Tangent
My First Pinball Machine, My New Obsession
A 1980 Bally Space Invaders pinball machine turned out to be more than a game. It’s a puzzle, a project, and a family teacher.
Tangent
There’s No Such Thing as Left and Right in Space
Space breaks “left” and “right.” Navigation there is built on absolutes, not Earth’s shortcuts.
Tangent
Why Do Airplanes Look Like That?
The design secrets behind the world’s most recognizable silhouette
Curious
Learning to Be Wrong
The smartest people aren’t always right—they’re just the fastest to admit when they’re wrong.
Design
The Most Useful Concept You’ve Never Heard Of
That door you pulled the wrong way? That wasn’t your fault. It was bad affordance design. Let’s talk about the hidden rules that shape the world.
Knowledge
What We Know and How We Know It
From tribal intuition to documented facts, knowledge takes many forms—and each one matters in different ways.
Thinking
Seeing the Future with Second-Order Thinking
Second-order thinking helps you make decisions that hold up over time by forcing you to ask not just “What happens?” but “What happens next?”
Productivity
What is Systems Thinking and How Can I Use it Today?
Systems thinking is a powerful mindset for understanding the world not as a series of isolated events, but as an interconnected web of relationships and influences. It invites us to see complexity clearly, to grasp how seemingly unrelated parts can work together, and to identify how small changes might have
Aviation
How Aviation Embodies the Spirit of Continuous Exploration
There is something timeless and universal about humanity’s fascination with flight. From the moment people could look up and see birds soaring above them, the desire to join them became more than a fantasy—it became a calling. Flight has always symbolized freedom, ingenuity, and a kind of sublime
Work
What Game Designers Know that Corporate Leaders Forget
What if work felt more like a well-designed game? Lessons from game design that could transform how we lead, train, and manage.
Books
The Enduring Mystery of Eels: A Deep Dive into The Book of Eels
Few creatures have captivated human curiosity like the eel. Slippery, secretive, and seemingly otherworldly, the eel has puzzled scientists, inspired mythologies, and formed deep cultural and personal connections across generations. In The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World, Patrik Svensson explores
Science
The Neuroscience of Curiosity
Curiosity is a fundamental force in human nature, driving innovation, learning, and discovery. From childhood exploration to scientific breakthroughs, curiosity propels us to seek out new information and make sense of the world. But what is happening in our brains when we feel curious? Neuroscientists have been unraveling the mechanisms