Re: "The Small Stuff" book review

At Fri, 31 Jul 2026 20:38:14 -0000 (UTC), Tara <[email protected]> wrote:

> 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.

As I said elsewhere, he came here because he can get a rise out of
people by acting like the poster child for Dunning-Kruger.

The more people that kf him the better.

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