Ned Hardy

How To Spot A Pyramid Scheme Recruiter

By Nick Lee February 11, 2025

So there you are, minding your own business, when some friend, coworker, old classmate, distant cousin, or guy from the gym who definitely uses too much cologne slides into your messages with an exciting business opportunity. It’s exclusive, it’s time-sensitive, and, for reasons that will never be fully explained, it absolutely has to be discussed over coffee. At this point, you have two options: decline immediately or lean into the spectacle, fully aware that you are about to witness capitalism at its most evangelical.

History

The Calm Before the Tempest: Samarkand in 1218

By Nick Lee February 10, 2025

Imagine yourself as a citizen of the Khwarezmian Empire, residing in the illustrious capital of Samarkand in the year 1218. Samarkand, a jewel of the Silk Road, renowned for its splendor and cultural richness. This city, your home, pulses with the daily bustle of merchants, scholars, and artisans. It’s a place where the air is thick with the fragrance of spices and the hum of lively conversation.

Movies

RoboCop Is the Best Example of Late-Stage Capitalism

By Nick Lee February 7, 2025

Of all the workplace horror stories out there—getting fired via email, your boss taking credit for your ideas, Karen in accounting microwaving fish—it’s hard to top what happened to Alex Murphy in RoboCop. This guy DIED on the job. And not in some peaceful, heart-wrenching, “tell my wife I love her” kind of way. No, Murphy got straight-up obliterated by a gang of coked-out psychopaths who, in a just world, should have spent the rest of their lives in a high-security prison or, at the very least, working for Ticketmaster.

Links

Stuff We Found On The Internet

By Nick Lee February 6, 2025

The Perfect Day in Paris, According to Locals and Tastemakers – Thrillist

The Genius Scam That’s Fooling Even Cybersecurity Experts – Shield and Fortify

Do you need a mattress protector? YES! Sweat, oils, makeup, dead skin cells, and other spills can seep through your sheets and into your mattress – Amazon

The 6 Leading Causes of Divorce – Psychology Today

Ranked: The Most Reliable Car Brands in the U.S. – Visual Capitalist

How to take things less personally: Always blaming yourself or assuming others think ill of you? A therapist shares ways to break these self-critical habits – Psyche

Vigorous Exercise Could Add Years to Your Life – Runners World

30 Ways to Be Kind: Simple Ways to Spread a Little Love – Tiny Buddha

I am happy to report that using this does make your popcorn taste like it was just popped at a movie theater – Amazon

Who killed the world? @alv9n analyzed the top 200 sci-fi films from every decade. Here’s what he learned.- The Pudding

The Powerful Effect of Bringing Play Into Your Life – Zen Habits

The Science Behind Bloating on Planes—and How to Avoid It – Traveler

The transformative power of journaling – VOX

Interesting

How Nauru Became the World’s Richest Country—and Then Lost Everything

By Nick Lee February 6, 2025

Imagine a place so small, so isolated, that it feels like a speck of dust on the map of the world. A place where the speed limit is 25 miles per hour, but the police chief once ordered a Lamborghini, only to realize he couldn’t fit inside. A place where 94.5% of the population is overweight, and the land itself has been hollowed out, leaving behind a jagged, dystopian wasteland. This is Nauru, the world’s most obedient country—not because its people are submissive, but because they’ve been obedient to the whims of history, greed, and the relentless march of capitalism.

Nostalgia

How Urban Legends Spread Like Gospel in the Pre-Internet Era

By Nick Lee February 6, 2025

There was a time—not that long ago—when completely absurd urban legends could be whispered in a middle school hallway and, within weeks, become a universally accepted fact. They were repeated with the same certainty as the Pledge of Allegiance. They required no proof, no citations, no real thought—just a strong enough delivery and the unwavering confidence of the person telling them.

Nostalgia

Weepuls: The Dumbest Yet Most Important Prize of Your Childhood

By Nick Lee February 6, 2025

If you went to an American elementary school in the late ’80s or early ’90s, you probably remember Weepuls. Or at least, you remember something suspiciously close to Weepuls: tiny, fluffy, googly-eyed creatures with adhesive feet and an aura of manufactured whimsy. They were the kind of thing a six-year-old would cherish like a sacred talisman for approximately 48 hours before inevitably losing it in the bottom of a backpack or having it violently stripped from existence by an overzealous vacuum cleaner. But before that—before they succumbed to entropy—Weepuls mattered.

Culture

Why Thousands of Japanese Choose to Disappear Every Year: Inside Japan’s Johatsu Phenomenon

By Nick Lee February 5, 2025

He left for work one morning, just as he always did. Dressed in a crisp shirt and tie, he kissed his wife goodbye, grabbed his briefcase, and drove off in the direction of his office. But that evening, he didn’t return.

At first, his wife assumed he was working late, perhaps pulling another all-nighter. By the second night, worry set in. She called his company, only to be told the unthinkable: her husband had been laid off a month earlier.

For weeks, he had maintained the facade of employment, leaving home each morning, spending his days in his car, and returning late to give the impression of overtime or after-work drinks. But with no salary forthcoming, the lie became unsustainable. Rather than confess his failure, he vanished, leaving behind a family who would likely never understand why.

History

Why Did Hitler Declared War on the Soviet Union?

By Nick Lee February 5, 2025

Germany’s decision to invade the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, was the most pivotal moment of World War II. The launch of Operation Barbarossa did not arise from a singular cause but was instead the product of a confluence of strategic, ideological, military, and economic factors. While much has been written about Hitler’s ideological imperative to destroy Bolshevism and secure Lebensraum, one of the less emphasized but equally crucial motivations was Germany’s dire need for oil—a resource that was essential for sustaining the Wehrmacht’s war machine.

Uncategorized

Pictures and Videos of the Day

By Nick Lee February 4, 2025

History

Who Is Machiavelli and What Is His Philosophy About?

By Nick Lee February 4, 2025

Machiavelli. You hear the name and immediately think of sinister political manipulation, backstabbing, and a level of calculated ruthlessness that would make a Bond villain blush. He’s the guy whose name literally became an adjective for political scheming—Machiavellian—which is impressive, considering most people only know him through secondhand references, usually from someone trying to sound smart at a dinner party.

Life

Confessions of a Man With Tourette Syndrome

By Nick Lee February 4, 2025

How did you get diagnosed and when did the tics start?

Diagnosed August last year. I’m 23, tics started when I was 19 probably, I lived with my parents when things were getting out of hand, and yes I got in trouble. My mother didn’t seem to believe it could possibly be TS, despite doing research, until I got diagnosed. She screamed at me plenty, and even cried cause she hates the word cunt so much. Honestly, I think she was doing her best, but its just tough to adjust too, for a parent of an adult.

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