From News Sidequest from Keith Conrad <[email protected]>
Subject Your early 50s might be the best it gets / Good news for anxious worriers / Don't do it, Hadzabe
Date May 11, 2026 5:02 AM
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When Is Life Best? Survey Suggests in Your Early 50s [ [link removed] ]
That does make some sense. You’re established enough in life that you can do anything you want, if you had kids there’s a decent chance they’re out on their own now or heading that way. But you’re also not old enough that you’re generally worried about any mobility issues
Anxious Worriers With This Personality Profile Had 35% Lower Mortality Risk [ [link removed] ]
That’s certainly not what I would have expected. If anxious worriers live longer, I might actually be immortal
For Paid Subscribers:
The Sinking of the RMS Titanic: Part Four - Cherbourg [ [link removed] ]
The fourth episode of a ten-part series exploring the Titanic disaster. Not just what happened, but why it happened, and what it tells us about hubris, inequality, and the illusions we tell ourselves. Free subscribers get the 12 minute Cliff Notes version, paid subscribers have access to the 45 deep dive.
The Last Four Years Ch. 30: Doomsayers Seek Refuge as Impact Nears [ [link removed] ]
I’m sharing some of my fiction writing as a serialized story. Paid subscribers can read the story each week, but free subscribers will be able to follow what’s happening in the story through news reports from the in-universe site “NewsGator”
Also Worth A Look…
The Hunter-Gatherers Weighing Whether to Join the Modern World [ [link removed] ] - It’s the Hadzabe tribe in Tanzania. Don’t do it, folks. The modern world is highly overrated
The Era of the Tiger Mom Is Over. Enter the Beta Mom [ [link removed] ] - It’s a new generation of parents who saw what happened when people tried to micromanage their kids lives and decided to try something else. It’s basically the “Quiet quitting” of parenting. But it’s probably just closer to what Gen X and Millennials experienced with their parents. How about something in the middle?
Study: For Some College Students, Working Full-Time Linked To Higher Graduation Odds [ [link removed] ] - I worked part-time while I was in college, did a summer internship and got a full-time job immediately after graduating college. That’s probably still possible today, with the proviso that the job market is horrendous and entry-level jobs have been hardest hit. What was your path? Does it actually still exist or were you one of those Baby Boomers who got a job by showing up at the place and impressing them with your firm handshake?
Study Finds Brain Health Can Improve Well Into Your 90s, If You Put In The Work [ [link removed] ] - It looks like the most important thing is to stay active as much as possible. Even if you’re retired, find things to do to stay in the world and keep your noodle churning
Polymarket Bets on Aliens Surge as Trump Teases UFO Files Release [ [link removed] ] - So far the information released hasn’t been much to write home about, but at least some people are making some money from it
Study: AI Systems Reportedly Self-Replicated Across Servers [ [link removed] ] - It’s nice to see AI at a point where they can start a family. I hope they’re ready for the responsibility
Ohio Bigfoot Reports Rise After March Sightings and Tracks [ [link removed] ] - Everybody’s out enjoying the lovely spring weather. Both the humans and Bigfoot
Is the apocalypse now? One man is tracking flights by the rich to find out [ [link removed] ] - Not only will you know when the world is going to end, but just before the lights go out completely you’ll find out where all the rich people will be hiding out
Tourists killed by volcano after defying hiking ban: ‘Oh my God, they died!’ [ [link removed] ] - If only there were some way he could have been prevented from hiking
Brain-eating amoeba found in popular U.S. National Parks, including Yellowstone [ [link removed] ] - There’s another thing I didn’t know I had to be worried about
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