A lot of mystics and meditators have long said that ideas are real, and they come from a real place. What if they are right? And what does that say about AI which are basically made out of ideas?

Personally, I write all my own stuff, always have, always will. But I have to admit —it's already been hard enough to make it in this world as a writer, as the tsunami of AI slop becomes common, authors like myself are going to have an even harder time standing out, and keeping their heads above the slop.

Before smartphones, boredom was just a part of life — and it turns out, it might have been doing something important. This week we're exploring the lost art of idling: what happens when you stop filling every spare moment, and why the ability to do nothing in particular might be one of the most valuable skills you're not practicing.

What even is hypnosis? A look at this poorly understood phenomena—and why the parts of the human experience that we least understand might be the most interesting.

The present moment has outpaced the imagination of sci fi writers. The future is here now! As things continue to accelerate it's always a good reminder to take time to slow down. (Maybe try some kava.)

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Returning home from a trip to another culture can feel pretty trippy if you do it right. I just got back from traveling in Mexico. There is a brief window after you return home from traveling when you enter your own culture and are able to see it with fresh eyes—things which are usually invisible because we are so used to them become visible.

Some thoughts from the road on taking a vacation from the news for a few weeks.

In today's show we talk with Alexander Technique teacher Micheal Ashcroft about how to get out of you own way