Video games and the paradox of failure

The paradox of failure explains why even a healthy rage-quit won't keep a good gamer down.

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  • When we fail at video games, we discover an inadequacy (however small) in ourselves — yet a growing number of people continue to seek out these digital challenges.
  • Game designer Jesper Juul calls this the paradox of failure and argues it offers a unique space for personal growth.
  • By using the paradox of failure as a tool, video games could teach us to develop open mindsets and evade the pitfalls of learned helplessness.
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10 philosophy books to develop a diverse metaphysical perspective

There are many ways to posit the fundamental nature of reality.

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  • After thousands of years, and an infinite amount of novel experiences, there are today many dueling schools of philosophical thought.
  • A great philosophical background takes into account a number of metaphysical positions and ideas.
  • These 10 philosophy books all take on the questions of existence in a unique and varied manner.
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10 pieces of wisdom from Alan Watts

With his collected letters recently being published, it's time to revisit this extraordinary thinker.

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  • Though the British philosopher died in 1973, his work continues to make an impact.
  • A recently published collection, The Collected Letters Alan Watts, is a deep dive into his personal correspondences.
  • Watts was an early proponent for spreading Eastern philosophy to Western culture.
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How to make a black hole

Here's the science of black holes, from supermassive monsters to ones the size of ping-pong balls.

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  • There's more than one way to make a black hole, says NASA's Michelle Thaller. They're not always formed from dead stars. For example, there are teeny tiny black holes all around us, the result of high-energy cosmic rays slamming into our atmosphere with enough force to cram matter together so densely that no light can escape.
  • CERN is trying to create artificial black holes right now, but don't worry, it's not dangerous. Scientists there are attempting to smash two particles together with such intensity that it creates a black hole that would live for just a millionth of a second.
  • Thaller uses a brilliant analogy involving a rubber sheet, a marble, and an elephant to explain why different black holes have varying densities. Watch and learn!
  • Bonus fact: If the Earth became a black hole, it would be crushed to the size of a ping-pong ball.
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The value of owning more books than you can read

Or how I learned to stop worrying and love my tsundoku.

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  • Many readers buy books with every intention of reading them only to let them linger on the shelf.
  • Statistician Nassim Nicholas Taleb believes surrounding ourselves with unread books enriches our lives as they remind us of all we don't know.
  • The Japanese call this practice tsundoku, and it may provide lasting benefits.
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