John Paul Hernandez

At my son's birthday party, I spotted a neighbor reading Hail Mary. I stopped him. We talked for ten minutes. Turns out we had more in common than a book. The book you carry in public is the best conversation starter you're not using. New essay: www.curioussardine.com/p/reading-in...

Ring’s new AI feature be like: British pregnant lady walking past your garage with a Shih Tzu and a Stanley cup in her right hand.

Confuse people, lose people. Content should be clear, with every word earning its place—while holding attention and staying relevant. Clunky human writing or AI clang loses readers and customers. What works instead: Write like your audience speaks. And tell stories.

I messed up. I told the doctor I had white collar syndrome, not white coat syndrome. But maybe that’s a thing too?

We need more used book stores.

I thought paprika was just a coloring agent; bland. Turns out: I just never tasted real paprika. That realization led somewhere bigger: a bad pepper is a symptom of what industrial food has cost us; in flavor, nutrition, & connection to what we eat. open.substack.com/pub/curiouss...

We are so excited to welcome our baby boy to the world! ❤️

Analog coffee sessions are the best sessions

Knowledge from books accumulates not just in your daily memory but also in your subconscious. These learnings mature in your mind. You’ll have conversations and perform actions that feel second nature, yet you initially have no idea where they came from.

In many ways, Alcarràs parallels what’s happening with AI and the Information Age. The film is about agriculture and the green tech movement uprooting traditional ways of life. But it feels raw and familiar a few years later, as AI has changed so much.

Mass-market paperback books might be disappearing. But used, damaged books—and the notes they carry—have always been here. And they might be the perfect replacement. open.substack.com/pub/curiouss...

“Novel-writing can be a cold-blooded business.” -J.L Carr

The reader who uses footnotes reads a different book.

ThriftBooks is such a hit or miss for the “acceptable” copies. They should have a lower category called “deplorables.”

I predict AI movies will cause a new effect: the desire for better stories that don't have explosions in every scene. Great writing and dialogue. One of the reasons I picked up a @mubi subscription because I'm so tired of shallow movies.

With the age of AI, there’s more content out than ever. That’s why your 1st line matters more today… with nuance. Before, an opening only had to be a good hook. I studied 500 best selling lines to learn. But it changed. Now it needs to connect with your soul. open.substack.com/pub/curiouss...

Duolingo should have sponsored the halftime show. Missed opportunity.

I did a 72 water fast for the first time. This was my experience. www.curioussardine.com/p/how-going-...

Check out this piece on Substack SEO I published with Sprout Social! You'll learn how to publish valuable content while optimizing for discoverability. sproutsocial.com/insights/sub...

Today, technology often serves dopamine. Our sleep suffers, as do our mental and physical health. Instead, technology should focus on optimal living. It starts with e-ink. curioussardine.substack.com/p/why-e-ink-...

If you're not thinking about Reddit visibility, you're missing a huge audience. I just published 10 strategies for actually showing up where people are searching—including how to avoid the mistakes that get brands shadow-banned or downvoted. sproutsocial.com/insights/red...

I think content is restarting its market cycle. AI pushed us back to the early blogging phase: more volume, more noise, less differentiation. I wrote about why this happens, what comes next, and how brands can adapt if they want real traction. johnpaulhernandez.com/the-state-of...

Rust appears everywhere: playground equipment, grills, screws in outdoor furniture... Anything exposed long enough will eventually show it. And yet, when we instinctively fight rust, we often miss what it represents. www.curioussardine.com/p/why-rust-i...

These were some of my favorite reads in 2025. What were some of yours? www.curioussardine.com/p/the-books-...

I propose "Prompthead" as a slur for people who always use ChatGPT to think.

New essay ➡️ Stepping back, and resisting gut reactions, often allows clearer thinking and better decisions. Read how to think with context and awareness and what happens when you push through without all the information. open.substack.com/pub/curiouss...

Honestly the real answer to digital detoxes and fixing your dopamine levels is reading for 2 hours straight. No distractions.

Jekyll & Hyde wasn't about a monster. It was about us. Stevenson wrote about what happens when a world only allows us to live as one acceptable version of ourselves. Today, that pressure feels quieter... A new essay on performance and the selves we hide. www.curioussardine.com/p/jekyll-and...

Atomic Habits in 50 years. A Penguin Classic. As it should be.

Pinterest = a visual search engine hiding in plain sight. In this piece, I unpack how it fits into the future of SEO, social, and AI-driven discovery. Also: smart takes from Jeremy Moser (USERP) and Nat Miletic (Clio Websites). Read if search is on your radar. sproutsocial.com/insights/pin...

Posted a new piece: Why great ideas often come from the wrong people. It’s a meditation on curiosity and how unfamiliar viewpoints reveal truths institutions sometimes overlook. Outsiders aren’t a threat to knowledge—they’re often the ones who move it forward. www.curioussardine.com/p/why-great-...

There were the AI-isms where you could tell a sentence or two came from AI. But now, in my own experience reading content, I feel an immediate aversion the moment I spot one, then bounce away or scroll past without reading the rest. Anyone else?

Every small habit you practice today will have huge consequences 6 months from now. Good or bad. And it’ll take the same amount of time, or more, to reverse it.

I just wrote a new piece: How I Like My Coffee. It’s about the quiet wisdom hidden in a cooling cup—how hot, warm, room temp, and cold each reveal something about the rhythms of life and the transitions we usually miss. Let me know what stage you enjoy most. open.substack.com/pub/curiouss...

We waited twenty-one hours during the blackout in Spain; far longer than most. What stayed with me wasn’t the outage, but how differently people responded to it. That moment became my newest Curious Sardine essay. www.curioussardine.com/p/what-a-twe...

I think a mobile coffee cart like this would be amazing (and I would argue quite needed). The differentiator is moving away from a minimal or Gatsby-style design for mobile coffee trucks and opting for a bright, traditional artisan look; instead of grab and go, it’s sip and stay.

www.curioussardine.com/p/the-math-o... Just published The Math of Missing. It’s about how falling short isn’t the opposite of success, but part of the path; each miss teaching you something about your aim, your patience, and yourself. What’s a miss that changed you?

Reading a book about the sea, as I’m lounging on the Space Coast, waiting for the Blue Origin launch.

I don’t judge a book by its cover. But I do buy a book with a beautiful cover—no questions asked.

I forgot how good The Martian movie is. Need to read the book.

When we frame ignorance as opportunity, then the scales tip. Ignorance isn’t the refusal to learn: that’s arrogance. Ignorance, combined with self-awareness and humility, leads to growth.

Ignorance isn’t the opposite of wisdom; it’s the doorway to it. New essay: The Gift of Ignorance Why admitting what we don’t know expands life in surprising ways. www.curioussardine.com/p/the-gift-o...

Cancel all your subscriptions to Netflix and other services. Then subscribe to substacks. Your mind and your soul will thank you.