Please use the comment sections to…comment.
- If you want to suggest topics or offer piles of cash in exchange for words, you can email me by clicking this.
- Concerning the book and interviews, contact Casey Maloney at this email address.
- Concerning speaking engagements, contact Deana Atwood at this email address.
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- There are also a bunch of other links in the footer at the bottom of this page.
Hi David,
Congratulations on your book being published. I’m so looking forward to receiving my autographed copy!
(-:
Jean
You know it is coming. I want to personally deliver it. Email me.
Hello,
I hope you don’t mind my suggestions.
I just finished reading one of your blog posts, and got to the end where you have a link for your book. I thought it might be useful to suggest to you that the image of your book could link to the page about your book, rather than the image of your book.
Additionally, if you moved the purchase links higher up on the page you may see conversion increase.
And finally, the ostrich on the front cover of your book looks like an AT-AT to me, which made perfect sense at the time. In hindsight, now I know it’s an ostrich, an AT-AT doesn’t make any sense.
That last one wasn’t a suggestion, more a caffeine fuelled observation of myself.
Regards,
Paul
I followed all of your advice.
Hi David :)
I’ve been following the blog for a while now, and ever since I discovered it, I’ve been wanting to show it to my friends and family. Unfortunately, only a couple of my friends can actually understand it, since English is not our first language. So I was wondering if I had your permission to translate your blog to Spanish. I would give credit to you, obviously, and of course, every article would contain a link to your blog.
Thanks in advance.
-Aquiles
Sorry, my contract with Penguin forbids it.
Mr. McRaney. The photograph you post with your responses to comments looks to me like a bearded man brandishing a handgun. Is that what it is? I’d like to know before communicating further.
Mr. McRaney. The photograph you post with your responses to comments looks to me like a bearded man brandishing a handgun. Is that what it is? I’d like to know before communicating further.
It’s a flare gun.
Hi David, Great blog. I just discovered it a couple of days ago and I can’t wait for the book. My only comment thus far (and you may have discussed it somewhere else but I didn’t lurk moar as the kiddies say) is are there any plans to change the format of the comments. You have one of the better comment sections of any of the blogs I follow but the long strings on the right hand side make me want to skip the comment. Then I feel bad later. It’s wreaking havoc with my self-esteem. Anyway congrats on the book and the posts are awesome.
I’ve played around with the commenting powers of this particular theme, and it’s either shrinky dinks or unconnected stacks. I decided to go with shrinky dinks because in the end they tend to make arguing difficult.
Hello!
Just thought i’d tell you that i’ve just aced a workplace presentation. 10 minutes, any topic, I decided to talk about procrastination and present bias and your article was very useful in giving me a good jumping off point for my research.
And, yes, I did only start the write-up the day before the presentation, despite having a two month lead in.
I am squinting and slowly nodding in approval.
David,
Why does the guy at the top of your web site look like that Earl guy from TV with a cheesy mustache and a pipe?
Just wondering,
–Guy
Dear Sir,
Your book isn’t available, even as a pre-order, in the UK Kindle store. I understand that Amazon don’t always make it obvious if you are publishing in the USA or worldwide, but I’d appreciate it if you could publish or pre-publish the book through amazon.co.uk as well as the .com.
Regards,
John.
David, I’m also interested in a Kindle or iBook version of your book – I hope it’s coming, that would be handy.
David,
I just read a couple of your articles for the first time and I very much enjoyed them! I have a casual interest in psychology (mostly from trying to work through my own shit) and couldn’t help but notice your references to concepts like individuation and the idealized self. I’m a big fan of Jung, so those particularly caught my eye. Do you have any preferred schools of psychology, or perhaps just some favorite psychologists? I’m very interested in reading some more.
Thanks,
Zack
Regarding your essay The Illusion of Asymmetric Insight:
The topic could not be more relevant as our population (USA) seems to be pulling apart at the seams over cultural/political differences.
My net result from this encapsulated enlightenment has been the shedding of much anger and hatred for the “other.” Whilst my politics and positions have not changed, my peace of mind as well as patience for different opinions has grown.
Thanks Dave!
-Mark I.
P.S. For months it had been bugging me on how seemingly intelligent people could be so stupid!!! Now it’s only bugging them…and they’re smarter than I thought.
P.P.S. You out-Malcom Mr. Gladwell! That’s a fat compliment.
Heard about this on SmodCo Morningshow, great site!
Hi,
I saw this on your page:
“Until November 5, if you send a picture of yourself with the book to notsosmartbook@gmail.com, I will send you a free, signed bookplate. Please include your address. If you have a Kindle version you would like signed, go to this link.”
The implication being your book is available on kindle. I can’t find a way to buy it for my kindle anywhere.
Given its either a) not for sale on the kindle store or b) I am retarded and can’t find it, could you post a link to it in the kindle store?
look forward to reading your book,
hugh
So, is there any hope at all?
or is that a delusion as well and we are all a stupid non-thinking species that frankly deserves to die in a pile of its own waste?
You take what is said too personally
The only real lesson here is that we as a human species are just as instinct driven and conditioned as any other species on Earth.
Its up to us what to do about it. De-individuation can make us into leaders. The Benjamin Franklin Effect can be used to Do unto others what we would have done unto us. And the Sunken Cost Fallacy only means that we value efficiency and recognition for our struggles.
We may not always be so smart, but if we are honest about it we can learn.
Are there e-mail alerts for this web site? Thanks for any information.
Just heard you on coast. Great insight to the human psyche! I wrote a book that helps you to break the hold of our delutional minds called Healthyism free at google.books and at http://www.healthyism.com.
David, listening to you on coast….very clear…Great insight to the human psyche! I wrote a book called Healthyism that helps to break the hold our delutional minds have over us found free at google.books and at http://www.healthyism.com. It’s very exciting, there are so many people becoming aware that they are not aware of their destructiveness and catapulting to higher, more constructive, levels of consciousness. Thx for all that you do~!
Quit Spamming
My AFTRA Performer ID# 74066. Come to our next meeting. Contact: 350 Sansome St. San Francisco,CA. Suite 900.1- 415-391-7510.
I dont know who does the voice in the those video. Both the procrastination and the trailer, but it sound really nice! The visual is also very well done and catchy, I think this book, or maybe parts of it, could be translated to some kind of movie. Or well maybe more a documentary. As a more visual learner, I tend to be more attracted, and to remember and understand facts when they are shown that way. Anyway just a suggestion! Great work.
The voice is nice,the visuals well,I was just wandering if the stupid thing I am has some space for honesty and truth…Because,as smart as you can be,you’ll be never ever too smart!So,what’s the point?
Read one article and bought the book. Keep up the good work, thanks for providing a source of interesting learning about things I never new I was interested in learning about.
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Hi David,
im leaving a really important comment i hope it makes you fell good about your work you helped me alot.
The past few months of my life was all about finding myself and i wanted to fix myself just like Renato Russo once said in one of his most famaus shows “It does not help fixing others Fix yourlsef it helps alot”, im turning 15 next week and i dont think i could do that whitout reading your book, which i found from what i read in the topics some good answers thanks alot it was just what i was needing “answers” if you have anything to say before i get in depper in this world of madness or whatever i would be glad to read, enlighten me in other words.
Take Care
Lucas Russo
Started reading YANSS yesterday. I really like it so far, but I would like to point out one flawed assumption in the study conducted by Mark Snyder and Nancy Cantor (see page 30). Their study asked subjects to determine if a fictional character was an introvert or an extrovert, and based on that, if she would make a better librarian or a better real estate agent. As a librarian in a branch that serves 800-1,200 people a day I can guarantee you that the “librarian as introvert” stereotype is inaccurate. I interact with many people every day, read books & ebooks, love my smart phone, and I don’t wear my hair in a bun (though I do wear very cool glasses). Many of us do…visit a public library and see for yourself.
I read the first few chapters of the book, then felt kind of duped when the subject of evolution and the Texas sharpshooter fallacy came up. I will say that it’s pretty hard to argue against that on the surface because you would just say “everything is random” like a mantra….
I do believe that much human suffering (i.e. – social Darwinism, phrenology, Marxism, WWII, the Holocaust) has resulted from Darwin’s theory. Human suffering is the tangible, existing pain of billions now starving and who have suffered in the past. I believe the theory of evolution is important, but neither negates or disproves the existence of God nor should it guide the lives of people. The book seems to be saying life is meaningless and random, but somehow it all has the meaning of proving Darwin’s theory, which kind of negates the meaningless spiel. If the author of this book truly believed in meaningless-ness, then he would write the book in random blotches or something like the book Jack Nicholson wrote in “The Shining.”
To say that one’s life script is but lies and offer naught in consolation but the theory of evolution seems a dreary, cruel concept on which to pin your life’s fortune. Therefore, it proves my theory that belief in Darwin’s theory to that extent causes suffering because I have suffered from reading your book.
Goodnight.
Small error in book; p.94 Walter Freeman did not win Nobel Prize: Walter Freeman nominated his mentor António Egas Moniz for a Nobel prize and in 1949 Moniz won the Nobel prize in physiology and medicine.
What do you make of this video : http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhUli5Mc28lJJd5YRN
im sure you will have alot to say. By the way, great book man.
I can’t remember how I stumbled onto this site but I am glad I did. I’m getting zinged now and again as I read … “oh no, that’s me.” But it’s great food for thought and also gives me some google-able terminology that I never knew before.
Why do humans love to have some knowledge that the majority of the world does not?
Congrats on all the success of the book and the site – well done. I’ve long been looking for someone to take these principles and make them a little easier to understand. I recently bumped up against a TEDx talk called “You’re Not That Great: A Motivational Speech” that seems to have some of the same tone/vibe as your site. Hope you dig it.
come back sire, we need you
Yesterday I spilled teriyaki sauce all over my copy of You Are Not So Smart. That is all.
Is this site dead?
No updates for 2 months
Please tell me you are just working on another book and not that you have been eaten by a crocodile or you won the Mega Millions.
David, thank you very much for youarenotsosmart.com. You are making the world a better place.
And a much smaller thank you to Deb, Evolution dissenter comment maker above, for making me want to read David’s book much sooner than later. See how that works out? ;^P (If that was just a very clever marketing trick then bravo)
Really like the podcast, however I cannot stand someone chewing in my ear. I appreciate you like cookies, but this practice is similar to eating while speaking on the phone, which one should never do.
Please come up with another gimmick for the end of your podcast as I would like to continue listening.
Much appreciated
I’ll tone down the smacking. Thanks!
I just listened to the Illusion of Knowledge podcast and your “I’m a little boy eating a cookie” song made me laugh out loud and now I’m going to make cookies. I’m having cookies for dinner and it’s your fault. I dig the podcast, but the love of a good cookie even more. Thanks!
I’m enjoying your podcast, but skip the cookies. I really dislike you munching on my earbuds ;^)