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Why Is This Interesting?
whyisthisinteresting.substack.com · Group blog · on HN since 2019
Why Is This Interesting? is a daily Substack newsletter with short pieces on varied topics, avoiding current events and politics.
What HN saysOne commenter calls themselves a superfan and says it is digestible; HN links it for pieces on gift card economics, ICQ, and a dangerous toy.
32HN people shared it
5linked it in comments
42stories submitted
739story points
2 months agolast shared
2019people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1The Regular Expression Edition: code, early neural networks, and AI pioneers4 people · 8 points · first shared 2021 · discussion on HN
- 2How to Prepare a Go Bag2 people · 4 points · first shared 2020 · 1 comments on HN
- 3The Tanforan Shell Edition2 people · 4 points · first shared 2022 · discussion on HN
- 4Gift Card Economics2 people · 3 points · first shared 2021 · 1 comments on HN
- 5The Programming Edition: On learning, mathematica, and being a novice2 people · 2 points · first shared 2021 · discussion on HN
- 6On Interstitial Journaling2 people · 2 points · first shared 2022 · discussion on HN
- 7Fun, danger, and 70s airplane toys2 people · 2 points · first shared 2023 · discussion on HN
- 8EBUG: The NHL's emergency backup goalie rule1 people · 226 points · first shared 2022 · 90 comments on HN
- 9Goodhart's Law and how systems are shaped by the metrics you chase1 people · 160 points · first shared 2020 · 58 comments on HN
- 10Father Knox’s decalogue: the ten rules of Golden Age detective fiction1 people · 90 points · first shared 2021 · 43 comments on HN
- 11Can You Copyright Work Made by Artificial Intelligence?1 people · 89 points · first shared 2019 · 114 comments on HN
- 12The Bidirectional Battery Edition1 people · 53 points · first shared 2022 · 55 comments on HN
- 13The Cultural Meaning of Shitposting1 people · 47 points · first shared 2022 · 47 comments on HN
- 14The Dazzle Camo Edition1 people · 12 points · first shared 2022 · 3 comments on HN
- 15Why Is the 2x2 Interesting?1 people · 4 points · first shared 2020 · discussion on HN
What HN people wrote when they linked it
throwaway5959 · 2023-10-06
Please read the following:
https://whyisthisinteresting.substack.com/p/why-is-this-interesting-th…
You just kinda had to be there. It was ever changing but snappy.
solumos · 2020-10-09
I'm a superfan of "Why is this interesting?"
https://whyisthisinteresting.substack.com/
It's a daily newsletter that's a sort of potpourri of interesting topics. They're pretty digestible, and they make it a point to avoid current events/politics. The writing is also very high quality.
noahbrier · 2022-04-30
To the general question “have ads changed?” Yes. The style of ads generally evolve to match the time. Some of this is because the industry learns what’s effective and some is because trends and aesthetics change. In the 80s there were a lot of jingles and characters in ads, which you see much less of now. In the late 90s/early 2000s Apple started to include pop songs and the rest of the industry followed suit.
As to whether this is an effective strategy, it’s hard to say without knowing the specifics of the ad and the business, but as a rule for an ad to be effective it needs to be noticed and you need to connect it with the brand, so if it’s not accomplishing that it probably isn’t delivering on its intention (though it’s also possible that you’re not the target and if you were it would deliver). FWIW, I pretty strongly suspect that there’s too much sameness in the aesthetics and that’s hurting effectiveness. https://whyisthisinteresting.substack.com/p/why-is-this-interesting-th…
A few books if you want more on commercials and mass advertising:
- https://www.amazon.com/How-Brands-Grow-What-Marketers/dp/1511383933/re…
- https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Humbug-Think-Differently-Advertising-eb…
-…
gwern · 2023-06-04
Ha, not even close to the Cox E-Z Flyer https://whyisthisinteresting.substack.com/p/the-worlds-most-dangerous-…
h2odragon · 2021-09-19
you may find this useful: https://whyisthisinteresting.substack.com/p/the-gift-card-economics-ed…