Hyperpleasure & Tamagotchi
The Rise of Hyperpleasures: Why do activities like reading or conversation feel less fun than technology-enabled pastimes like videogames or smartphone use? These are "hyperpleasures", it is argued, and they change how we enjoy things. If reading registers at nine on a pleasure scale of one to ten and gaming scores a thousand, what once felt like 9/10 will now feel like 9/1000. The solution? A "reorientation of the will".
https://mereorthodoxy.com/the-rise-of-hyperpleasures
The Terror of Tamagotchi: I have been convinced that Tamagotchis have a solid place in the canon of “Distressing and Creepy ’90s toys” right there alongside the Furby. I’m still too afraid to put batteries in. But, going even further, never after that point have I been comfortable playing any sort of “pet management” or “care” sim; I never owned a Nintendog, and whenever I see ads for the new self-care/productivity app Finch, where you take care of a small digital bird by drinking water and doing yoga, I feel a little sick to my stomach. But why this reaction?
https://unwinnable.com/2024/05/31/i-have-no-mouth-and-i-must-scream-the-terror-of-tamagotchi
Why is Hungary So Small: Hungary used to host one of the world’s most powerful empires—the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Now, it’s not even in the top 10 EU countries by GDP and is among the bottom countries in GDP per capita. What happened? Why are Hungarians so bitter about their present-day borders? Why is the capital, Budapest, the only region in Europe where people feel European above all?
