Episode · Modern Wisdom · 2025-12-25
Books mentioned on Life Hacks: A Christmas Special (2025) - #1037
I'm back on my old couch in Newcastle upon Tyne, with Jonny, a virtual Yusef & George to catch up on what they've learned this year, what their best hacks were, and their reflections on 2025.
Chris Williamson discussed Endurance by Alfred Lansing. Also mentioned: Useful Not True by Derek Sivers and The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Useful Not True
Useful Not True by Derek Sivers is a book that explores unconventional mental models, belief systems, and cognitive frameworks for navigating life and business.
Recommended“So there's um yeah, Civers has this useful but not true um and he starts off with this story of obviously for people who don't know he ends up being a quite a successful entrepreneur, internet programmer, etc., etc.”
Where to get it
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Endurance
Endurance by Alfred Lansing is a gripping historical non-fiction account detailing Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition and the harrowing survival story of his stranded crew.
Discussed“I remember reading um Endurance by Alfred Lansing and he's talking about Shackleton's diary entries versus what everybody else's diary entries are, right?”
Where to get it
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The Etymologicon
The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth is an entertaining and accessible exploration of the bizarre, surprising, and interconnected origins of words and language.
Recommended“So there's a book called the Ethmologicon which is where I got a lot of this stuff from.”
Where to get it
