In my last post, I wrote about the problem I have with techno-optimism, and in doing so I opened an entire can of worms. A can of very heated worms. The thing about techno-optimism is that it’s nice. It feels good to believe that technology will save us. It’s a…

Imagine this: it’s the 1950s, you’re on your way up in the world, and you’ve won a prize. You get a choice between two: a cabin on an island, or a fancy, new-fangled dishwasher. I like to think I’d choose a cabin by the sea any day of the week. But that’s me in 2021, when land is expensive and limited, much like my time — but technology is cheap and no longer novel. Back then, what would I have chosen? …

The Unsettling Search for Self in a Global Crisis I’ve read 15 guides to coping with ‘reentry anxiety’ as the pandemic-related restrictions ease, and not one of them has helped calm my flaring mind. For one, it’s not clear exactly what we are meant to be reentering — a while back we were talking about the New Normal, which…

Standing on the back patio, I gaze up into the night sky. I’m looking for my favourite constellation, Cassiopeia, mother of Andromeda, and a few others I know. …

So, some species are going extinct. Some are coming back from the edge (I’m looking at you, Giant Panda). So what’s the big deal? Under normal conditions, between one and five species dwindle to extinction every year. Recently, however, a study showed that pace to be accelerating, with several lost…

Self Doubt just asked: Does this post need a trigger warning? I think it might — so consider yourself warned. Binging anything is problematic, and somewhere, at some stage in life, there’s a pain point that needs to be dealt with — most likely with professional help. But today I’m…

Anger that sinks into despair is powerless to make a change. Anger that evolves into conviction is unstoppable. — — Christiana Figueres, The Future We Choose Welcome to Earth Week. I’m torn between writing this from the future, as if I’ve stepped into a time machine and arrived in 2050. It’s temperate, and the air is fresh — 50% tree cover means that we are breathing the finest air in several generations. …

The delicious guilty pleasure of being an onlooker over someone else’s misfortunes is called epicaricacy. The French call it joie maligne: the joy in other people’s suffering. It’s a national sport in the UK, but actually, it’s a human condition. …