Paul Bennett

Co-founder @contexttravel and @cicerolearning, chair @STI_travel, live on a boat. I tweet about travel, education, climate, and long-distance sailing.

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

I have a serious problem.

Tonight was the third time I've sailed across the equator on this trip and completely spaced until it was miles behind.

I blame Starlink this time.

I dye my hair when the kid wakes up.

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

For whoever keeps track of these things, the yacht clearance experience in Fernando de Noronha is one of the best on the planet.

The port captain pours you an espresso while you wait for immigration and customs.

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

Oi, is it me? I was ghosted on two calls today. Don't get me wrong, I loved getting that hour back. But is there something in the water?

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

@noahkagan Slack, Mercury

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

Which Socratic interlocutor does ChatGPT most resemble?

Some days it's Meno: a complete idiot with lots of wrong ideas.

Other days it's Parmenides. Smart but absurd.

Thankfully there are plenty of days when it's Theatetus: engaging, open, and helpful.

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

Sunday miscellany. Demise of the key change in music, impelled by two surprising causes: hip hop and digital recording.

https://t.co/QlfZEfYnbo

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

Montesquieu pointed out that without education democracy dies.

He was definitely thinking about the liberal arts. (Not professional "skilling.")

AI simply raises the stakes to civilization level.

[Cicero Learning @CiceroLearning]

The advent of AI only makes studying the liberal arts more important than ever. That's our take from this wide-ranging interview with the ever prescient Jaron Lanier.

This is a must read for all parents.

#FutureOfEducation #AI #classicaleducation

https://t.co/L0OSjwExML

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

@FreundShlomo I've never asked Twitter about long-distance passagemaking. Interested to hear opinions. So far crickets, which probably tells me the answer. But, of course, I have like -1 followers.

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

Question of the day/month. Should we sail easily downwind to the Caribbean (2k nm) or a snake like path via the doldrums and Sargasso Sea to Europe (4.5k nm) next month?

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

@AmberIllig Pedigree backgrounds are a red flag for me.

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

@dotBen @immad @mercury Agreed. Super impressive.

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

@XXfounder A customer told @CiceroLearning today that its 1:1 learning model completely transformed their family. That felt pretty good.

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

7/ Everything is also better with whale sharks.

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

1780 nautical miles across the South Atlantic in a small boat with my family. Some takeaways.

1/ Teenagers can do a lot more than we give them credit for, including standing watch, gybing downwind, dousing torn spinnakers, and avoiding tankers while their parents sleep.

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

6/ Stay on the boat at all costs. This means wearing a tether when you leave the cockpit.

[Paul Bennett @contextpaul]

David Brooks' piece on depression in today's @nytimes is maybe his best writing yet.

https://t.co/wMh407GRug