The amusing reason why Verdi hijacked 95 barrel organs

One hot Italian summer, Verdi rented a large cottage to write music during the holidays. Days after arriving, he got one visitor who was taken aback by the fact that the famous composer was inhabiting just one room in the large house, using it as a studio, bedroom and lounge, all at the same time. “Why don’t you use the rest of the house”, the visitor asked. Verdi smiled, and invited the man to tour the house. The man was baffled to see every room literally filled to the ceiling with barrel organs, those amusing boxy pipe instruments that street entertainers ... [keep reading...]

The amusing reason why Verdi hijacked 95 barrel organs2025-01-01T13:43:55+01:00

The surprising lesson I learned from a ‘Seal’

Sometimes, the most interesting lessons I’ve learned have come from the oddest situations. Like the time I boarded a bus to leave Caracas, where I was taking an IELTS test, back home. It was already way past sunset and the evening was setting it when we were on the road, and a movie starts playing. “The Devil Wears Prada”. Bummer. A movie about clothes. Or fashion, whatever. Would have taken any godforsaken Van Damme movie over this. But anyway, there were no smartphones back then so the inability to rage tweet was one of the reasons I just payed attention to ... [keep reading...]

The surprising lesson I learned from a ‘Seal’2025-01-01T13:43:55+01:00

The odd reason Hemingway only used simple words

There's an anecdote involving Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner about writing, in which the latter scoffed at Hemingway’s style as unsophisticated. His words were: “(Hemingway) has never been known to use a word that might send the reader to the dictionary.” When the Old Man and the Sea author heard this, he responded, “Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older, simpler, and better words, and those are the ones that I use.” Personally, I’ve always identified with Hemingway’s writing ... [keep reading...]

The odd reason Hemingway only used simple words2025-01-01T13:43:56+01:00

You have my permission to AVOID boring people

I was browsing X today, looking for people to troll (one of my favorite pastimes, you know), and I stumbled upon a post about some neighbors in Puglia, Italy sharing a meal on one of their tiny streets on a summer evening. It's one of those streets that's barely three meters wide, with cobblestones and had a long, long table of perhaps 20 meters long full of people smiling and waving at the camera. Most of them looked in their 40s or 50s, some of them more. The lighting was perfect: a couple of warm street bulbs on the houses that ... [keep reading...]

You have my permission to AVOID boring people2025-01-01T13:43:57+01:00

How I overcame my video game addiction (after 40+ years of gaming)

Hello! maybe you want to get rid of a behavior that won't go away. Like smoking. Or emotional eating. Or some vice you're just too ashamed to tell anybody. In this email I will share with you the three-step process, including harmless self-hypnosis, that I used to get rid of video games for good - And the same three-step process can be applied to ANY behavior that you want to get rid of, in total privacy. So let's begin! but first, a bit about my video game addiction story. One of the most vivid experiences that are still imprinted in my ... [keep reading...]

How I overcame my video game addiction (after 40+ years of gaming)2025-01-01T13:43:58+01:00

My GUARANTEED system to CRUSH your fear of public speaking:

Few fears can be more paralyzing than the mere thought of standing in front a group of people and giving a public speech. I know such a feat can be daunting but I'm here to give you my step-by-step system that has a ONE HUNDRED PERCENT effectiveness in getting rid of that fear. I have applied this system with more than 1000 people with different degrees of dread about speaking in public and in every single one of them, it has worked. The caveat? my system requires actual work, and you will feel levels of cringe about yourself that will rival ... [keep reading...]

My GUARANTEED system to CRUSH your fear of public speaking:2025-01-01T13:43:59+01:00

The Secret To Talking With An Uber-Defensive Teenager

I got this question today: "Jesus, I need to talk to my teen about keeping her word and her responsibilities. I want to talk to her in a way that brings change instead of her blowing me off as a bossy mom. We have a good relationship, but she gets very defensive when I try to correct her. What should I do?" (You can send me your own questions to jrosas@knesix.com) I get the question of 'persuading teens' every now and then, even if most people still don't like the term 'persuasion'. It's important to remember that there is a critical ... [keep reading...]

The Secret To Talking With An Uber-Defensive Teenager2025-01-01T13:44:00+01:00

This is why I don’t mention my qualifications anymore:

People's expectations can negate the best intentions, and that reminds me how a Johnny Depp anecdote is outlandishly related to my rather private professional background - and a lesson in persuasion: While visiting Disneyland after the first Pirates Of The Caribbean movie hit the theaters, Johnny Depp was eager to pull a prank in the attraction of the same name. The idea was to dress up as Jack Sparrow, stay among the other animatronics, wait until people came over in the boats and then jump and scream. Simple! When the moment arrived, Depp couldn't contain his excitement. He remained frozen while ... [keep reading...]

This is why I don’t mention my qualifications anymore:2025-01-01T13:44:00+01:00

How to read body language (when there’s NO body language?)

I got this interesting question yesterday (remember that you can ask me anything just writing to jrosas@knesix.com!): “What happens when the person being analyzed shows no emotions, no gestures, no micro expressions or anything? when she remains impassive without showing absolutely anything on her face? what does that mean?” It has happened to me a couple times. I call this kind of people ‘blanks’. They’re pretty much emotionless. Yes, they can smile, laugh, grimace and show frustration but their emotional reactions are so subtle that it’s hard to see any relevant markers to determine what’s going on under the hood. Luckily, ... [keep reading...]

How to read body language (when there’s NO body language?)2025-01-01T13:44:01+01:00
Go to Top