Curiosity Chronicle

A fancy robe nearly destroyed a philosopher's life.

In 1765, Denis Diderot's financial means went from meager to extravagant. Soon thereafter, he came to own a fancy scarlet dressing robe.

Diderot liked the status that the fancy robe conferred on him but quickly felt the remainder of his possessions could not compare.

So, in quick succession, he purcha...

Everyone's asking: how do I stand out in the AI era? A 1968 German mathematician's traffic paradox holds the answer.

When everyone floods the new shortcut, the fast lane becomes the slow lane.

Here's how to find the open road... 

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In the early 1900s, an aging Japanese steam train engineer named Yasoichi Hori was growing increasingly concerned about his deteriorating eyesight.

Hori's job relied on his ability to quickly read small track signals at a distance while moving at a high rate of speed. The cab he worked in was at the back of the locomotive, behind a large boiler, which meant that h...

I think I'm having a midlife crisis."

That's what my friend, who I'll call Joe, said to me at dinner a few weeks ago. Joe is in his early-40s. He's had a good career on a steady rising track in the world of finance. He's married with two kids, ages 7 and 4. He lives in the suburbs outside New York and commutes into the city for work.

In many respect...

Why do you value the things you build yourself so much more than anything you can buy?

In this episode, I share a personal story from my first apartment and break down the fascinating science behind why effort is the secret ingredient to a meaningful life.

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