim the headlines and click on any that spark your interest:

How are these stories curated?

Every week I spend hours going through hundreds of stories in order to curate this email. Looking for a speaker to inspire your team to become non-obvious thinkers through a keynote or workshop? Watch my new 2024 speaking reel on YouTube >>

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The Movement To Stop Having Children, How TikTok Is Like Opium and Why People Shuttle Frogs | Non-Obvious Insights #410

Inside the Big Announcement from Author's Equity and How It Changes Book Publishing

Inside the Ban On TikTok and Why It Could Work

The Rise of Antinatalism

This Bereavement Startup Shows the Hopeful Human Potential of AI

The Curious Annual Ritual of Frog Shuttling and Why People Do It

Even More Non-Obvious Stories ...

Older messages

Waze Gets Worse On Purpose, Why Thinner Eggshells Matter and the Song Released on a Slice of Pizza | Non-Obvious Insights #409

The Secret of Flavor Dust, Dynamic Pricing Fears and Why Americans Stopped Hanging Out | Non-Obvious Insights #408

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Extreme Chair Sitting, the Truth About Paid Reviews and America's Most Underappreciated Government Agency | Non-Obvious Insights #405

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