Short Stuff: Christmas Lights | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

With inflation cutting into Christmas budgets and a recession possible next year, shoppers in many countries are checking their Christmas lists twice—and crossing off a few things. But rather than ruining the holiday, experts say pulling back from consumerism can be good for you. In this article we’ll discuss some non-financial reasons to avoid holiday excess, and give some tips for focusing on what’s important to you.

US holiday sales over Thanksgiving topped $10 billion online, but growth lags previous years. Shoppers are flocking to discount retailers, leaving traditional stores in the cold. “Buy now, pay later” programs are gaining traction, offering relief and risks for strained consumers.

Once again, it’s time to “fall back” to the shorter, darker days of winter. The autumn time change is dreaded by many. Should we eliminate this practice and stay in Daylight Saving Time year-round? (Spoiler alert: It’s been tried before.) Here are some pros and cons.

With inflation cutting into Christmas budgets and a recession possible next year, shoppers in many countries are checking their Christmas lists twice—and crossing off a few things. But rather than ruining the holiday, experts say pulling back from consumerism can be good for you. In this article we’ll discuss some non-financial reasons to avoid holiday excess, and give some tips for focusing on what’s important to you.

In Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari uses concepts from biology, history, and economics to tell the story of us, Homo sapiens. We start 2.5 million years ago, when Sapiens make their historical entrance, and end in the future, when the creation of an artificially created superhuman race may mark the end of the Sapiens species. Along the way, we learn how our ability to create imagined realities led to our dominance over other species. We watch as the Agricultural Revolution, the Scientific Revolution, imperialism, capitalism, and the Industrial Revolution change our species in lasting, and not always positive, ways.

Ultimately, we’re left with one question: As we design our future, who do we want to become? Asking the right questions may be more important than finding the right answers. Read this summary to explore our history as a species—in doing so, you’ll see today’s world in an entirely new way.

In Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman argued presciently 35 years ago that television was reshaping our culture and trivializing public life—news, politics, religion, education, and business—by turning it into entertainment. He warned that we would become so inundated with irrelevant information that we’d lose sight of what was important—even worse, we wouldn’t care as long as we felt entertained. With the proliferation of digital media today and worries about excessive “screen time,” his analysis still resonates.

Hailed as this one of this generation’s most innovative entrepreneurs, Elon Musk has built several industry-disrupting businesses, and he’s known for shooting for the moon—or more literally, Mars. Technology journalist Ashlee Vance spent almost 50 hours interviewing Musk and talked to around 300 people close to him to produce this biography, which presents new insights into Musk’s life and businesses.

In this guide, we’ll discuss Musk’s childhood and early companies. Then we’ll talk about his roles in SpaceX and Tesla, and later, in SolarCity. Finally, we’ll discuss the traits and management methods that helped Musk succeed throughout his entrepreneurial career. Along the way, we’ll provide updated information about Musk and his companies, as well as perspectives from other experts on business success and key management strategies.

At times, most of us have felt unmotivated, discouraged, and as though things were falling apart. In this short parable, The Energy Bus, author and motivational speaker Jon Gordon explains how to turn things around when this happens. The allegory about a middle manager hitting rock bottom takes place on a bus, where the driver and passengers share with him 10 rules for reenergizing his life through positive thinking. Practicing these simple principles can help you build successful teams at work and improve your relationships. Like the story’s main character, George, you can learn to enjoy life’s ride.

Embark on a comedic journey with Bobby Lee, Andrew Santino, Carlos Herrera, and Jessie Johnson in "Bad Friends," as they regale listeners with tales from their city-hopping comedy tour and the peculiar rituals that color a comedian's life off-stage. This eclectic group unapologetically navigates the highs and lows of their profession, from unexpected scenarios involving provocative attire on dates to the whimsy of their payment methods, all while delving into personal anecdotes that dance between hilarity and the human experience.

As Halloween and Christmas nostalgia awaken quirky reflections on traditions and gifting, the "Bad Friends" explore the humorous fissures in cultural assimilation and palate preferences. Discussions sway from lighthearted teases about food to heartfelt insights on addiction and friendship, touching on the larger societal issues such as Bollywood’s colorism controversy. This episode offers more than just laughs; it's a reflection on life's oddball moments, the value of true friends, and even offers a dash of consumer delight with personal plugs for convenient deliveries and cozy undergarments.