Trivial pursuits

Book review of Stuff you should know: An incomplete compendium of mostly interesting things

Curiosity, says the popular proverb, killed the cat. But it is also among the prime motivators for learning. Once a person has finished his formal education, he can embark on a lifelong, freewheeling quest for knowledge. Today, he can buy the best books on any subject online or view YouTube interviews where the finest minds freely dispense their hard-earned wisdom. And then there are short-term, online courses on every conceivable subject, many from the world’s top universities. To paraphrase Wordsworth, for the enquiring spirit, it is indeed bliss in this dawn to be alive.

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