AJ Jacobs
@ajjacobs
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Bestselling author, journalist, TED talker, human guinea pig, overthanker, and your cousin. NEW #thepuzzlerbook about solving the hardest puzzles in the world.
New York
Joined March 2009
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Pinned Tweet
We loved having
@baratunde
Thurston as our guest on "The Puzzler" this week! And we have this fancy graphic to prove it! (Thanks
@jodyavirgan
)
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Very disturbed by how many years I have to scroll through to get to my birth year (1968) when signing up for apps etc. Takes forever, and I don’t have that kind of time, as I’m reminded every time I scroll. Make the young people scroll. They’ve got plenty of time left.
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Hard to choose the most appropriate Bible verse, but Proverbs 14:7 is a strong contender..."Stay away from a fool, for you will not find knowledge on their lips."
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My retirement plan: Travel back in time 5 years and bet people on which movie will make $34 million opening weekend and which will make a total of $280.00: A Kevin Spacey thriller or a romcom set in Singapore with an all-Asian cast.
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Getting the vaccine is a personal choice*
*That profoundly affects other people’s health, the economic recovery, tax dollars spent on medical care, the chance of a more deadly variant arising, my kids’ future, pretty much everything in the world, etc.
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Random thought I had while working on Appendix to my upcoming book: I can’t believe I wrote a book on health a few years ago that was organized by body parts (Heart, Lungs, etc.), and I didn’t end with the Appendix. What is wrong with me?
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Maybe I should start working on a book “The Year of Living by Constitutional Originalism.” But worried it would be even more problematic than biblical literalism.
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When in-person meetings resume, would it be weird for me to bring a mirror so I can look at myself while pretending to look at the other person?
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Hey fellow word nerds! Biden went chiasmus on our asses! “We will lead, not by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.” Love it. A favorite device of JFK, CSNY and Band-Aids. "I am stuck on Band-Aids cuz Band-Aids stuck on me."
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I'm grateful I got to meet Alex Trebek. I often think about this exchange we had: "I ask Trebek for his philosophy of knowledge. He thinks for a moment, then responds: 'I'm curious about everything--even things that don't interest me.'" What a great way to go through life. RIP
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Saw this discarded NY Marathon sign on the street just now. See? New Yorkers are sweethearts after all.
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Can we have a short story contest where the stories have to contain the words “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” and “science-based.”? And the winner gets to choose a free speech or pro-science charity? I'll put up $100
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Thoughts and prayers. And by 'thoughts' I mean 'please pass rational legislation.' And by 'prayers' I mean 'for God's sake, please pass some rational legislation.
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I just received the cover design for my book that’ll come out in November. It’s my yellowest cover yet!
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Answered my cell phone this morning and entire family from Georgia sang "Happy birthday to Michael" before realizing they dialed the wrong number. I asked them to call back March 20 and they agreed. I plan to hold them to that.
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Something I think about every week: When I emailed a “thank you” note to my then-assistant for doing some boring task. And she wrote back “No pleasure.” I think it was an inadvertent combo of “no problem” and “my pleasure.” Or else intentional, in which case i respect the honesty
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I just got an email confession from a guy in Romania who illegally downloaded my book "The Year of Living Biblically." He asked my forgiveness and what he could do to repent. Any ideas?
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Well, Michelle Bachmann just called Trump “highly biblical.” So I guess it’s my duty to weigh in on this matter, seeing as I once wrote a book about being biblical. After consulting the text, I must conclude she’s right. He’s highly biblical
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It'd be cool if all the masked singers turned out to be superstar epidemiologists who took off their costumes at the end of the show and lectured Jenny McCarthy on vaccine statistics.
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Suppose someone said, "Let’s have coffee when this is all over" at the end of almost every phone call/Zoom/email during the last year, kind of like a reflex…is that a binding contract? Asking for a terrified friend.
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We don't usually use 'the' and 'of' in acronyms. It's USA, not USOA. So l'm stopping w/ POTUS and switching to PUS. Feel free to join me!
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Please let this 21,428,307th straw be the one that breaks the camel's back.
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Jesse Watters's hilarious segment on Fox News is so sophisticated, I tried to analyze the humor...
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Excited I no longer have to feel guilty for avoiding SoulCycle.
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I wish my happiness was not so dependent on the misery of a demented 71-year-old
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I want to live to 120 years old on a diet of Fruity Pebbles and vodka. The science should not stand in the way of this.
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A sincere tweet about Kim Kardashian: I appreciate her being open about not passing the law school exam and helping to destigmatize failure. Failure gets a bad rap.
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Here's a story about my fourth great uncle who was one of the founders of the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. He was devoted to interfaith relations. His close friend, a Presbyterian minister, spoke at his funeral in 1894.
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Let's hope this is the 436,527th straw that breaks the camel's back.
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When Matt Lauer interviewed me about The Year of Living Biblically, I told him that I stoned adulterers. Now I know why he looked so alarmed. It all makes sense.
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Anyone else finding the captcha photo quizzes increasingly stressful? I am not an expert on infrastructure & transportation. I don’t know the difference between Funicular and Aerial Cable Car. (granted this has not come up yet, but worried we're heading there, is all I’m saying)
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Hi
@MichelleObama
. I also have a book coming out Tuesday and I also dislike Donald Trump. Let me know if you want to team up for an event. Could be good cross-promotion for you!
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Humbled by this five-star review of my book on Amazon: "Vendor did everything as planned." What a beautiful tribute. Thank you.
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Look at that! Human beings are a wonderful species after all! You go homo sapiens! Proud of y'all!
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First person shooter game but with muskets so that you spend 95 percent of the time tamping down gunpowder and cleaning your muzzle and reloading. If the kids are going to play violent games, at least teach em patience.
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Please let this 19,723,314th straw be the one that breaks the camel's back.
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Middle school in 2020 in our home (summed up by a sign on my son's bedroom)
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I love this quote: During his 2019 inaugural address, Zelensky told lawmakers “I do not want my pictures in your offices, for the President is not an icon, an idol or a portrait. Hang your kids' photos instead, and look at them each time you are making a decision.”(source: NPR)
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I don't watch Game of Thrones, but I want to get in on the rage-tweeting, so let it be known that I am angry about many things in entertainment and politics.
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Please let this 17,623,312nd straw be the one that breaks the camel's back.
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tfw when you respond to an email using the same words suggested by Google's smart reply feature ("sounds good, let me know!"), but you insist on typing the letters yourself because you are a human with free will and you would have chosen those words w/o Google's algorithm, dammit
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Since the current SCOTUS seems obsessed with the 1791 meaning of the Constitution, I took them at their word. I lived by the strictest original interpretation to see what it was like. Musket-toting. Tweets on parchment paper. My sons in a pillory. Etc.
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The Puzzler Hunt is a masterpiece. I can say that because I didn’t write it! A bunch of brilliant puzzle-makers did. It can be found at . No purchase necessary. Also: There’s a $10,000 prize to the winner.
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In an attempt to stop spiraling, I'm starting a free project: “Thanks a Thousand: Coronavirus Edition.” I figure it’d be nice to acknowledge the many, many people who are working to keep the world from completely collapsing. Please add suggestions if you want. A start is below
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Actual nightmare I had last night: I wrote my entire book on my microwave's display panel and couldn't figure out a way to download or print it. Scary!
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Proof that I need to let things go sooner. I have the following word files in my hard drive: FinalVersion, FinalVersion1, FinalVersion2, FinalFinalVersion1, FinalFinalFinalVersion3.
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Watched "The Santa Clause" with the kids, where Tim Allen has to learn to believe in the magic of Christmas. Can we do a remake where Tim Allen has to learn to believe in evolution?
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If I listen to my Meditation App on double-speed, that makes me twice as mindful, right?
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Please let this 14,526,312nd straw be the one that breaks the camel's back.
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Just saw this Amazon review for “Thanks a Thousand." The writer makes a good point! In the future, I will try to write books that are more mustard-resistant.
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Thinking of starting an advice column called “Stuff that anecdotally has worked for me and may work for you, but may actually be counterproductive for you, who knows, there aren’t enough randomized controlled trials on it and probably never will be!"
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Jennifer Mendelsohn, as in the founder of Resistance Genealogy? I'm honored!
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If the Coronavirus is a national Marshmallow Test, it seems America ate that first marshmallow so fast they bit the experimenter's fingers off in the process.
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Important realization: The phrase “cross your t’s and dot your i’s" is all about being thorough. But it neglects to mention you also need to dot the j's. So it’s kind of full of shit.
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Apparently it's National Coffee Day. I wrote a book about coffee. Therefore I am tweeting so as to stay relevant and maximize my use of social media!
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When I interviewed George HW Bush for Esquire, he told me his favorite phrase was 'insurmountable opportunities.' I always loved that answer. RIP
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Jared Kushner is to epidemiology what Dennis Rodman is to foreign policy. Man, this is a shitshow.
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You know that terrible Reality Show that debuted on 1/20? Trying to figure out name. America’s Got Tyrant? The Amazing Racist? Big brother?
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Starting to think my Gmail Smart Reply is kind of a dick. I emailed my wife to ask when the kids get out of school tomorrow. She didn’t know. Gmail suggested I respond “Why not?” I’m guessing Gmail Smart Reply will not stay married long.
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If Trump were in the marshmallow experiment, he'd eat it immediately. Then scream for more marshmallows. Then eat the seat cushion.
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EW asked me to name the five funniest books ever. I returned with this totally objective, data-driven list that is really impossible to argue with because my opinion is science. Congrats
@mindykaling
and
@taffyakner
and
@Kurt_Vonnegut
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To the Superbeing running the computer simulation that is my life: This Trump arc is so hacky. Not believable. Too broad. You can do better
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This is the worst Black Mirror episode of all time. (If someone has already made this observation, sorry. Can't look at Twitter. Too upset)
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Still looking for investors for my Valentine's idea: Candy brains instead of candy hearts. With much more rational love messages, such as...
1)"The benefits of being married to you outweigh the costs."
2) "I'm glad I settled for you."
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I'm on Conan tonight (TBS at 11 p.m.) As proof, here I am hanging backstage w/ the host. It's true --he's tall!
http://t.co/4rMAkMFKGf
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This weekend, I asked the hotel I was staying at to change the channel on the lobby TV from FoxNews to "literally anything else." And they did. So yes, I'm doing my part!
#resist
#channelchangewecanbelievein
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Could not be prouder of Twitter! Except if they did this several years ago. And also banned some other bad actors who spread disinformation. And also allowed us to edit typos in our posts. And other stuff.
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Would now be a good time to promote my 1996 book "America Off-Line: The Complete Outernet Starter Kit?" It sold like four copies when it came out, so I got plenty of extras! (Bonus: It's got lots of references to Prodigy)
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Why is Ping Pong the only sport that has an onomatopoeic name? Seems a missed opportunity. Football = Oof Thwack. Bowling = Boom kaboom. Basketball = Boink squeak. (DM me Adam Silver to discuss)
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Maybe not the best sign that my own newsletter goes to my spam folder?
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My Gmail smart-reply feature just did an excellent job of summing up 2020.
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I'm listening to a lot of BBC talk shows and have decided to radically increase my use of the phrases "as it were" and "if you like." Pretty sure it will make me sound 3 IQ points smarter.
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If you want my body but DON’T think I’m sexy, good news! I've signed up to be an organ donor. And I urge Rod Stewart to do so as well.
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On November 3, America will have the greatest bowel movement in history and expel a massive turd from our system. I’ve been waiting four years for this! Please vote!
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Does anyone else watch shows with closed captions and admire the descriptions of the background music? Two of my favorites recently are “agitative musice” (in Pam & Tommy) and “‘suspenseful percussive music” (in the Lost City of Z). Should be an Emmy category, imo
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Mathematical proof we overvalue our opinions: We offer our two cents worth. But others only ask a penny for our thoughts.
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In exactly one week, my new podcast will be unleashed upon the world, and the WORLD WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.
It will be mostly the same, I suppose.
But not exactly the same, because there will be, I hope, a fun and short daily podcast that some people listen to and enjoy on a…
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On November 3, 2016 at 11 p.m., I tweeted that we were in the middle of the worst episode of Black Mirror ever. Well, the episode was longer and dumber than I could have imagined. But tomorrow, we can roll the credits on this shitshow forever! Can’t wait for a new show!
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Last night’s movie was Die Hard. I hadn’t remembered that terrifying scene where people pressed the elevator buttons with their bare fingers. What were they thinking!?
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I went biking around the Central Park bike loop. There’s a traffic light that tells cyclists to stop and let pedestrians thru. Next to the light is a man with a bullhorn, and anytime a cyclist goes thru a red light, he shouts ASSHOLE!
#MetropolitanDiary
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@Dave_Horwitz
I pitched a book to a publisher. They were interested but wanted to see a photo. (This was way before Google). My agent said it was "just to make sure I didn't have two heads." I sent a photo. The next day the publisher passed. Apparently I was too ugly to be their author?
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The takeaway from Rudolph story: You will only be accepted when your disability turns out to be useful to others.
#troubling
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Proof that puzzles save lives! A daughter figured out that something was wrong when her mom didn't text her Wordle. The mom was being held hostage, is now free. Conclusion: If you don't do puzzles, you're endangering your life. Thanks
@nprscottsimon
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My accomplishment today: I watched The Fast and the Furious on doublespeed, which meant it was really really fast but only the normal amount of furious
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Here's an accurate representation of the way I feel about the current administration. Also amusement park rides. (Taken this weekend)
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Tip for speeding up writing: Do what Ray Bradbury did and rent a typewriter at the library. Every minute you procrastinate you lose money (he paid 20 cents/hour) Thank you
@erincmccarthy
and
@mental_floss
for this and many other nuggets in great new book “The Curious Reader” !
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Went to an escape room and spent 10 minutes trying to decode the pattern in the flickering light. Turns out it was just a crappy light. I think I’m ready for Q Anon!
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“I humbly and gratefully accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.” Can we get a factcheck on that second word please?
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The most satisfying and productive part of my day is unsubscribing from random email lists. Sorry Daily Timber News of Australia. I think I'll take my Australian logging updates monthly instead!
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Okay, this is a pretty friggin big straw. Like PVC piping size. Like gas main size. Can this please, please be the one that breaks the camel’s back? I’ve been very patient.
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Praying hard for evidence-based medicine and rational policy!
TODAY IS A NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER. GOD BLESS EVERYONE!
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At some point, I wrote the word "INTERACTIVE" (all caps) in my calendar for today. If anyone can tell me what that's referring to, I'd really appreciate it.
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I wrote a brazenly, unabashedly pro-puzzle essay for Time magazine!
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Hello Fellow Stressed Out People! I'm writing 1,000 personalized handwritten thank you notes to readers of my books. If you want 1, please visit or watch this short info-packed video! It's in honor of my upcoming book, Thanks a Thousand. Thanks (of course)
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Would it be petty to write a book called "1,000 F You’s?” where I say "F You" to all the people who helped get us into this mess. eg
-Mark Burnett….for mythologizing a failed businessman
-Anthony Weiner….for not keeping his pants on
-Jimmy Fallon for the hair tousling.
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