Atlas of Wonders and Monsters

Atlas of Wonders and Monsters explores a broad spectrum of ideas, weaving together creativity, philosophy, technology, art, and cultural observations. It delves into the transitions and relationships between abstract and figurative concepts, human perceptions, artistic evolutions, societal norms, and the implications of emerging technologies on future narratives and ethics.

Art and Creativity Philosophy and Ethics Technology and Innovation Cultural Observations Human Behavior and Psychology Historical Narratives Literary Analysis

The hottest Substack posts of Atlas of Wonders and Monsters

And their main takeaways

Dark Age Ahead: A Lukewarm Book Review

237 implied HN points • 25 Oct 23
📚 Literature Book review Analysis Cultural Preservation
  1. Jane Jacobs warns about the potential of a dark age if certain societal trends are not addressed.
  2. She highlights the importance of communities and families, and how urban planning impacts these structures.
  3. Jacobs discusses the decay in higher education, science, taxes, and self-policing, emphasizing the need for cultural dynamism to prevent societal decline.

All Slopes Are Slippery, Also None of Them Are Actually Slopes

305 implied HN points • 08 Dec 22
  1. Slippery slope arguments are not always logical, but there is some truth to the idea that small steps can lead to big changes.
  2. Changes in society can set off unintended consequences, whether moving forward or backward.
  3. In a constantly changing world, every direction is a slippery slope, and staying stagnant can also have consequences.

On (Not) Writing About Politics Online

203 implied HN points • 29 Sep 22
  1. Talking about politics online can be divisive and exhausting due to disagreements over societal issues.
  2. Many online political discussions lack respectful debating skills and often repeat the same arguments.
  3. Tribalism, amplified by social media, can lead to unproductive debates and make politics a challenging topic to discuss online.

Rabbit Hole #0 — A Redesign and an Introduction

135 implied HN points • 19 Aug 21
  1. The newsletter is now called _Atlas of Rabbit Holes_ focusing on interesting topics.
  2. The Republic of Kalmykia in Russia is a region in Europe where Buddhism is the predominant religion.
  3. Kalmykia's history includes independence, conquest by Catherine the Great, and forced relocations.
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The IQ Bell Curve Meme

135 implied HN points • 18 Mar 21
  1. The IQ Bell Curve meme highlights that wise people can hold opinions that average people may think only unwise individuals would have.
  2. The meme serves as a reminder that a seemingly stupid opinion can actually be wise, showcasing that opinions don't always reflect intelligence.
  3. It's important to recognize that the reasoning behind stupid and wise opinions can differ greatly, and agreement between the two can come from various factors.

Aesthetics as Epistemic Humility

50 implied HN points • 18 Aug 22
  1. Beauty is a mechanism to pay attention to whatever is good.
  2. Effective altruists should take aesthetics seriously to achieve epistemic humility in moral matters.
  3. Investing in aesthetics can enhance the impact and influence of Effective Altruism without compromising its core principles.

The Four-Way Tradeoff of the Writer

84 implied HN points • 15 Jul 21
  1. There's a tradeoff between clarity, brevity, and complexity in writing.
  2. To maximize two qualities, sacrifice the third in writing: brevity, clarity, or richness.
  3. In writing, sacrificing complexity enables clear, brief, and information-rich content.

Rabbit Hole #1 — The Twentieth Century, Seen from the Nineteenth Century

67 implied HN points • 26 Aug 21
  1. In the 19th century, there were attempts to envision the 20th century - like flying cars in 1950 Paris.
  2. Predicting technology advancements might be easier than predicting aesthetics.
  3. Aesthetics, such as fashion and architecture, can change unexpectedly, making them harder to forecast compared to technological advancements.

How to Give Advice and How to Receive It

84 implied HN points • 11 Feb 21
  1. Give advice when asked for it to avoid annoying others.
  2. Consider the type of feedback needed based on the importance of the project.
  3. Communication is key in setting expectations when asking for advice.

Becoming Ambitious

84 implied HN points • 10 Dec 20
  1. Ambition can be about more than just career goals.
  2. Consider finding a social environment that pushes you towards achieving ambitious goals.
  3. Intellectual exploration can lead to questioning and broadening your ambitions.

Learning to Stop Worrying and Love my Laptop

67 implied HN points • 25 Feb 21
  1. The author faced burnout when using their computer for work and leisure activities.
  2. They decided to quit their official day job to improve their relationship with their computer.
  3. The author hopes that by quitting the job, their computer will become a source of excitement and creativity again.

Rabbit Hole #2: Vaporwave

50 implied HN points • 02 Sep 21
  1. Vaporwave is a genre of music and visual arts that combines future and classical elements.
  2. Vaporwave incorporates classical art like Greek sculptures with nostalgic 1980s and 1990s imagery.
  3. The presence of ancient classical art in vaporwave reflects a broader revival of classical aesthetics in unexpected places, showcasing the cultural foundation of Western civilization.

The Quest to Find Your People

67 implied HN points • 17 Dec 20
  1. Online communities can positively impact social life.
  2. Finding like-minded people in online communities can be rewarding.
  3. Joining online communities can help in improving social skills.

Let Me Prove a Point Using Colored Dots

50 implied HN points • 15 Apr 21
  1. Diversity provides more information and interest
  2. Patterns are intriguing and attract attention
  3. A balance between order and chaos creates higher level of diversity

Editing Adulthood

50 implied HN points • 04 Mar 21
  1. Becoming more adult can mean gaining independence and feeling in control of your time.
  2. The process of adulting involves maturity, independence, and wisdom.
  3. Adulthood is a continuous process of growth and self-improvement.

Why Beauty?

50 implied HN points • 18 Feb 21
  1. Humans find beauty in things that help with reproduction and survival
  2. Beauty can be linked to rarity, change, and stress relief
  3. Beauty serves as a form of curiosity and motivates us to pay attention

My Journey as a Writer on Friendship

50 implied HN points • 31 Dec 20
  1. The author wrote about the skill of friendship and how to make friends.
  2. The essay on friendship grew into a bigger topic than anticipated.
  3. Writing about friendship helped the author improve their own skills and may help others too.

Find Your Metaphorical Cheerleaders

50 implied HN points • 23 Dec 20
  1. Surround yourself with supportive people who help you overcome personal inertia
  2. Metaphorical cheerleaders push you beyond what you think is possible
  3. Having cheerleaders, like good friends and communities, helps to combat inertia and reach your full potential

To Write Multitudes

50 implied HN points • 03 Dec 20
  1. Twitter is quick and offers immediate feedback with likes, retweets, and follower counts.
  2. Substack allows for regularity with recurring deadlines, providing an interesting writing challenge.
  3. Maintaining multiple writing channels can be overwhelming, but each brings its own benefits.

Just Do It Once, Then Repeat

50 implied HN points • 25 Nov 20
  1. Building confidence is finding the middle ground between insecurity and arrogance.
  2. Improving skills is easier than changing personality - just do the task once to start.
  3. Repetition leads to confidence and greatness in any skill or task.

Rabbit Hole #6: The Blockchain

33 implied HN points • 30 Sep 21
  1. The author learned about how blockchains functioned recently.
  2. Blockchains are fundamental to web3 and cryptocurrency.
  3. Blockchain was a tech buzzword that's still important today.

Rabbit Hole #5: DAOs

33 implied HN points • 23 Sep 21
  1. This post is about diving into the world of DAOs.
  2. The author is in Texas working on projects, including the Journal of Actually Well-Written Science.
  3. Readers can access the full post archives with a 7-day free trial.

Rabbit Hole #4: Dishwashers

33 implied HN points • 16 Sep 21
  1. Dishwashers work by spraying hot water on dishes with propeller-shaped devices to remove food.
  2. Dishwasher detergent contains various ingredients like phosphates, bleaching agents, and enzymes to clean dishes effectively.
  3. Modern dishwashers use less water and energy than hand washing, making them a hygienic and efficient option.

A Pilot Study of Pokémon Biodiversity

33 implied HN points • 22 Apr 21
  1. Biodiversity can be described using diversity indices that consider both species richness and evenness.
  2. Shannon's diversity index measures entropy using species frequencies in a habitat.
  3. Simpson index and Berger-Parker index offer different perspectives on diversity, considering the probability of encountering the same species.

My Newsletter is Like a Rat

33 implied HN points • 01 Apr 21
  1. The newsletter is diverse and covers a wide range of topics like a rat exploring different food.
  2. Having a broad range of interests does not mean expertise in everything, but rather competency in many fields.
  3. Themes and preferences emerge over time, helping to shape the intellectual identity of the writer.

The Strangeness of Writing an Autobiography

33 implied HN points • 25 Mar 21
  1. Writing an autobiography is a strange and challenging exercise.
  2. Summarizing 30 years of life in a blog post requires compression and selecting relevant details.
  3. Creating an autobiography involves distorting memories and laying oneself bare to the internet.

Crossing Deserts and Progress Bars

33 implied HN points • 21 Jan 21
  1. Perceiving progress on a task is nonlinear, with the beginning and end being more motivating than the middle.
  2. Tasks have an attractive force towards completion, similar to an oasis in a desert.
  3. Progress bars on computers may stall near completion to avoid the despair of the challenging middle phase.

The Evolution of My Evolutionary Thinking

33 implied HN points • 14 Jan 21
  1. Incorporating biology methods into cultural research can lead to interesting but nonsensical results.
  2. Negative results in science are as crucial as positive ones for progress.
  3. Finding a unique niche, based on evolutionary thought, is key for creators and sellers.

Made of 100% Local Organic Culture

33 implied HN points • 07 Jan 21
  1. Cultural evolution is a key to understanding the world.
  2. Family and surrounding culture influence our traditions and behaviors.
  3. Cultural traits can be diverse and unique, shaping our perspectives and practices.

A Very Unassuming Launch

33 implied HN points • 18 Nov 20
  1. The author is launching a Substack newsletter and is uncertain about how it will turn out.
  2. The newsletter will be called Light Gray Matters and will focus on light, fun content.
  3. The author is part of a writer group and feels inspired by others to start the newsletter.

The 29th, and Other Calendar Quirks

2 HN points • 29 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture History Philosophy
  1. The modern Gregorian calendar we use today has a quirky history, including reforms by Julius Caesar and Pope Gregory XIII.
  2. Efforts to reform the calendar in the past, like the World Calendar or the French Republican Calendar, faced challenges due to religious traditions and practical issues.
  3. While there have been proposals to create a more uniform calendar, quirks in our current calendar are not necessarily bad and can be celebrated as unique features.

Rabbit Hole #7: The Ethereum White Paper

16 implied HN points • 07 Oct 21
  1. Ethereum is a blockchain platform that goes beyond just digital currency transactions.
  2. It is considered a successor to Bitcoin, building on the same blockchain concept.
  3. Reading the Ethereum White Paper can provide valuable insights for anyone interested in cryptocurrencies.

Hello I Am on a Break

16 implied HN points • 05 Aug 21
  1. The writer is taking a break from their newsletter to recharge and get inspired.
  2. The newsletter is meant to be published weekly for 100 weeks to learn more about writing.
  3. The writer decided to switch from hand-drawn illustrations to paintings in the newsletter.

What is the Most Important Problem in the World?

16 implied HN points • 29 Jul 21
  1. The post talks about the most important problem in the world.
  2. It discusses the challenge of figuring out where to start with addressing this issue.
  3. The post invites readers to engage further by subscribing for a trial period.

The First Third and the First Half

16 implied HN points • 08 Jul 21
  1. The writer reflects on the evolution of their newsletter and their content goals
  2. The writer shares personal experiences and professional decisions made in the first half of 2021
  3. There is a focus on potential career changes and finding purpose in intellectual pursuits

The Value of Variety: Values and Morality

16 implied HN points • 01 Jul 21
  1. Opinions can be correct or incorrect based on one's values.
  2. Diversity in values is necessary to prevent fundamentalism.
  3. Morality and value diversity are safeguards against being completely wrong.

The Value of Variety: Random Systems

16 implied HN points • 17 Jun 21
  1. Diversification is important in investing to reduce risk
  2. Variety in biodiversity and revenue streams can lead to resilience
  3. In some cases, diversity can mitigate risks, but too much diversity can also lead to negative outcomes

The Value of Variety: Human Identities

16 implied HN points • 03 Jun 21
  1. Identity diversity, like race and gender, is a sensitive but important topic in today's world.
  2. Diversity in human identities offers aesthetic value, especially in reflecting the variety that exists naturally.
  3. Representation is a significant reason why diversity in identities matters, as it makes people feel valid and included.