This week: Today’s essay is my version of a 2024 preview. Unlike other previews, though, it’s less, “This is what is going to happen” and more “These are the table stakes as far as I can tell.” I think that approach is much more helpful, but you can be the…
This week: I’m back today to share my 2023 wrap-up. It’s a pretty stream-of-consciousness endeavor, but I think it sums up where I was right in my 2023 preview, where I was very wrong, how the world changed — or didn’t — and most importantly, how we responded. Here's What…
How will the universe end? That's today's big question, and my guest is Sarafina El-Badry Nance. Sarafina is an NSF graduate research fellow, astrophysics Ph.D. candidate, and Forbes 30 Under 30 Science 2022 honoree, specializing in supernova and cosmology. She's also the author of the new, honest, and empowering memoir…
Why does it matter who reviews our video games? That's today's big question, and my guest is Swapna Krishna. Swapna and I recorded this conversation in 2022, and as gaming and the entire media ecosystem changes and evolves and is pulled apart and merged, it's more important than ever to…
How do we get our attention back? That's today's big question. I think about it every day, and my guest is Johann Hari. Johann and I recorded this conversation in 2022, and with the Internet in general and social networks of the past fifteen years being straight-up pulled apart, I…
How's your mental health around climate change? That is today's big question, and my guest is Britt Wray. Britt and I recorded this conversation in 2022. It is an all-time favorite of mine and of our listeners. Britt is the author of the fantastic book, Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in…
Has there ever been a more important time, a more consequential time, to lead with ethics? That's today's big question, and my guest is Dr. Susan Liautaud. Susan is the author of The Power of Ethics and of the Little Book of Big Ethical Questions. She teaches cutting-edge ethics courses…
Has there ever been a more important time, a more consequential time, to lead with ethics? That's today's big question, and my guest is Dr. Susan Liautaud. Susan is the author of The Power of Ethics and of the Little Book of Big Ethical Questions. She teaches cutting-edge ethics courses…
What are the best holiday gifts that aren't privacy nightmares? That's today's big question, and my guest is Jen Caltrider. Jen is the lead researcher for Mozilla's Privacy Not Included program where since 2017 Mozilla has published 15 editions of Privacy Not Included, their Consumer Tech Buyer's Guide. They've reviewed…
What are the best holiday gifts that aren't privacy nightmares? That's today's big question, and my guest is Jen Caltrider. Jen is the lead researcher for Mozilla's Privacy Not Included program where since 2017 Mozilla has published 15 editions of Privacy Not Included, their Consumer Tech Buyer's Guide. They've reviewed…
This week: How the hell does the brain work? And what does it have to do with lemonade stands and school supplies? Here's What You Can Do: • Donate to support The Markup’s (https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/w3dYILNc3lH6MOK0tu1At4Mdv4ONtzNlKvwBZOiz4z_sLNRL3s8rk1V8aoTniaJ-8Z2U59id7j8MRBrTJfs6nqDoISV-U-kP26pOoGxkV2w8vuhQtqv6t8LoEGrxYSlqZuIXmTPtCG3GJG8Kq2SO_gECwOFjiPlO3ehPSU_za0v6_9PHdFJu_OvxUYu3rcOj/41d/gd10p0QcTVaw38xtacaw3g/h7/-CD08gnfyzAA3JOxnzYLePU2_oEJlb2RUrefksD8zLI) invaluable work examining the ways technology is being used to change society. • Volunteer with your…
I think about time a lot. Some days I feel ancient, some days I can’t believe how old I am. I’ve got kids, too. I can’t believe how fast they’ve grown up already. They love so many things. Swimming. Cooking. Plain pasta. The beach. Vegetables, somehow. Their friends. Their family.…
How did the female body drive 200 million years of human evolution? And why the hell are we just finding out about it now? That's today's big question, and my guest is Cat Bohannon. Cat is the author of the incredible new book, “Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200…
How did the female body drive 200 million years of human evolution? And why the hell are we just finding out about it now? That's today's big question, and my guest is Cat Bohannon. Cat is the author of the incredible new book, “Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200…
This week: Will coffee survive climate change? Here's What You Can Do: • Donate to support African farmers by increasing incomes and improving food security through the Alliance for a Green Africa (https://agra.org/?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=coffee-back-to-the-future). • Volunteer to join the Coffee & Climate Network (https://coffeeandclimate.org/join-the-network/?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=coffee-back-to-the-future), an organization that connects stakeholders in coffee…
Can your gut composition predict Alzheimer's? That's today's big question and my returning guest is Gautam Dantas. Gautam heads up the Dantas Lab at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. His lab works at the interface of microbiogenomics, ecology, synthetic biology, and systems biology to understand, harness,…
Can your gut composition predict Alzheimer's? That's today's big question and my returning guest is Gautam Dantas. Gautam heads up the Dantas Lab at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. His lab works at the interface of microbiogenomics, ecology, synthetic biology, and systems biology to understand, harness,…
This week: How I think about how to think about what’s next Here's What You Can Do: • Donate to help the BlueGreen Alliance (https://www.bluegreenalliance.org/take-action/actions/donate/?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=how-i-think-about-how-to-think-about-what-s-next)unite labor unions and environmental organizations to create clean jobs, develop clean infrastructure, and pursue fair trade. • Volunteer with 3.14 Action (https://314action.org/?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=how-i-think-about-how-to-think-about-what-s-next)and help get people…
Content Warning: We're going to be talking about stress and anxiety, depression, suicide, and more today. If any of this could be triggering to you in any way, please feel free to just skip over this one. Nothing in this conversation should be taken as medical advice. If a treatment…
Content Warning We're going to be talking about stress and anxiety, depression, suicide, and more today.If any of this could be triggering to you in any way, please feel free to just skip over this one. Nothing in this conversation should be taken as medical advice. If a treatment or…
This week: Exactly why the youths are so pissed off. Here's What You Can Do: • Donate to the Steve Fund (https://stevefund.org/?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=the-disconnect) to support the mental health of young people of color. • Volunteer with Everytown (https://www.everytown.org/?utm_source=importantnotimportant.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=the-disconnect) so youth can grow up in communities free from gun violence. • Get…
This week: It can be difficult as hell to understand when we don’t actually have a choice — and when we’ve got more options than we think. Deciphering the two is the key to the good stuff getting built way, way faster. Here's What You Can Do: • Donate to…
Every single one of us needs air, water, food, shelter, and energy. So why are the infrastructure that provides them, the systems we are most reliant on hidden in plain sight? How can we reconnect with them, appreciate them, rebuild them, reinforce the ones we already have, and build new…
Every single one of us needs air, water, food, shelter, and energy. So why are the infrastructure that provides them, the systems we are most reliant on hidden in plain sight? How can we reconnect with them, appreciate them, rebuild them, reinforce the ones we already have, and build new…