Retirement strategy is to work hard, save money, stay healthy, and build an astonishing library that I can spend the last 2-3 decades of my life reading at leisure.

Happens to the best of us, Pepys my boy

I like Salman Rushdie’s response

The Guardian has released its list of the 100 best novels, based on the Top 10 picks of 170 writers, critics and academics. Reading is deeply subjective, but lists and reviews can help us discover books worth reading. writeoutloudblog.com/2026/05…

"Lying Odysseus replied, 'I will tell you the truth completely.'" Is HILARIOUS. It makes me smile and brings me joy

The whole Page/Achilles controversy is remarkably silly since it's all based on a rumor and also the line Page reads ("Who's looking after your wife and son") doesn't even make sense for Achilles? I'd guess Page is actually playing prophet ghost Tiresias, whom Odysseus seeks out.

What historical fact sounds fake but is true?

A minimum wage of £15 would end my coffee shop, it would have to close, as would many other businesses. I’ll explain for the economically illiterate. Staff costs are currently half our costs, a £15 minimum wage is actually more than £15 an hour for the company, because you have to add: - 12.07% holiday - Sick pay - Maternity pay if and when required - National insurance - Pension contributions These costs would mean the shop loses money because remember, energy costs are up, rates are up, regulations are up. Now you can pass these costs onto the consumer - that would mean charging a lot more for coffee, people won’t pay it. The likes of Starbucks and Costa can, because they have economies of scale. The independent doesn’t. Now the little socialist will say well this is your fault, if you can’t run a business that can afford to pay its staff properly, but the little socialist has never run a business and does not understand the dynamics. Now I could pay some staff off and fill those hours myself or reduce us to one staff member during certain periods - but this proves the point that a minimum wage costs jobs. There was a time when these jobs were done by kids, perhaps on the weekend, paid a lower wage, no holiday and no silly employment rights. Perhaps they were even paid cash. The dynamic worked and small businesses like this could operate. It was also a great first job. Sadly now it isn’t worth employing entitlement youngsters at this level of pay. So alas, I don’t need the stress, the business would close, a number of jobs would be lost. Economics is about understanding these dynamics, no vibes. The cost of living is not solved through passing on inflation to the business, it is solved by ending high inflation and creating prosperity. This is what socialists don’t understand, they can’t create prosperity, they can only destroy it.

why god why do used book stores use cover-destroying price stickers

The most expensive item on a restaurant menu isn't meant to be sold. It exists to make the second-most-expensive item look reasonable. Behavioral economists call this the decoy effect. Dan Ariely proved it at MIT in 2008. Every menu you've eaten from this year uses it. Plus 10 more tricks. I pulled the playbook. Here's how each one hijacks your brain. 🧵