I bought a signed copy, and bought an ARC for my collection. Thank you. Fantastic novel.
(Why the fuck is Substack asking me to share this as a "note"? Is that like Substack's way of saying "we do shorts now! We do things like the Tikkity Tokers do!!")
So this is a pretty tangential connection to be commenting this here, but I don't really know how else to even attempt to pass this information on to Jason!
On the Bulwark podcast episode you were on to promote the book Jason, you spent a bit talking about the concept of how the act of recording something seemed to cause the brain to dissociate, like it no longer properly understood that it itself was still in the situation. There's a couple of fascinating (although admittedly, long and dense) books from Dr. Iain McGilchrist about the real differences between the left and right hemispheres of the brain and they work in bringing our understanding of the world into being. Ten thousand foot view is that the left hemisphere focuses on building its understanding through a bottom up approach and the right hemisphere focuses on a top down approach. The left hemisphere works like a flashlight, directing attention in a very intensely focused way, understanding everything as individual pieces and so unable to understand those pieces in terms of smaller parts of a larger whole. The right hemisphere works like a floodlight, directing attention broadly to the big picture, and then attempting to split that picture into smaller chunks. This is why its much more actively involved in things that involve relationships between concepts, like metaphors and humor.
So a person forgetting that they themselves exist exactly the same distance from a tornado as their phone seems like a pretty textbook example of this. Once their left hemisphere becomes more dominant in the act of needing to focus intently on their phone to see what they're recording, their relationships to the world around them and events at hand fade into the background with the right hemisphere.
About time, I feel like I’ve been waiting for this book to come out since Cracked was relevant. Nah, but I’m super excited to read this the premise sounds great.
I’m laughing, because this is exactly me: “if you’re someone who enjoys my essays about society but never liked my silly and often gruesome novels, this might actually be the book for you.”
What can I say? I’m a middle-aged lady who is squeamish about horror but who loves thrillers. I will be ordering the book!
I don't know if you read your Substack comments, Jason, but if you do, your "Quick Question" podcast link is wrong. It links to your '23 appearance on their show. The correct link should be (I'll link to Apple):
I ordered some signed copies for me and my SIL
Listening to the audiobook now. Hilarious so far!
I bought a signed copy, and bought an ARC for my collection. Thank you. Fantastic novel.
(Why the fuck is Substack asking me to share this as a "note"? Is that like Substack's way of saying "we do shorts now! We do things like the Tikkity Tokers do!!")
Stoked to get this!
So this is a pretty tangential connection to be commenting this here, but I don't really know how else to even attempt to pass this information on to Jason!
On the Bulwark podcast episode you were on to promote the book Jason, you spent a bit talking about the concept of how the act of recording something seemed to cause the brain to dissociate, like it no longer properly understood that it itself was still in the situation. There's a couple of fascinating (although admittedly, long and dense) books from Dr. Iain McGilchrist about the real differences between the left and right hemispheres of the brain and they work in bringing our understanding of the world into being. Ten thousand foot view is that the left hemisphere focuses on building its understanding through a bottom up approach and the right hemisphere focuses on a top down approach. The left hemisphere works like a flashlight, directing attention in a very intensely focused way, understanding everything as individual pieces and so unable to understand those pieces in terms of smaller parts of a larger whole. The right hemisphere works like a floodlight, directing attention broadly to the big picture, and then attempting to split that picture into smaller chunks. This is why its much more actively involved in things that involve relationships between concepts, like metaphors and humor.
So a person forgetting that they themselves exist exactly the same distance from a tornado as their phone seems like a pretty textbook example of this. Once their left hemisphere becomes more dominant in the act of needing to focus intently on their phone to see what they're recording, their relationships to the world around them and events at hand fade into the background with the right hemisphere.
Happy to have preordered twice
About time, I feel like I’ve been waiting for this book to come out since Cracked was relevant. Nah, but I’m super excited to read this the premise sounds great.
I’m laughing, because this is exactly me: “if you’re someone who enjoys my essays about society but never liked my silly and often gruesome novels, this might actually be the book for you.”
What can I say? I’m a middle-aged lady who is squeamish about horror but who loves thrillers. I will be ordering the book!
An update: I just downloaded the book to my kindle, and am at about 10 percent already . I love it! It’s terrific!
I don't know if you read your Substack comments, Jason, but if you do, your "Quick Question" podcast link is wrong. It links to your '23 appearance on their show. The correct link should be (I'll link to Apple):
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/fun-facts-with-jason-pargin/id1464056693?i=1000670519644
All my best, peace.
Looking forward to my copy!!
This is bonnerifick! Looking forward to getting my copy later this week.
Just got my b&n preorder shipping tracking this morning. So excited.