Status and Volcanoes

You Are A Type Of Guy

Octopusyarn | 30th July 2026

Musings on group membership and individuation. Compelled by our innate feelings of inadequacy or ordinariness, we jockey for status within subcultures and yet perversely resent being slotted into a category. “Ironically, the fear of being mediocre is what’s in the way of growing beyond the norm. Decoupling an activity from status games is what gives it the breathing room to become meaningful” (2,200 words)

Puzzle: Play Nomido, the Browser’s daily word game.

Volcanoes That Made History

Alexandra Witze | Knowable | 20th August 2026

In the months after the 1883 explosion in Krakatau, Indonesia, the world saw violently coloured sunsets that artists captured in paintings, likely including Munch’s The Scream. The Mongol Empire may have collapsed due to climate changes caused by a volcanic eruption. Historical records from the Black Death suggest that skies were darker than usual at the time, perhaps due to volcanic haze (2,400 words)