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📚 Neat Stuff I Read in September 2025
Tips for self-improvement. Deep dives on how to do a deep dive, the infrastructure demands of tourist destinations, and useful experiments.
Oct 8
•
Eleanor Konik
17
5
2
📚 REVIEW: Civilizations of Africa, A History to 1800
A look at early African government, religion & economy. Fans (and critics) of James C. Scott or David Graeber should really read this book. So should…
Sep 17
•
Eleanor Konik
10
6
1
🏵️ On Learning About Cultures From Stories
On stone gods, internet monsters, and the cultural practices that aren't quite what we think when we think of religion... but aren't exactly not…
Sep 14
•
Eleanor Konik
6
1
📚 Neat Stuff I Read, August 2025 Edition
Tips for taking notes. Deep dives on obscure infrastructure, color theory, and language acquisition. Lessons from history to help everyone feel a bit…
Aug 29
•
Eleanor Konik
21
12
3
📚 REVIEW: Empress of the East by Leslie Peirce
A great biography describing how a European slave girl became queen of the Ottoman Empire and changed it forever.
Aug 20
•
Eleanor Konik
9
2
3
🏵️ Improvements come with tradeoffs
Relating AI hallucinations, medieval copywriting errors, and the impacts of radiation on the human genome. Plus, some great book recommendations!
Aug 13
•
Eleanor Konik
9
1
2
🏵️ On Class, Corruption, & Fire
A review of The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. Plus, the dark underbelly of American poverty, and how control of fire is useful to man and birds…
Aug 6
•
Eleanor Konik
10
4
2
💎 How Claude + Obsidian + MCP Solved My Organizational Problems
I thought they were just a gimmick, but MCP Servers are unusually reliable — and useful — compared to most AI tools I've tried.
Jul 16
•
Eleanor Konik
36
13
6
📚 Stoicism & the Cobra Effect in The Folding Knife by K. J. Parker
A spoilerific reflection on a book Patrick McKenzie called "the best low-fantasy public health writing you'll ever read."
Jun 25
•
Eleanor Konik
8
2
3
🏵️ What aloe, flax, & silica gel taught me about timing
On supply chains, spiders, and screwing up spaghetti sauce.
Jun 11
•
Eleanor Konik
10
5
3
🏵️ Daydreaming is Valuable & so are Classics
On the value of personalization, planning, pretend -- and giant tortoises.
May 28
•
Eleanor Konik
10
10
🏵️ Judgment > Generation, & a question about Roman swords
The spread of human technology & knowledge throughout history is a fascinating, perennially relevant topic.
May 21
•
Eleanor Konik
9
9
2
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