The other morning, I was down in the kitchen hunting for something to listen to while I cooked breakfast for everyone.
At least, that’s what I was supposed to be doing because I got lost in a deluge of AI slop, ragebait, ads, and stuff that had nothing to do with what I was searching for a full ten minutes before Connie came down (understandably) demanding to know where her food was.
Anyway, this whole incident got me to thinking about how much time I waste looking for informative, entertaining, and useful material on the internet.
Probably a good few hours per week at least. Maybe even more than that.
Note I said “looking”, not “watching”, “reading”, or “listening”.
Not the best habit to be in.
But in my defence, it didn’t used to be this way.
Go back just ten or so years ago before big tech and their fancy algorithms killed the internet, and a whole universe of meaty material hosted on independent websites was just a quick Google search away.
Not so nowadays.
Yet, despite knowing I’m going to have a hard time finding much of anything worthwhile, I can’t shake the habit of looking for it. Hence my propensity to waste a lot of time searching for an island in the slop sea.
It’s a big part of the reason why I’ve been going “offline” to consume most of my information lately, and I cannot see this changing.
If anything, I can see myself exclusively reading Real Paper books, print newsletters, magazines, and suchlike in the not too distant future; only venturing onto t’internet to find where I can buy Real Paper content recommended by the authors of those books, newsletters, and magazines.
Obviously this means I’m relying less and less on “Free!”, but it’s not like I can’t afford the occasional book or newsletter subscription, Moreover, the time and, more importantly, stress (consistently failing to find what you are looking for in online searches can cause dopamine system dysregulation, potentially leading to anhedonia – the inability to experience pleasure – anger, and other mood problems) I save justifies the modest price of entry, to my mind.
You may think differently, and that’s OK. After all, it’s none of my business if you want to spend literally days of your life hypnotised by the baleful glow of your phone’s backlight, flicking your thumb like a gambling addict pulls the lever on a slot machine hoping to find something that’ll help you get stronger and more in shape.
But if you’re willing to spend just a little each month to have a fresh set of tools added to your training toolbox come thundering through your letterbox courtesy of Yours Baldly, you’re welcome to subscribe to The Phil Tyreman Letter.
A subscription costs £20 per month (66p per day according to my maths), so it’s not like anyone with a job and a basic grip on their finances can’t afford it.
More:
If you subscribe before month’s end (Sunday the 31st at 23:59), you will be entitled to one free copy of one of the following books that I sell:
* The Weight Loss Manifesto
* Shift
* The Conditioning Codex
* The Constance Chronicles
* Bodyweight Buccaneer (you’ll have to wait for me to print more if you go for this one)
* Silver Era Secrets (actually a collection of three short books)
* The Greek Physique
Whether you opt for a cheaper or more expensive book (the most expensive one on that list goes for £750 when not on sale) is entirely your decision.
If that sounds fair to you, and you’d like to join us, go here:
https://philtyreman.co.uk/information/
Thank you,
Phil Tyreman