Grokkist Press
Reading Room
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The house byline of Grokkist Press: Snackables, the Grokkist letter, and the things we make together.
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Surprise meEntangled Vale
Why do Japanese phones still force a loud shutter sound every time you take a photo? It's not a technical oversight but a deliberate choice, rooted in a cultural emphasis on privacy and social trust. In the early 2000s, camera phones and creeping concerns about voyeurism collided, leading
WonderSoma Isles
From emperor penguin chicks leaping off Antarctic cliffs to the Sun's corona glowing during a total eclipse, Nature's visual editors curate a gallery of the year's most striking science photos — stories of awe, resilience and discovery spanning the microscopic and the cosmic: volcanic 'smo
GroundedSoma Isles
Cities don't have to sound like stress. In this short film, a professional sound recordist captures the transformed tranquillity of Carrer Consell de Cent in Barcelona — a former road, now a green space — a 15-decibel drop that reshapes not just the soundscape but the entire feel of the ne
A steady rhythm of curiosity and care, delivered every two weeks.
Make senseEntangled Vale
Spencer R. Scott offers a nuanced take on the 'extractive class' — not a simplistic villain but a framework for understanding how wealth and power flow out of communities, turning entire regions into sacrifice zones. From fossil fuels in Louisiana to copper in Zambia, the pattern repeats:
GroundedSoma Isles
'May you look beyond my words and see my heart.' When the Buddhist master Hsing Yun lost his sight and could no longer read, he turned to calligraphy — not to pass the time, but to cultivate focus and clarity. His 'one stroke calligraphy,' flowing in a single uninterrupted line, becomes a
WonderSoma Isles
From Norway's stomach-dropping Atlantic Ocean Road — where the Storseisundet Bridge looks like a rollercoaster gone rogue — to China's Guoliang Tunnel, hand-carved through a mountain by villagers who refused to stay isolated, plus Swindon's chaotic Magic Roundabout and the world's steepest
ImagineSoma Isles
The art of Ramin Nazer, aka Rainbow Brainskull, is a vibrant fusion of surrealism, psychedelia and spiritual whimsy — intricate details and bold, kaleidoscopic colours where cosmic symbolism, ancient wisdom and metaphysical mischief meet Saturday-morning cartoons on a mind-expanding journe
GroundedSoma Isles
A two-minute timelapse follows a pinecone's journey over 653 days, quietly unfolding into something much greater than itself. There's something deeply satisfying about seeing life move at a pace we rarely get to witness — a reminder that patience and persistence sit at the heart of everyth
A steady rhythm of curiosity and care, delivered every two weeks.
Less aloneHearthlands
At 70, Bella DePaulo has lived alone her entire adult life — and, as a scholar of single life, explores what it means to be 'single at heart': not a fallback but a deliberate, fulfilling way of living. She challenges the idea that coupledom is the ultimate path to happiness, reflecting on
WonderHearthlands
Bartosz Ciechanowski has built a deep grok of everything you could want to know about Earth's closest neighbour. The Moon isn't just a passive presence but 'a fellow companion that gently affects our own existence.' Through stunning interactive visuals and hands-on explanations, he unpacks