In addition to my reading list, where takeaways often come from, I’m slowly building a list of various sources I use to surface items I run across as part of 7 Takeaways.
They run the range from more-or-less traditional news sources, to individual blogs, and many different styles in-between. Sometimes they contain the takeaways themselves, but several are curation newsletters that point me to random locations across the internet where I find even more good stuff.
Thinkers
One trend I see after doing this for over four years is that I value what I refer to as “thinkers”. This encompasses those who encourage and instruct in areas relating to critical thinking, self-awareness, and just using your brain. What’s also become apparent in that time is that this is a skill that appears to be in decline, and warrants extra attention.
These are three of the more thoughtful sources I refer to frequently.
Card Catalog by Hana Lee Goldin, MLIS (email) – Those letters matter: Master of Library and Information Science, and boy do we need that right now. A great resource for learning how to research, and how to tell fact from … everything else. A recent addition, and highly recommended.
More to That by Lawrence Yeo (email) – Insightful reflections on a variety of topics focusing mostly on exploration of the self.
Westenberg by Joan Westenberg (email) – Very insightful essays on a variety of topics, often deep reflections on current events.
This does not reflect negatively on the rest of my sources. They all have things to offer, and I cite them all frequently. The list above simply represents a theme I return to frequently.
Sources I Pay For
In addition to those listed above, these are subscriptions I value enough to pay for. My reasons vary: sometimes it’s to support a creator, sometimes it’s to gain access to paywalled content, sometimes it’s simply to support independent journalism, and sometimes it’s something else.
I try to get these via email if at all possible.
404 Media – “404 Media is a journalist-founded digital media company exploring the ways technology is shaping–and is shaped by–our world.”
Annie Scott’s Wankery Watch – “I started Wankery Watch because, honestly, we’re all drowning in advice, self-improvement hype, and societal bollocks that makes us feel like we’re doing life wrong. But my view is (spoiler alert!) we’re not.”
The Atlantic – I don’t recall what led me here, but it’s become one of my most valued sources of news, analysis, and opinion. One specific: How to Build a Life by Arthur C. Brooks has justified my subscription to The Atlantic several times over.
Big Think – “A Home for the Curious Mind – At Big Think, we believe the world becomes a better place when we challenge our minds to think bigger, deeper, and more openly.”
deepculture – “We send you 10 interesting things every Tuesday. It’s a quick read, interesting, useful and fun to read. If you have a curious mind, it’s the perfect newsletter for you.”
The Economist – Independent journalism.
Enjoy the Moment by Gary Buzzard – An insightful newsletter on aging, meditation, and accepting with grace.
Everything Is Amazing by Mike Sowden – “After a decade as a travel writer, I’m writing this nerdsletter to explore the practical skill of curiosity, and to go romping through the modern sciences in search of a good “wow!” you can feel all the way down to your boots.”
The Guardian – While primarily a news source, there are often good opinion pieces.
Intersectional Thinking – I originally subscribed for thoughts on note-taking and organization, but as the title implies, this dives deeper into approaches to thinking and philosophy as well.
Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends by Caitlin Dewey – “Links is a digital culture newsletter for people who miss the old internet: the one that wasn’t crowded with Elon Musk reply-guys, viral attention-hackers and shrimp Jesuses. It’s interested in big-picture questions about technology and how it shapes our lives and culture. But it’s also fun and serendipitous and sometimes deeply weird — all the things that social media really isn’t now.”
Medium – Medium content is all over the map, and of late most of it isn’t worth it. However, there are a few writers there that make the small subscription and periodic check-in worthwhile. Though if I do find an individual of interest, I try to follow them directly on other platforms if possible.
Men Yell at Me by Lyz Lenz – “This newsletter sits at the intersection of patriarchy and politics in red state America. Think of reading this newsletter as sitting down with a good friend over bourbon and yelling about politics and chatting about life.”
makoism by Steve Makofsky – “For the last several years, I’ve been trying to keep a regular cadence of posting interesting links/thoughts/stories and thoughts about human-focused leadership, storytelling, and well-being.”
Marlene’s Substack by Marlene Kern Fischer – Aka “Thoughts from Aisle 4” on Facebook, humorist turned political observer. “I’m a perpetually tired blogger, author, mom, wife, nana, and humorist who is trying to save democracy one post at a time.”
Mike Monteiro’s Good News – Takes questions from readers and answers them: deeply, philosophically, and thoughtfully. A wide range of topics.
My Sweet Dumb Brain by Katie Hawkins-Gaar – “I started My Sweet Dumb Brain in 2018, a year and a half after my husband died while running a half marathon. He was 32. And I, suddenly, was a 31-year-old widow. In the time since his death, I’d amassed a lot of emotions and thoughts about grief, depression, hope, guilt, sadness, and joy. This newsletter became a place to process all of it, and to share the things I’d learned with others.”
The New York Times – I’ve flip-flopped on NYT a time or two because of what I see as occasional spineless reporting. However, there are good journalists there fighting the good fight as well, and it comes up as a frequent source.
The New Yorker – Generally fascinating journalism and thought pieces.
No F*cks Given by Sara Knight – Author of “Grow the F*ck Up”, among others. “If you’re looking for simple, practical strategies for living your best life—delivered in a fun, no-nonsense style—then you’ve come to the right place.”
The Onion – Just because.
ProPublica – “ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism with moral force.”
Steady by Dan Rather – Insight from a respected veteran journalist.
This is True – “This is True is the oldest entertainment newsletter on the Internet: a weekly non-partisan news commentary feature that’s fun to read. Each issue features several short summaries of weird (but true!) news items from around the world.” The stories are fun, of course, but the accompanying commentary is thought-provoking as well.
Too Old For This Sh*t by Julia Hubbel – She writes often on aging, adventure travel while aging, and staying healthy while aging.
User Mag by Taylor Lorenz – “User Mag is founded on the belief that the real story of technology lies with its users. Instead of focusing on corporate earnings and boardroom conflicts, User Mag covers how people are using technology.”
Vagina Devil Magic by Lisa Lee Curtis – “Author, feminist, and internet loudmouth”. Author of “Brief Biographies of Badass Bitches” book series.
The Wall Street Journal – Business
Words by Susie Dent – “A lively look at the words making headlines, the words worth reviving, the words we really need, and the words with magnificently secret histories.”
Free Sources
I try to get these via RSS if possible; otherwise, it’s email.
1440 – a daily newsletter that aims to share “All of your news, none of the bias”. I regularly find interesting items for 7 Takeaways, and occasionally Not All News Is Bad.
Andrew Yang
Austin Kleon – “Weekly art, writing, and creative inspiration from the author of Steal Like an Artist and other bestsellers.”
A Year of Mental Health by Chris Guillebeau – “A year-long experiment in purposeful productivity, all through the lens of mental health and wellbeing.”
Clearer Thinking – Interesting and deep articles based on their mission: “To effectively improve society with our research-based tools, articles and other content by helping people: improve their decision-making, boost their critical thinking, make positive behavior changes”.
Collab Blog – A blog by Morgan Housel, a principal in an investment firm, Collab Fund. The blog is rarely about investment and more about life, philosophy, and interesting advice.
Curiosity Chronicle by Sahil Bloom – There are a lot of “build a high-performing, healthy, wealthy life” newsletters out there, but this has been a good source of practical, actionable information.
Dense Discovery – “Useful apps & websites, Compelling books & zines, Inspiring art & design projects, Thought-provoking essays, podcasts & videos”
Distilled by Michael Thomas – “Deeply researched stories about climate change”
The Edgy Optimist by Zachary Karabell – “A bit more than a decade ago, I launched a column for The Atlantic and Reuters and then Slate. It was called “The Edgy Optimist.” The goal was to take a weekly look at what might go right, rather than focus relentlessly on all that is going wrong. Now, in a time of deep pessimism bordering on despair, I’m re-launching “The Edgy Optimist,” and I hope you will join me.”
Everything Is Bullshit – “Poking holes in the stories we tell ourselves” by David Pinsof. – I love the contrarian investigation into to so many things we take for granted.
The Imperfectionist – Oliver Burkeman, the author of Four Thousand Weeks: “twice-monthly email on productivity, mortality, the power of limits, and building a meaningful life in an age of bewilderment”.
Ness Labs – Anne-Laure Le Cunff, author of Tiny Experiments.
Nir and Far newsletter by Nir Eyal – From the author of Indistractable. Research shared from user experience design, behavioral economics, and neuroscience.
Not Boring by Packy McCormick – “Not Boring is the most fun way to learn about what’s going on in business and the strategy behind the decisions companies make.” I find it often covers items of interest outside of business.
Open Windows- Ann Telnaes – The former Washington Post editorial cartoonist.
Psyche
Recommendo – “6 brief personal recommendations of cool stuff.”
Ryan Holiday
Sandeep Swadia – A very interesting business professional with insights about life, business, and AI.
Saturday Letters by John P. Weiss. – “… a writer, artist, and former police chief with twenty-six years of law enforcement experience.” I’m not sure how I came across him, but his weekly essays have been particularly thought provoking.
Seth Godin
The Sacred and the Strange – “A newsletter about belief, folklore, weird history, the paranormal, and the mysteries that make life interesting. For curious readers who suspect the world is stranger than it seems.”
Tedium by Ernie Smith – “An offbeat digital newsletter”. An eclectic blog/publication covering a wide range of topics and interests, ranging from history to current events, mostly centered around technology and its impact.
Things That Caught My Attention – Dan Hon
Weekly Thing by Jamie Thingelstad – “I have been learning about technology for over 25 years, and the Weekly Thing is my attempt at sharing that learning and discovery with others.”
Wit & Wisdom of Tom Greene – “I write about the examined life. Things like family, happiness, spirituality and friendship. I’m here to help you find clarity and peace in a crazy world.”
What Do We Do Now That We’re Here? by Rosie Spinks. – “A Substack-featured newsletter about how to live a meaningful life in a chaotic, unstable world. I’m trying to find the place between denial and nihilism, and set up a life there.”
Local news
Even though not directly related to 7 Takeaways, sometimes something pops up of interest. I encourage supporting local journalism, particularly if independent, so I wanted to list these paid subscriptions as well.
- The Bellingham Herald – Local, but part of a national chain.
- Cascadia Daily News – Local to Bellingham/Whatcom County WA, independent.
- Puget Sound Business Journal – Local, but part of a national chain.
- The Seattle Times
Tech
Technically, these are sources I pay for when wearing my Ask Leo! hat, but every so often there’s spillover into the topics I like to cover here.
- Hacking Humans – podcast
- Smashing Security – podcast
Criteria
So, why do I subscribe to what I do? It’s complicated.
Most news subscriptions, particularly those that are paid, are in part because I want to support the publication. That, in turn, is usually because they’re doing what appears to be good journalism, as opposed to the pandering, cowardly work of some of the others. Most also include good editorials and op-ed pieces.
That feeds my second criterion: they make me think. This project is all about my consuming better content, and one definition to me is that it catches my attention in a good way and makes me think about something in a new or deeper way.
They need to be well written, of course. Entertaining is good, but understandable is better.
Many of the publications I explicitly pay for I do so in order to support independent, and often individual, creators. I’ve found myself shifting some of my traditional “corporate” subscription money to smaller and more committed individuals and teams.
And, sometimes, things just catch my eye and fancy for reasons that I can’t explain. 