The non-obvious blog
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11 2026 June
The Chaos of the World Cup
This week the FIFA World Cup is coming back to North America and it’s hard to imagine a more “American” homecoming. There are reports of soaring...
Read Now10 2026 June
The World Is Losing Its Color
This is the definition of a macrotrend – our modern world has steadily been losing color over the past several decades. As culture writer Spencer Hardwick...
Read Now09 2026 June
The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: Business Beyond Borders by Dean Foster
“There is no excuse for cultural ignorance in the 21st century.” Except perhaps laziness. The moment I picked up this book during the judging phases...
Read Now08 2026 June
The Most Powerful Silent Keynote in History
Last month at the Hay Festival, author Sarah Wynn-Williams was invited to keynote and then sat in her chair and didn’t say a word. It wasn’t...
Read Now04 2026 June
The Accidental Truth About College (from Jensen Huang)
What’s the best thing to study for the future? As we continue through graduation season, it’s a relevant question for us all to think about...
Read Now03 2026 June
The Newest Olympic Sport Features Humans Jumping Instead of Horses
Many of you know that I’m a big Olympics fan. After attending 6 Summer Olympics so far, I definitely have some opinions about sports that...
Read Now02 2026 June
The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: Seven Eves by Neal Stephenson
The first time I read Seven Eves was on a two-week long holiday in Africa several years ago and it took me just about the...
Read Now01 2026 June
The Most Important Reminder About Tech Is Appearing Everywhere
Every week I read stories of a rising revolt against automation, evidenced by everything from workers posting trade secrets after being displaced by AI through to university...
Read Now29 2026 May
The Most Depressing Museum in the World Has a Message to Share
I’ve been to my fair share of depressing museums. The Holocaust museums in LA and DC and parts of the African American Museum in DC...
Read Now28 2026 May
Pizza Hut and the Retro Restaurant Movement
For years, the leader in delivery pizza has been Dominos. For sit down pizzerias, there are plenty of options in most cities. Pizza Hut has...
Read Now27 2026 May
Solving The Mass Discard Problem on College Campuses
Imagine a day or series of days when people pile up all sorts of stuff on the curb and give it away for free. Unopened...
Read Now26 2026 May
The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: Moral Ambition by Rutger Bregman
What if the biggest problem in the world is a lack of moral ambition from those in a position to change the world either through...
Read Now25 2026 May
Amazon Invents Another Way to Steal Media with AI-Generated Podslop
Amazon just announced Alexa Podcasts, a new Alexa+ feature available to paying Amazon Prime members. The platform allows you to ask for information on any...
Read Now