ICYMI: 📚 The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts 🤔, A Walk Around the Block 🏠 & So Good They Can't Ignore You 🏆 (+ the 8 best Blinkist alternatives 📕)

"The story of things isn't so much about things as it is about people." ​ — Spike Carlsen  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

​ ​ ​ The 4 Minute Read (ICYMI) Awegust ​Sep 2, 2023 || Read in browser​ Cats not giving a damn is far from the only amazing thing you might see on a walk around the block. Hello there! It's Nik. Just thought I'd share Awegust's last 4 Minute Read again in case you missed it. In September, we'll simply look at a different kind of awesomeness — the human kind. More on that this Saturday :) In the meantime, here's this week's good stuff: ​A Walk Around the Block by Spike Carlsen (will show you the marvelous workings of 26 everyday wonders, like electricity, stoplights, and phones) ​The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts (a self-help classic with a true recipe for dealing with life's uncertainty, being less anxious, and being calm) ​So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport (does away with the "find-your-passion" myth and helps you build a satisfying career from scratch) ​The 8 Best Free & Paid Blinkist Alternatives (will give you a great, quick overview of the best book summary services these days) Let's send off August in awe, shall we? Hot Off The Press A Walk Around the Block ​by Spike Carlsen As he turned on the tap one cold January morning, Spike Carlsen expected the same thing he always expects: running water. This time? No luck. His water service line was frozen. It took two days for someone to fix it and six weeks of constantly running water to not re-freeze. The incident made him wonder where his water came from in the first place — just like his electricity, heating, and so many other everyday basics we all take for granted. His exploration led him to taking A Walk Around the Block, and in the resulting book, he explains everything from stoplights to concrete and the telephone. If you want to know more about the 26 everyday wonders that sustain us every day, check out this book. Read the Summary » ​ ​ Quote of the Week "It turns out that the story of things isn't so much about things as it is about people — their triumphs, failures, obsessions, and brilliance." ​ — Spike Carlsen ​ The Big 3 From the Book 1. Messages went from taking 12 days to less than a millisecond to reach their recipient. 2. The Romans perfected concrete, but then we lost its formula for 1,000 years. 3. There are 7 secrets of traffic lights, a technology that's expensive but saves more money and lives than it costs. Master the Book in 4 Minutes » ​ A Book Brought to Life "Tomorrow and plans for tomorrow can have no significance at all unless you are in full contact with the reality of the present, since it is in the present and only in the present that you live." Wow! What an opening statement, right? Alan Watts was a writer, speaker, and philosopher. He was hugely influential in popularizing Eastern philosophies in the West in the 1950s and 60s. Actually, despite his somewhat tragic and early passing in 1973, he still is. Famous for his recorded lectures and audio tapes, you'll find many an inspiring video narrated by Watts on Youtube to this day — and today, via our animated summary of The Wisdom of Insecurity, his most famous work, Four Minute Books joins the club! The book is a self-help classic that breaks down our psychological need for stability. It explains why craving certainty only leads us into consumerism, how that won't solve anything, and how we can really calm down our hearts and minds. In today's video, you'll learn about all 3 of those lessons: The less religious a population, the more terrified it will be. Without an afterlife, life's stakes are extremely high. Consumerism promises happiness but fails to deliver. That "happiness" is just emptiness in a pretty wrapper. Pleasure and pain always come in one package, and only embracing this fact will make you less anxious. If you want to stop worrying about life's endless uncertainty, feel less anxious, and develop true inner calm, watch this video. ​ ​ ​ The Freebie ​ If you've been following us for a while, you'll know that Blinkist is our all-time favorite learning tool and a long-term partner of ours. In fact, they're running a 50%-off back-to-school deal* right now. Still, Blinkist is not the only book summary service on the block. What else is there? This week, I sat down, put on my thinking cap, and went through all the summary resources I know, both and old new. As a result, I present to you... The 8 Best Free & Paid Blinkist Alternatives. The first 4 are paid (assuming you'd otherwise spend money on Blinkist), the second 4 are free. Click on any of the services to go to that section of the piece and learn more about them: ​Shortform​ ​Uptime​ ​Headway​ ​getAbstract​ ​Four Minute Books​ ​Philosopher's Notes by Heroic​ ​The Power Moves​ ​Nat Eliason's Book Notes​ After reviewing and filtering dozens of services, I've also added several "Honorable Mentions" and issued a personal recommendation in both categories. You'll also find all relevant information about prices, platforms, formats, and the total number of summaries for each service. I hope you find this resource useful. Enjoy! Discover the Best Book Summary Apps » ​ Dusty But Brilliant So Good They Can't Ignore You ​by Cal Newport This was one of the first books I read that put the notion of "career development" completely on its head, and I absolutely loved it. Rather than falling for "the passion myth," as Newport calls it, we should simply pick a lane and get really good at what we do, he suggests. Passion is built, not found, is his argument. He also delivers plenty of tips on exactly how to do so, and how we can emphasize autonomy, creativity, and happiness in our work, regardless of what we do for a living. Absolute nonfiction gold! Read the Summary » ​ The Big 3 From the Book 1. Don't do what you love, but learn to love what you do. 2. Become a craftsman to collect the skills you need. 3. Say no to a raise to keep control of your work. Master the Lessons in 4 Minutes » ​ The Meme Shelf Now if only I didn't have to do this every other week, then, hm, that'd be great! 🤣 ​ That's all for now. Have a great start into September! Happy reading, -Nik PS: Blinkist is currently offering a generous 50% off* for back-to-school days. Want a deal on 6,500+ book summaries, audios, podcast summaries, an AI learning assistant, and a lot more? Check it out here* »​ ​ What can we do to improve the next edition? Tell us here. Did someone forward you this email? If so, you can sign up here. ​​​​​​ Copyright © 2023 Four Minute Books Preferences | Josef-Obenhin-Str. 4, Munich, 80634 | *Affiliate link ​Privacy Policy | Advertise With Us​ ​Opt-out of preference-based advertising​ ​Unsubscribe​ ​