Every Wednesday I share five things I've liked and think you might like too. Here are this week’s Five Things…

1. An interesting discussion on how products (like Facebook and Twitter) are being engineered to be addictive, the relationship between novelty and familiarity in making “a hit”, and how we’re encouraged to binge watch TV shows.
    
2. A cool video from the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows: Sonder, The Realisation That Everyone Has A Story.
    
3. This list got me very excited, a treasure trove of great music: The 50 Best Ambient Albums of All Time.
    
4. They were ghastly at the time, but to say they haven't aged well is quite the understatement: 13 "Changing Rooms" Designs That Really Haven't Aged That Well.
    
5. This week’s musical recommendation is Grapevine Fires by Death Cab for Cutie, I really like that drum beat.

That's all for this week. If you enjoyed it, subscribe and you'll get the next one delivered to your inbox.

Room with a view

Every Wednesday I share five things I liked and think you might like too. Here are this week’s Five Things…

1. As technology makes interacting with the outside world easier and easier, it's too easy to get distracted from what's important. "I worry that the closer the world gets to our fingertips, the further it gets from our hearts."
    
2. A fun thing I learnt last week. My favourite drumstick manufacturer, Vic Firth, used to make rolling pins and pepper mills!
    
3. Something I've been asked more than once.. What makes Ringo Starr such a great drummer?
    
4. This is such a great idea — A farm from a box.
    
5. Stephen Hawking putting our problems into perspective. "We are at the most dangerous moment in the development of humanity. We now have the technology to destroy the planet on which we live, but have not yet developed the ability to escape it."

That's all for this week. If you enjoyed it, sign up to receive future posts or check out my previous Five Things posts.

Live well

Every Wednesday I share five things I liked and think you might like too. Here are this week’s five things…

1. The new series of Black Mirror on Netflix is excellent and quite sinister at times. It might just make you rethink how you use the internet and technology!
    
2. I really enjoyed Jon Ronson's new short book The Elephant In The Room. It's a quick read on the Trump campaign, conspiracy-theorist-extraordinaire Alex Jones and the alt-right. I'm a big fan of Jon Ronson's writing. If you haven't read The Psychopath Test already, I'd recommend that too.
    
3. Words of wisdom from Steve Jobs via (one of my favourite places on the internet) Brain Pickings. His thoughts on creativity and the cross-pollination of ideas are worth reflecting on.
    
4. "For as long as we've been keeping records, human beings have been on alert for the differences that divide us. Then we fixate on those differences, amplifying them, ascribing all sorts of irrelevant behaviors to them. Until, the next thing you know, we start referring to, 'those people.'" Differences by Seth Godin.
    
5. A fun perspective on AI and robotics. I particularly like the Robert Heinlein quote towards the end — What can people do better than machines? The view from 1951.

That's all for this week. If you liked this, check out my previous Five Things posts or sign up to receive future posts in your inbox.

A little bird told me

Every Wednesday I share five things I liked and think you might like too. Here are this week’s five things…

1. Two great pieces on having ideas. A 5-Step Technique for Producing Ideas and How to have an idea (this one's my favourite!)
    
2. More wisdom from Seth Godin (he's a regular feature here!). The chance of a lifetime.
    
3. I often like to try to imagine what the future will be like. Where technologies like artificial intelligence, driverless cars and virtual reality will take us, and how they'll change our lives. Last week, I came across the article 'Speak, Memory'. It's a fascinating read about something I'd not given much thought to at all. How the technologies that help shape our lives, change our relationship with death. It might sound morbid, but it's a brilliant piece that's well worth reading. — "When her best friend died, she rebuilt him using artificial intelligence"
    
4. Anohni on art, corporations and the music industry. Her thoughts on the state of the music industry particularly resonated with me. (Don't be put off by the weird text formatting or colour scheme of the website!)
    
5. "Yes!" to all of these. 33 thoughts on reading by Austin Kleon.

That's all for this week. If you liked this, check out my previous Five Things posts or sign up to receive future posts in your inbox.