Lots of things both did and did not happen in 2025. Maybe too many things in the did category. One of the things that happened is that I enjoyed a variety of great art. This a non-exhaustive list of some of the greatness of human innovation I partook in and would recommend to you. A lot of these did not come out in 2025 and that is just when I found them, but good is good.

Books

• Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy (The Three-Body Problem): Very enjoyable and inventive sci fi.
• Project Hail Mary: One of the most well paced books I have read. Hard to stop reading once you start. It has such a cinematic quality that I feel like I've already seen the movie adaptation.
• Are We Human?: I found this book because I was researching the origin of blogs and found that Peter Merholz originally coined the term as a shortening of weblog, and still had a blog running which recommended this book. So it seems appropriate I should recommend it again here. If you are interested in design, anthropology, modern humanity or just like fun pictures, this is a fascinating book.
• The Ministry of Time: Good fun book.
• The Melancholy of Untold History: Hard to describe. Definitely melancholy. Very good.
• Nexus: Worried about AI and the future of humanity? This will not help! The history of the tools we have used to share information with each other and how that has shaped society is quite interesting though.
• The Unconsoled: I did not enjoy the experience of reading this book at all, but somehow I still liked it at the end. I wouldn't recommend it, but if you don't get enough dissatisfaction and anxiety in your normal life, this could be the book for you.

Movies & TV

• Perfect Days: Some of the best public restrooms you will see.
• Pantheon: A very human show about AI. Highly recommend.
• Mickey 17: Nausicaä plus clones.
• Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979): Holy rats, that's a lot of rats. Despite this one feeling almost goofy compared to the grim and polished Nosferatu (2024), it also felt more genuine.
• The Before Trilogy: Just people talking and being people.
• Pluribus (Season 1): Not actually sure if I liked this one. It is a lot more fun to talk about the show and its flaws than to actually watch it.
• Severance (Season 2): Everyone likes this show now, and they should!

Music

• The Crux - Djo
• Shinbangumi - Ginger Root
• I quit - HAIM
• Virgin - Lorde
• For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) - Japanese Breakfast
• Digital Meadow - Dora Jar
• Getting Killed - Geese (A few of the songs anyway )

Games

• Sword of the Sea: An excellent movement mechanic and a beautiful world make a delightful game.
• Astro Bot: Best 3D platformer since Super Mario Odyssey. Just pure fun
• The Last Guardian: Aggravating at times, but very charming and compelling. Who doesn't want to hang out with their giant, magic catdogbird pal?
• We Love Katamari: Roll ball, pick up stuff.
• Thank Goodness You're Here: Some good British comedy anyone could enjoy.
• Factorio: Makes minutes feel like seconds. Not recommended if you plan on getting anything else done, but it is relaxing.
• Cocoon: Trippy but intuitive puzzles. Fun and varied world design.
• Dispatch: Few games pack as much quality per minute as this game.
• Minit: Short, simple, fun, and unique. I am a sucker for a time loop.
• The Witness: This game knows what it means to be a game. It is not always the most inviting but it respects the effort you put into it and gives you a glimpse of something compelling.

Videos

• Refueling a NUCLEAR REACTOR - Smarter Every Day 311: Insane that you can watch this for free on the internet. Extremely fascinating and well made.
• Exploration & Epiphany: Math, conceptual art, beautiful visualization, and the philosophy of problem solving. What a treat.
• Graph Theory in State-Space: Turns a puzzle into an excavation of a haunting alien structure.