The world is full of surprises and the internet seems to hold a lot of them these days

The world is full of surprises and the internet seems to hold a lot of them these days. Though we’d prefer to spend our time in the real world rather than getting caught in the world wide web, we’ve rounded up our recent list of favorite online finds. Hopefully this list will inspire you to get up, get out and start your next great adventure. Don’t forget your Allswell journal.

In Praise of Laziness, The Economist

Traditional workers are in a bit of a predicament. Individuals are spending more and more of their traditional work day responding to emails and in meetings, opting for “made work” rather than the real thing, thereby contributing to longer workdays. This is harming productivity and creating a dangerous amount of overexertion. The Economist breaks the issue down in detail with all the facts and figures to match, so hop off your email and cancel your lunch meeting - it’s time to shake things up.

These Just-Unearthed Ancient Tablets Show How Little Has Changed in 2,000 Years, Upworthy

It seems we’re not so different from our ancestors after all, specifically those that lived around 70 A.D. A recent tablet discovery in London shows that people suffered the same woes as those today, namely money problems, people acting like big shots and children learning to write. “In that sense, the tablets are kind of soul-deep wisdom of the ages.” Let’s take a moment to appreciate the extraordinary ability of writing to capture the universal human experience and to connect us with those separated by well over a millenia.

Where Do Good Ideas Come From?, World Economic Forum

Pen to paper, hand to clay, etc. When an idea appears, it’s necessary to start a dialogue with it; a journey of insight in which goals are not the directive, but the path to reaching them is. Mapping the nuances of an idea make it stronger. For us, writing is the place to start. Take a moment and listen to this awe inspiring video featuring artist Olafur Eliasson.

Jim Harrison, Mozart of the Prairie, New Yorker

Jim Harrison is a celebrated writer who worked mostly from the quiet corners of Midwestern Michigan. He was stubborn, vigorous and untamed in his approach to literary art, taking on the worlds of film, food and much, much more. The New Yorker uses his work and relationships to paint a picture of Harrison that is comparable only to Mozart. Read on above.

Chasing Hiroshige’s Vision of Japan, New York Times

One writer takes a spiritual pilgrimage through the world of her earliest artistic fascination: the visionary woodblock printed landscapes of Hiroshige. She ventures to the woodlands of Japan’s Kii peninsula, following a series of trails and temples known to pilgrims as the Kumano Kudo. The adventure is literary in scope and the perfect pairing for an Allswell journal. More after the jump.