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McKinley Valentine

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Addictions shape social interactions

Addictions shape social interactions

Technological progress makes addictive things more concentrated and effective - from opium to heroin, willowbark to aspirin, myspace to facebook.

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"Am I overreacting?" Excerpts from Dear Prudence

"Am I overreacting?" Excerpts from Dear Prudence

I read Daniel Lavery nee Ortberg's advice column, and there's a theme that comes up a lot in his answers: 'You are not overreacting, you are reacting.'

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Guardian spirits: An alternative to role models

Guardian spirits: An alternative to role models

A guardian spirit only needs to watch over one area of your life. You could have one for your garden, one for trying to be a good friend, one for work.

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Messy spot in your house? Put it on a tray.

Messy spot in your house? Put it on a tray.

Junk, like cats, likes a demarcated space. I bet you could just group everything together on an A4 piece of paper and it would look neater.

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Two ways of holding an opinion: Extreme but easily swayed, moderate but deeply entrenched

Two ways of holding an opinion: Extreme but easily swayed, moderate but deeply entrenched

If you don't realise which type of opinion-holder you're dealing with, conflict will escalate

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Overreacting vs under-reacting vs being proactive

Overreacting vs under-reacting vs being proactive

Without fully and completely understanding the situation, how can you know if someone is overreacting or under-reacting or just reacting?

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If you don't see the point of tiktok, here's how to make it work for you

How to use TikTok (and make your feed good)

If something annoys you, SCROLL PAST. DO NOT COMMENT ABOUT HOW IT’S WRONG OR ANNOYING. You will just see more of the annoying thing.

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The Whippet #88: One of the many attempts of Nature to evolve a crab

The Whippet #88: One of the many attempts of Nature to evolve a crab

A newsletter for the terminally curious: science, history and weirdness with 0% contemporary politics, because oh my god sometimes you need a break.

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The Whippet #87: Triple-cream duck-infused brie

The Whippet #87: Triple-cream duck-infused brie

A newsletter for the terminally curious: science, history and weirdness with 0% contemporary politics, because oh my god sometimes you need a break.

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The Whippet #86: Vectors of invisible fanciness

The Whippet #86: Vectors of invisible fanciness

A newsletter for the terminally curious: science, history and weirdness with 0% contemporary politics, because oh my god sometimes you need a break.