John Cox

Blogs · @wyome

Tagged advice · everything

Claude

Maximizing the value of your Claude Code sessions | Claude by Anthropic

Claude Code charges per token used in a session, with input tokens costing less than output tokens and cached tokens costing far less than fresh ones—meaning the same task can cost different amounts depending how you run it. The post explains that token costs multiply based on model size and effort level, then get amplified by prompt caching behavior: every turn resends the entire conversation history (cheaply, from cache) plus whatever is new, so keeping conversations focused and clearing between unrelated tasks saves money by preventing irrelevant context from accumulating. Practical tactics like @-mentioning files, using /clear and /compact strategically, and suppressing verbose command output all reduce what stays in the context window, which compounds savings across multiple turns.

Permalink productivityaiadviceclaude

www.fastcompany.com

camillestyles.com

27 Long-Distance Relationship Ideas to Stay Close—Even When You’re Miles Apart

A personal roundup from a writer navigating a Portland-to-San-Francisco relationship, offering a curated list of nearly 30 concrete ways to stay connected across distance—ranging from shared playlists and voice notes to virtual cooking classes and surprise care packages. The framing is less about "surviving" long-distance and more about building small, repeatable rituals that make everyday intimacy possible despite the miles. Worth keeping for its practical, low-effort ideas rather than abstract relationship advice.

Permalink technologyrelationshipsromancecommunication

www.upworthy.com

How do you know someone is smart?

The Dunning-Kruger effect causes less intelligent people to overestimate their abilities while highly intelligent people underestimate theirs, yet humans have evolved to judge others' intelligence reasonably well. Drawing on Reddit responses, the piece identifies eighteen behavioral markers of genuine intelligence, including intellectual humility (admitting what you don't know), adaptability (changing views with new evidence), clear communication tailored to your audience, and curiosity. Rather than displaying confidence or dominance, truly intelligent people tend to listen more than talk, ask thoughtful questions, and focus on getting things right rather than being right.

Permalink communicationpsychologyadviceeducation

www.travelawaits.com

10 Things Solo Travelers Should Know Before Going To South America

A first-time solo traveler recounts her 2019 journey across seven South American countries, challenging her preconceived fears about the region with practical advice for future visitors. She covers essential logistics like bus travel safety, altitude sickness management, and language preparation, while also addressing cultural expectations around social interactions and local customs that differ from North American norms. The piece emphasizes that despite South America's negative reputation in Western media, the continent offers welcoming communities and unforgettable experiences for those who approach it with respect and an open mind.

Permalink safetyculturetraveladvice

www.logicalfallacies.org

Logical Fallacies - List of Logical Fallacies with Examples

This piece introduces logical fallacies as errors in reasoning that can be either intentional or unintentional, explaining how they undermine argument credibility by appealing to emotion rather than logic. It distinguishes between formal fallacies, which involve structural errors in arguments, and informal fallacies, which stem from problems with content, context, or presentation. The article emphasizes the importance of recognizing these flaws to evaluate arguments critically and avoid being misled.

Permalink adviceeducationcritical thinking

www.islands.com

Here's How Anthony Bourdain Always Found The Best Local Restaurants When Traveling

This piece offers practical strategies inspired by Anthony Bourdain for finding authentic local restaurants and avoiding tourist traps when traveling. It suggests visiting local markets, seeking advice on community boards, talking directly with locals, and being adventurous with unfamiliar dishes—while steering clear of restaurants with telltale tourist-trap signs like prominent English menus, tourist-heavy locations, and high table-to-staff ratios. The article frames these approaches as ways to eat authentically and affordably like Bourdain did throughout his travels.

Permalink foodrestaurantstraveladvice

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

17 Simple Food Swaps For When You Run Out Of Ingredients

This quarantine-focused guide provides practical ingredient substitutions for common baking and cooking staples, recognizing that grocery shopping becomes difficult during lockdowns. The substitutions cover basics like butter, eggs, dairy, flour, and sugar, as well as aromatics, herbs, and proteins, with specific measurements to help maintain recipe integrity. While acknowledged as imperfect flavor matches, these swaps allow home cooks to continue cooking with ingredients already on hand rather than abandoning recipes mid-preparation.

Permalink foodrecipescookingadvice

www.nytimes.com

This Tiny Laundry Tweak Helps Keep Towels Mildew-Free

The author discovers that borax, a naturally occurring mineral that stabilizes cleaning enzymes, effectively eliminates mildew odor from bath towels when added to a hot wash cycle with mild detergent. However, she learns through testing that switching to a more powerful detergent like Tide Free & Gentle achieves equally good results without needing the borax booster, making fragrance-free, enzyme-rich detergents a simpler solution for deodorizing laundry than most people realize.

Permalink cleaningadvicehomelaundry

run.outsideonline.com

The Do’s and Don’ts of Marathon Recovery

Two exercise experts—coach Scott Browning and physician-marathoner Mark Cucuzzella—lay out a practical do's-and-don'ts framework for the days immediately after a marathon, drawing on the author's own botched recovery after her 2015 debut. Key advice includes drinking only to thirst rather than over-hydrating, skipping NSAIDs like Advil in favor of Tylenol, avoiding aggressive foam rolling or deep tissue work on damaged muscle, taking up to 10 days off running, and resisting flashy recovery gimmicks like IV drips in favor of basics: fuel, hydrate, rest, and sleep. It closes on the point that celebrating the achievement—big meal, a drink, a day off work—is itself a legitimate part of recovery, not just an afterthought.

Permalink healthrunningtrainingadvice

More To That

Travel Is No Cure for the Mind

The piece argues that travel cannot solve existential dissatisfaction because the problem isn't our external environment but our internal state of mind. Drawing on Stoic philosophy (particularly Seneca), the author demonstrates how novelty inevitably fades—whether it's a new car, a new job, or a new country—as our minds recreate the same patterns of routine and restlessness wherever we go. Rather than chasing escape through travel, the author advocates finding meaning in our current circumstances through gratitude, mindfulness meditation, reading, and genuine curiosity about the people close to us.

Permalink philosophytravellifestyleadvice

mrporter.com

Health In Mind : 33 Ways To Be More Selfless And Experience Greater Happiness

This article presents 33 practical strategies for cultivating selflessness—ranging from everyday actions like putting your phone away and smiling more, to volunteering time and donating to charity—arguing that these acts of generosity are scientifically proven to boost the giver's own happiness and wellbeing. The piece draws on psychological research, expert quotes from therapists and life coaches, and real-world examples to support the counterintuitive idea that being selfless is ultimately self-serving in the best way: it creates a positive feedback loop where generosity leads to greater contentment and stronger relationships.

Permalink wellnesslifestylepsychologymental health

The Atlantic

6 Questions for the Boss Who Wants You Back in Your Cubicle

The article provides a framework for evaluating whether a company's return-to-office plan is adequately protecting workers from COVID-19 transmission. It identifies six critical questions employees should ask their employers: whether airflow has been reviewed and improved, what vaccination policies exist, masking requirements, remote work options, cleaning protocols, and contingency plans if an outbreak occurs. The piece emphasizes that ventilation and air circulation are far more important than surface cleaning, and that comprehensive safety measures would have benefits extending well beyond the pandemic, including improved cognitive function and fewer worker absences.

Permalink safetyhealthremote workworkplace

accounts.google.com

Google Online Security Blog

Google Online Security Blog: Cleaning up after password dumps

I don't see an article here to summarize. Your message appears to be a question or complaint about Google's app password instructions for Mac and iOS devices, describing confusion around whether the same app password works across multiple Macs and whether separate passwords are needed for different Google services. If you've saved an article about this topic, please share the text or link and I'll be happy to summarize it.

Permalink securityadvicemacos

X (formerly Twitter)

Runner's World

How to Fuel for Your First Marathon | Runner's World

Your early fatigue on long runs stems from consuming far too little fuel—you're likely taking in only 10-20 grams of carbohydrates per hour when experts recommend 30-60 grams (aiming for 45). Start fueling with the GUs that worked during your half-marathons, combining them with chews and spacing fuel every few miles rather than all at once, since your digestive system can only process a limited amount at a time. Begin gradually with a reduced fueling plan this weekend and build up over several runs, keeping detailed records in your training journal to identify what amount and type of fuel lets you feel energized without GI distress or sluggishness.

Permalink nutritionrunningtrainingadvice

Marginal REVOLUTION

Questions that are rarely asked (are we ready for “home college”?)

Robbins proposes a market-based alternative to traditional college: families could pool resources to hire a single highly-qualified professor to teach a small cohort through a customized first-year curriculum at roughly one-third the cost of private college tuition, with students then transferring into degree-granting institutions at the sophomore or junior level. This arrangement would provide intensive instruction in writing, research, and oral presentation skills—particularly valuable for international students—while solving the cost problem that makes selective higher education inaccessible to many families. Robbins argues that if homeschooling has achieved legitimate accreditation at the secondary level, there is no fundamental barrier to creating similar credentialing pathways for this kind of semi-private undergraduate education.

Permalink leadershipadviceeducationbusiness