This week's title refers to cutting & pasting judgments & biases based on your own information overload or perceived scarcity of time. Stowe Boyd's breakdown of Buster Benson's Cognitive Bias Cheatsheet expands on this idea:

1️⃣ Information overload sucks, so we aggressively filter. Noise becomes signal. In order to avoid drowning in information overload, our brains need to skim and filter insane amounts of information and quickly, almost effortlessly, decide which few things in that firehose are actually important and call those out. We don’t see everything. Some of the information we filter out is actually useful and important. (Examples: Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, and Confirmation bias.)

2️⃣ Lack of meaning is confusing, so we fill in the gaps. Signal becomes a story. In order to construct meaning out of the bits and pieces of information that come to our attention, we need to fill in the gaps, and map it all to our existing mental models. In the meantime we also need to make sure that it all stays relatively stable and as accurate as possible. Our search for meaning can conjure illusions. We sometimes imagine details that were filled in by our assumptions, and construct meaning and stories that aren’t really there. (Examples: Gambler’s fallacy and Stereotyping*.)

3️⃣ Need to act fast lest we lose our chance, so we jump to conclusions. Stories become decisions. In order to act fast, our brains need to make split-second decisions that could impact our chances for survival, security, or success, and feel confident that we can make things happen. Quick decisions can be seriously flawed. Some of the quick reactions and decisions we jump to are unfair, self-serving, and counter-productive. (Examples: Dunning-Kruger effect and Sunk cost fallacy.)

4️⃣ This isn’t getting easier, so we try to remember the important bits. Decisions inform our mental models of the world. And in order to keep doing all of this as efficiently as possible, our brains need to remember the most important and useful bits of new information and inform the other systems so they can adapt and improve over time, but [to remember] no more than that. Our memory reinforces errors. Some of the stuff we remember for later just makes all of the above systems more biased, and more damaging to our thought processes.(Examples: Suggestability and Next-in-line Effect.)

Sounds like a slippery slope, doesn't it? Well, lucky for you, there is a list for better living below, and this newsletter is your weekly reminder to take it slow & expand what you know.

Thank you for reading & have a great week!

with gratitude,

Jon

May

• 🇳🇱 21 Wheelrunner Wednesday Morning Ride (Weekly at 6:30am)
• 🇳🇱 22 Gregario Thursday AM Ride (Weekly at 7:30am)
• 🇳🇱 22 Talking Tailored Series #1: Meet Pierre from Chiru Bikes
• 🇳🇱 24 Amsterdam Museumplein Skatepark Opening
• 🇳🇱 24 Raamwerk x Echelon Ride
• 🇳🇱 25 Maats' 190km Store to Store Ride
• 🇬🇧 21 Angels of Dirt Screening at DEUS in Dorset
• 🇩🇪 31 Angels of Dirt Screening at Craftwerk Berlin
• 🇳🇱 31 Fenderfest Nº2

June

• 🇳🇱 1 Aidsfonds Rainbow Ride Amsterdam
• 🇩🇪 5 Angels of Dirt Screening Cologne hosted by German Flat Track
• 🇳🇱 6 Dox Under The Track Nº11
• 🇮🇹 6-8 Bicycle Adventure Meeting
• 🇳🇱 7 Angels of Dirt Screening Noordelos
• 🇳🇱 8 Pathfinder Maastricht
• 🇳🇱 11-13 Bicycle Film Festival Maastricht
• 🇳🇱 15 Pirate Radio: Kootwijk. Veluwe Gravel
• 🇧🇪 17-18 Micromobility Brussels
• 🇩🇪 25-29 Let's meet at Eurobike

Bikes

The 2025 RIDEWGPS Cutty Cap Challenge

A Cutty Cap Challenge Like Never Before

Cycling’s most exciting scavenger hunt introduces a new live-action twist to celebrate its 5th year

Catch Clément Moustache Bikes at Eurobike

Raamwerk Ride From Echelon on 24.5

Ideas

101 Rules of Effective Living

The case against personal branding

Worklife with Adam Grant

You spend a quarter of your life at work. You should enjoy it! Organizational psychologist Adam Grant takes you inside the minds of some of the world’s most unusual professionals to discover the keys to a better work life. From learning how to love your rivals to harnessing the power of frustration, one thing’s for sure: You’ll never see your job the same way again. Produced in partnership with Transmitter Media.Follow Adam on Instagram @adamgrant, LinkedIn at @adammgrant Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carrier Magazine Release Party 13.6.2025

Friends

Nelson Trees on Building The Mountain Races

MOVEMENT speaks with Peter Marchment & Alex Bethge of Hunt Wheels

Introducing The NatureBased.Notes, Lian van Leeuwen's new newsletter

Nature does not do closed loops.

Or: Why we shouldn’t put all our eggs in the recycling basket

Lian’s Substack | The NatureBased.NotesLian van Leeuwen

Radness

The Story Behind How Robert Axle Project Was Started

Thank you very much for reading!
Here's to not simply copying & pasting this week!