This piece uses the psychological concept of the “Mask of Sanity” from Hervey Cleckley’s work on psychopathy as a metaphor for the feeling of stagnation experienced by men in midlife. It argues that just as psychopaths wear a facade of normality, many men over 40 may be hiding an underlying lack of purpose and engagement. The article encourages acknowledging this feeling, learning from it, and taking deliberate steps to break routine, seek novelty, and redefine personal goals to combat apathy and rediscover fulfilment.

Unlock your full potential by building a mental training facility – The Hall of Hyper-Competence. This guide outlines how to construct and populate your inner dojo, blending Sherlock Holmes' deductive prowess with Batman's discipline and practical skills. Learn to master observation, science, social dynamics, strategy, memory, and physical resilience through dedicated training zones and an actionable routine.

This newsletter introduces the fundamental concepts of Deductive Reasoning, Logic, and Critical Thinking, highlighting their importance not just in academia but for navigating everyday information and decision-making. It explains that deductive reasoning offers certainty from true premises, logic provides the structural rules for valid arguments, and critical thinking is the practical application of these principles to analyse, evaluate, and make reasoned judgments in a complex world.

This is the first chapter of my first, as yet unfinished book, Fragile, a William Scott detective novel.

This article explores elite observation skills, contrasting passive perception with an active, Holmesian mindset, crucial for deciphering complex human interactions. It synthesises insights from renowned experts, detailing how to interpret vocal and non-verbal cues, leverage tactical empathy, and crucially, infer…..