Re: "The Small Stuff" book review

On Jul 31, 2026 at 4:23:49 PM EDT, "dart200"
<[email protected]> wrote:

> On 7/31/26 1:06 PM, Tara wrote:
>> On Jul 31, 2026 at 3:52:16 PM EDT, "dart200"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>> 
>>> On 7/31/26 10:00 AM, Dude wrote:
>>>> On 7/31/2026 8:56 AM, dart200 wrote:
>>>>> On 7/31/26 8:15 AM, Tara wrote:
>>>>>> On Jul 31, 2026 at 10:53:13 AM EDT, "Noah Sombrero" <[email protected]>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Fri, 31 Jul 2026 14:12:02 -0000 (UTC), Tara <[email protected]>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> (I haven't read this book yet but I heard the author interviewed on
>>>>>>>> CBC this
>>>>>>>> a.m and liked what he said).  Just another self-help book or one of
>>>>>>>> that ilk?
>>>>>>>> Nah, I don't think so.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> The Small Stuff
>>>>>>>> How to lead a more gratifying life
>>>>>>>> -Ian Bogost -  Atlantic Columnist
>>>>>>>> 
>>>> <snip>
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> In other words, why well off people are not happy.  So they pine for
>>>>>>> the good old days, forgetting that they were not happy then either.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Uhhh. No, not really what the book is about.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> why don't you read the book.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> "sleek, but soulless, design".  Of course that is not satisfying.  On
>>>>>>> the other hand, if a person has a satisfying fulfilled life, it won't
>>>>>>> matter what knickknacks one includes or not.  Who notices such things?
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On the other hand, "automated self-checkout counters"?  Who puts up
>>>>>>> with such emptiness?  As if people needed another way to avoid
>>>>>>> interacting with each other.  But if you have plenty of human
>>>>>>> interaction in your life, maybe those counters wouldn't matter so
>>>>>>> much.  There it is, we are so isolated from each other in our cars,
>>>>>>> and lockable houses that we need to interact with clerks in stores.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> How do we feel?  Lonely and bored.  Scared of each other, and out of
>>>>>>> patience with ideas we don't want to listen to (from other people).
>>>>>>> Simple, huh?
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> His approach is more about being aware of the pleasure and experience of
>>>>>> holding and drinking a warm cup of coffee on a cold morning.  kind of
>>>>>> stuff
>>>>>> like that.
>>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> it's called mindfulness and it's been written about by like a million
>>>>> times by now
>>>>> 
>>>>> but in this case instead of actively cultivating mindfulness of what
>>>>> he's still manually doing (which life still involves a lot of), it
>>>>> seems he's bitching about being robbed of petty shit like manually
>>>>> flushing toilets in public restrooms. or not having a pile of keys in
>>>>> ur pockets instead of using the rfid in my watch. or paying for
>>>>> everything with dirty ass money instead of just tapping my phone.
>>>>> 
>>>>> it's like an even more retarded form of complaining that dishwashers
>>>>> and washing machines have ruined taking care of households because
>>>>> we're not spending a hours a day manually washing dishes and laundry
>>>>> anymore 🙄
>>>>> 
>>>>> this is the kind bonehead that bitches that electric cars having "no
>>>>> soul" cause they don't go vroom vroom when u hit the gas! like ok
>>>>> bro ... is the small electric wine that goes along with the rocket
>>>>> ship acceleration not enough for you to be mindful of? 🤣
>>>>> 
>>>> Everyone that thinks, is being mindful everyday...
>>>> 
>>> counterpoint: all the absfg duds reading this
>> 
>> you know... it's an old one but apropo here I think. Why don't you go back
>> under the rock you crawled out from. Seriously
> 
> what are you going to do about it? ban me?
> 
> u can say whatever u want to about me, it will _never_ hurt me more than
> abject ignorance you duds constantly put on displace
> 
> the fact i have to exist on planet with such ungodly stupidity is a
> _far_ worse feeling than whatever the fuck mean words on a screen

You do know there is a psychological term and diagnosis for your feelings of
superiority don't you. And it's not pretty.