You're (probably) not taking advantage of the knowledge around you

I like to work at the library.

It’s one of my favorite places to work.

It’s quiet and in my area, it’s not terribly busy.

That’s a ton of books and information. Stories, yes, but also books on accounting, plants, cookbooks, and books about popular TV shows.

I grabbed a few books that I found inspiring.

I’ll check them out and read (parts of) them later, but for now, I want them to be on the desk as I write.¹

My computer and books of essays

At this library (and at my home and at the coffee shop), the internet is accessible to me.

Between the library and the internet, the cliche is true; all the world’s information is at my fingertips. And at your fingertips.

But you’re (probably) not taking advantage of that information.

For instance, the Internet has a ton of information and we all spend way too much time on it.

We say the internet is a valuable resource to learn, but the numbers tell a different story. Most time on the Internet is spent on things that aren’t information.

Or not information in the library sense of the word, unless you grew up with the library as the gossip center of your town.

Here’s the list of the biggest sites on the Internet.

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are three of the biggest sites. That’s information but of a different sort.

Google and YouTube are a toss-up for what people are watching or looking for. Wikipedia is a more solid choice for knowledge and learning despite its own issues.

If you keep going down that list, you’ll start to see the adult content sites pop up. Not information or education in a classic way.

So Many Options. That’s Knowledge Privilege.

However, I think I like access to knowledge more than the knowledge itself.

I just packed up my books to move. I had two huge bookshelves, both about 4 feet wide and 6 feet tall.

Lots of books. I sold many of them to a used bookstore. (Also: I threw my filing cabinet into the dumpster.)

Those exact copies would be gone, but the content wouldn’t. There’s the library. Or I buy print copies. Or a digital copy. So many options. That’s knowledge privilege.

So Many Unread Books and Bookmarks. That’s Knowledge Hoarding.

But much like I keep books on my shelf, or books on my desk while working, I also (apparently) like to keep knowledge around on my computer.

Just piling up. Not being used.

I have so many things saved. And you probably do, too.

Go back and review…

• Your saved Twitter threads

• Your saved LinkedIn posts

• Courses you bought 2 years ago

• Your saved reading list & bookmarks

• Books on the shelf

It’s right there.

Honestly, I bought another course yesterday. I’m a glutton. I love to hoard. I’m actively going back and reviewing the old ones.

We have a lot of information at our disposal, yet we often fail to make the most of it.

What will you do with it?

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More Things:

1. MI:7 wasn’t too bad. It was long.

2. I didn’t Barbenheim though I will watch them both at some point, but not on the same day or at the same time. Here’s an in-depth lit crit Twitter thread.

3. All the toys need movies now. They tried to make the UNO card game into a heist movie? At The New Yorker.

4. An onslaught of toilets online? At Garbage Day.

5. Old punk rock with a new single (MXPX). Going to see them in September!

6. Did anyone else see this Spotify origin story on Netflix? It’s in Swedish, but I liked the storytelling format. It was 6 episodes and each one focused on a key character. Try it out if you’re looking for a new show.

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Last Week

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Last Things

• Without knowledge, action is useless and knowledge without action is futile. — Abu Bakr

• Find me on Twitter and Medium

Keep going,

-Josh Spilker

1. Just finished the Jhumpa Lahiri book (only $1.99 on kindle?) and I’m taking notes on the Lydia Davis one