Happy Friday! If you're new to Now I Know, you'll notice that today's format differs from the rest of the week. On Fridays, I pause to write the "Weekender," my "week in review" type of thing, or to share something else I think you may find interesting. Thanks for reading! — Dan
The Inspiration I Didn't Know I Needed
Hi!
When someone first signs up for Now I Know, I send them an automated welcome message that, among other things, asks them why they decided to subscribe. Some people reply and it’s often a joy to read those responses. So, why keep that joy to myself? Here are some notes I received over the last few weeks.
I subscribed because I'm a teenager and knowing where to find fun information to learn each day is difficult with all of the false information and AI on the internet now and I thought that this would be a good way to try and combat that. 🙂 — Emi H.
I need something to distract me from the daily grind and I easily fall into rabbit holes of useless knowledge. — Richard A.
I subscribed to Now I Know because I’m a massive nerd about just any interesting info i can get my hands on and this sounded like exactly that. — Kamala B.
Thank you for making this! I subscribed to get a regular reminder that the world can be a cool, interesting place and something worth fighting for. — Amber F.
I subscribed because I believe curiosity is one of the most valuable qualities a person can develop. I'm intentional about learning something new every day—not just to gain knowledge, but to better understand people, history, science, and the fascinating connections that shape our world. — Alphonce O.
I'm from India and I absolutely love inhaling the most random facts about history psychology animals things and what not. I was reading an article on breads on the regular newspaper one day that my parents get everyday and that's when I thought what if there's a newspaper just for random facts for people like me. That's when I stumbled upon your newsletter. — Paridhi F.C.
I’ve been writing Now I Know for sixteen years, and it’s great to see that there’s really no end to human curiosity. For the new people, welcome to Now I Know. For everyone else, I’d love to hear why you keep reading. Hit reply and let me know, maybe I’ll share that in a future weekender!
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The Now I Know Week In Review
Monday: The 18 Month Soccer Bet: A good way to win a soccer bet.
Tuesday: Witch Way to Victory?: A bad way to win a soccer bet.
Wednesday: How a Texas Farm Helps Explore Space: Luecke, out below!
Thursday: The Senior on The Cheerleading Squad: I legitimately feel bad for this woman.
A Few Dollars = A Big Difference
Now I Know is supported by readers like you. Yes, you! Many of my readers donate a few dollars a month to help Now I Know grow and thrive. And in exchange, they get an ad-free version!
To become a monthly supporter via the newsletter’s Support page, click here. If you do, you’ll get the ad-free version going forward!
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And thanks! — Dan
Long Reads and Other Things
Here are a few things you may want to check out over the weekend:
1) “Unfortunately, You Need to Know What the Jevons Paradox is” (Hank Green on YouTube, 32 minutes, July 2026). Hank is a treasure and this video is phenomenal — I almost made it the centerpiece of today’s newsletter but (a) Hank does a better job of it than I ever could and (b) I’ll likely talk about it in the context of communications work in my other newsletter. But if you’re thinking about the impact of new technology to our not-yet-foreseeable (but close!) future, this is a must-watch.
2) “Too Many Books?” (New York Times/gift link, 13 minutes, July 2026). The subhead: “Mendel Uminer faced a crisis when his landlord objected to the 10,000 volumes in his New York studio apartment.” That’s a lot of books.
3) “Good News! Turns Out the Earth Will Never Be Swallowed by the Sun” (Wired, 9 minutes, July 2026). Who doesn’t like good news?
Have a great weekend!
Dan