Marketing and spam calls are annoying. A great way to block them is by installing a spam blocker app on your phone. I am using Truecaller and also the local.ch app to block spam calls. Depending on where you live there might be other local blockers to complement Truecaller which works globally. Bye bye spam…
Category: Happiness
Power Nap with Binaural Beats
I enjoy taking occasional power naps after lunch or in the afternoon. I rarely fall asleep, but when I do, it really is refreshing. One tool I discovered are Binaural Beats: A binaural beat is an auditory illusion perceived when two different pure-tone sine waves, both with frequencies lower than 1500 Hz, with less than…
This too shall pass
Life is a roller coaster with lots of ups and downs. It sometimes is a struggle to keep a balance, to not get carried away by the extremes. I have found the following mantra useful: “This too shall pass.” It’s a reminder that, given time, most things revert to the mean. Feeling bad? Having an…
Breaking habits
I love having strong habits. At the same time, I find myself breaking those habits all the time. I used to feel bad about it. Not anymore. When falling off the bandwagon, I usually try to “fake it until I make it”. Just going through the motions without really being present, just to keep the…
Universal Paperclips: An Educational AI Game
Recently, I got addicted to Universal Paperclips, a clicker game with unexpected philosophical implications. The user plays the role of an AI programmed to only want one thing: paperclips. It’s based on a famous thought experiment by Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom. It begs the question: where does our technological progress and constant optimization lead? In the game…
Read Books Twice
I love reading books. However, if I go too fast and read through too many books, I have trouble remembering what I learned. Also, I want to avoid chasing the “number of books” I have read. It doesn’t mean anything. That’s why I really liked the idea by Rolf Dobelli of reading each book a…
“Margin of Safety” as a Principle of Life
In my last post I talked about the key principles of value investing. The one principle I keep using almost daily is the “Margin of Safety” principle. It’s such a powerful concept that I try to apply it almost everywhere in my life, especially to time management. When I have an appointment, I give myself…
Practical Wisdom for Relationships: Read to Each Other
A friend recently brought up this topic: He is regularly reading to his partner in the evening, and they are both enjoying it very much. I told him that my partner and I have discovered the same thing. Pick something that interests you both. It’s wonderful quality time. You are near each other. You learn…
My Notes from TEDxBasel 2019
I enjoyed the recent TEDxBasel 2019. Here are my notes: Choose your prioritiesMake health and happiness your main priority. Who would enjoy success or wealth without being healthy or happy? Tips from a Michelin-starred chefUse a cooking apron. It will transform your mindset and you’ll feel like a chef. Try cooking with tea. Use lots…
Why I created a Facebook page
Inspired by Rolf Dobelli’s book, I stopped using Facebook six months ago. Mainly because I was addicted, and also because the constant social comparisons and the instant gratification treadmill became toxic for me. (I’m still using Messenger/WhatsApp for one-one-one contact.) The downside of leaving Facebook was that I lost a distribution channel for my content,…