Become a speed-reading machine: Read dozens of books next year

Tripling your reading speed with just 15 minutes of practice each day, and boost your ability to retain what you read.

  • Speed reading training can double, or even triple your reading speed in 30 days.
  • Results can be seen with just minutes of practice each day.
  • Training also focuses on memory retention and skill acquisition.
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How does criticism affect popular culture?

Popularity is slippery, and shouldn't be confused with quality, says critic A.O. Scott.

  • Popularity has a funny way of correcting or reversing itself, says journalist and film critic A.O. Scott. It's a weird and fickle index—never identical to quality, though it can coincide with it.
  • Movies like Avatar that are capitalist consumer hits can fade over time. Meanwhile works that were initially passed over can be dredged out of forgotten corners to glory many years later.
  • Moby Dick is an example of how critics can turn the tide of popularity, for better and for worse. First, critics dismissed Moby Dick and it was forgotten until a resurgence of interest by critics many years later. It's now a staple of American literature.
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2019 Nobel Prizes: What you can learn from this year's winners

From literature to physics, the annual Nobel Prizes aim to highlight the most groundbreaking achievements in every field.

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  • Each year, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awards six Nobel Prizes.
  • The categories are: literature, physics, chemistry, peace, economics, and physiology & medicine.
  • The Nobel prizes will be announced each business-day until October 14.
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This incredible meditation will help solve your existential dread

Existential dread, meet astronomical wonder.

Ken Crawford
  • The universe is huge, and we're not. This fact has given rise to countless existential crises.
  • You don't have to be left in dread after looking at the night sky, however.
  • Astronomer Michelle Thaller has an excellent meditation on why the vastness of space can be revitalizing.
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'Read 2,000 books': Werner Herzog's advice on reading.

The famed German filmmaker offers his thoughts on reading during Eric Weinstein's podcast.

Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage
  • During Eric Weinstein's podcast, The Portal, Werner Herzog said that reading is essential for any creative endeavor.
  • In the past, Herzog has stated that you can't be a filmmaker without a regular reading habit.
  • Herzog's reading list includes classics by Virgil and J.A. Baker, and even the report on JFK's assassination.
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