The Marginalian
The Marginalian

Search results for “mark twain”

Mary Roach on the Science of Masturbation and the Outrageous Vintage Pseudoscientific Techniques for Controlling It
Mary Roach on the Science of Masturbation and the Outrageous Vintage Pseudoscientific Techniques for Controlling It

A cautionary tale of what happens when religious dogmatism attempts to subvert science.

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Comedy Godmother Phyllis Diller on What Every Comedian Needs and How a Great Joke Works
Comedy Godmother Phyllis Diller on What Every Comedian Needs and How a Great Joke Works

“Edit. If one word can do the work of five, now you’re talking.”

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Herman Melville on Writing and His Daily Routine
Herman Melville on Writing and His Daily Routine

“A book in a man’s brain is better off than a book bound in calf — at any rate it is safer from criticism.”

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19th-Century German Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer Presages the Economics and Ethics of the Web and Modern Publishing
19th-Century German Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer Presages the Economics and Ethics of the Web and Modern Publishing

A 19th-century critique of the moral failures of linkbait, cat slideshows, and needless pagination.

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On a Beam of Light: The Story of Albert Einstein, Illustrated by the Great Vladimir Radunsky
On a Beam of Light: The Story of Albert Einstein, Illustrated by the Great Vladimir Radunsky

The charming visual tale of an introverted little boy who grew up to become the quintessential modern genius.

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The River: A Watercolor Serenade to the Inner Seasons of Human Life
The River: A Watercolor Serenade to the Inner Seasons of Human Life

A beautiful reminder that despite its occasional cruelties, life is mostly joyful, radiant, and above all ever-flowing.

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Compiling as a Creative Act: What Duke Ellington’s Remixing Reveals about Plagiarism and Innovation
Compiling as a Creative Act: What Duke Ellington’s Remixing Reveals about Plagiarism and Innovation

Is genius a mosaic of “magpielike borrowings”?

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Debunking the Myth of the 10,000-Hours Rule: What It Actually Takes to Reach Genius-Level Excellence
Debunking the Myth of the 10,000-Hours Rule: What It Actually Takes to Reach Genius-Level Excellence

How top-down attention, feedback loops, and daydreaming play into the science of success.

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Stephen Hawking’s Charming Children’s Book about Time-Travel, Co-Written with His Daughter
Stephen Hawking’s Charming Children’s Book about Time-Travel, Co-Written with His Daughter

A pig and a supercomputer walk into a black hole…

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The Best of Brain Pickings 2013
The Best of Brain Pickings 2013

Everything you missed and everything you’d want to revisit, in one cozy place.

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