The non-obvious blog

Dedicated To Helping Readers
Be More Interesting Since 2004.

As Featured In:

30 2025 December

The Quantified Uselessness of the AI-Generated Year in Review

There’s a special kind of uselessness amplified by AI that’s probably surrounding you right now: the year in review. The idea wasn’t a bad one....

Read Now

22 2025 October

The Next Generation of Gig Work Will Be Microtasking

This week Uber announced that they will have a new offering where gig works can choose to take on “microtasks” such as training AI models...

Read Now

21 2025 October

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: CAPS LOCK by Ruben Pater

This isn’t like any other book on your bookshelf. That’s perhaps the greatest compliment I can offer this stealthy 552-page paperback exploration of the intersection...

Read Now

20 2025 October

This Homework Motivation Pen Could Transform How We Learn

Every time I work out, my health app gives me a “Strive Score” that tells me how hard I worked and how much I pushed...

Read Now

17 2025 October

AI Matchmaking and How Expertise Is About to Be Scaled

There is an elite $2000-per-month matchmaking service called Three Day Rule that made news this week for their choice to create an AI matchmaking app...

Read Now

16 2025 October

The Room Where You Can Hear Your Own Nervous System

Imagine a room so quiet you can actually feel your own heart beating. It exists already and it’s known as an anechoic chamber. Over the...

Read Now

15 2025 October

Welcome To the Next Generation of Empathetic Tech – Haptic AI Companions

What will make AI more real? When my dog sees me coming, there’s an anticipation of play. His tail wags. I see him getting excited....

Read Now

14 2025 October

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: A Kids Book About Diwali by Chhavi Arya Bhargava

It’s Diwali season and the holiday is getting continued attention from many groups outside the South Asian community, so I wanted to come back and...

Read Now

13 2025 October

Everyone Hates Friend AI and That Is Actually the Point

Out-of-home advertising can be a mixed bag. Brands can stand out for an exceedingly clever breakthrough billboard or end up alienating potential customers by turning...

Read Now

10 2025 October

What I Learned About Events from IMEX America

I’ve spent the early part of this week at the IMEX America Trade Show here in Vegas, which is the largest trade show for the...

Read Now

09 2025 October

Beyond Self Driving, Future Cars May Be Emotionally Attuned Too

For all the attention on self-driving capabilities of cars coming in the future, there is a wave of research happening now into vehicle-driver interactions that is yielding...

Read Now