What people recommend, in their own words, with the receipt.
Historian of invention; writes Age of Invention
4 things
The Works in Progress NewsletterOther Works in Progress
Hands-down my favourite online magazine. It's released quarterly, and every article is of a shockingly high quality. I use the newsletter to make sure I never miss an issue.
Age of Invention's Substack 'Recommendations' page, an undated, continuously-updated list of newsletters Howes recommends; accessed 2026-09-25 (undated page)
Construction PhysicsOther Brian Potter
A must-read for me, on subjects ranging from the history of modern wind turbines to why the Empire State Building was built so quickly.
Age of Invention's Substack 'Recommendations' page, an undated, continuously-updated list of newsletters Howes recommends; accessed 2026-09-25 (undated page)
What's New Under the SunOther Matt Clancy
When it comes to Matt Clancy's work, I'm something of a hipster. I loved his work "before it was cool". This is essential reading for anyone interested in how innovation works.
Age of Invention's Substack 'Recommendations' page, an undated, continuously-updated list of newsletters Howes recommends; accessed 2026-09-25 (undated page)
Economic ForcesOther Economic Forces
By far the best newsletter on economics.
Age of Invention's Substack 'Recommendations' page, an undated, continuously-updated list of newsletters Howes recommends; accessed 2026-09-25 (undated page)
Every entry is a verbatim quote and a link to the public post it came from. Nothing is paraphrased. If it is not on record somewhere public, it is not here.
The verdict is what they actually said: loved and liked are explicit; recommended means they told others to get it; uses means they only say they use it; read is a book on their public shelf with no verdict; mixed and disliked are kept too.
A dashed affiliate link, sponsored or their own label means the post disclosed a relationship. It is shown, never hidden.
The small bar beside a date shows how dated a recommendation is for its kind of thing.
The bar shows how dated a recommendation is, for its kind of thing. Full and green is recent. It drains, and turns amber and then grey, as the post gets older.
What counts as old depends on the thing. A laptop praised four years ago has been replaced twice; a book loved twenty years ago is probably still loved. The bar is empty after about:
A striped bar means the post carries no date and the date shown is an estimate. No date at all, no bar.