by Jamie Miles | Aug 16, 2026 | Useful Guides
At a glance Based on the reader question: Is there a way to turn my smartphone into a simpler, distraction-free device, without buying new hardware or paying for another app? Apple’s Assistive Access doubles as the best free dumbphone on the market and...
by Jamie Miles | Aug 2, 2026 | Useful Guides
At a glance Based on the reader question: Why do I keep circling back to the same wrong idea, and the same old grudge, and how do I actually let either one go? A mind that cannot forget, like Borges’ fictional Funes or a real hyperthymesiac, loses the ability to...
by Jamie Miles | Jul 5, 2026 | Useful Guides
At a glance Based on the reader question: Why do I keep intending to do things and forgetting to actually do them? Most of what we forget is not in the past, but in the future. We make promises to ourselves, then carry on as though the promises will somehow remember...
by Jamie Miles | Jun 21, 2026 | Useful Guides
At a glance Based on the reader question: ‘I want to write something funny and sharp about the world. Where do I start?’ Satire is your friend. It can be funny, but it’s mostly about making precise observations about the world where the joke is the sauce...
by Jamie Miles | Jun 7, 2026 | Useful Guides
At a glance Based on the reader question: I feel like I have a terrible memory. No matter what I try, things just don’t seem to stick. Is there something wrong with me? ‘I have a terrible memory’ ignores the reality that our memories tend to fail in four...
by Jamie Miles | May 24, 2026 | Useful Guides
At a glance Based on the reader question: what separates the people you never want to stop talking to from everyone else? Most people misread the improv principle ‘Yes and…’ The ‘and’ means focus on building on what’s been said rather...
