Smarter people than I have observed that delivery and direct-to-consumer companies are going to thrive in the aftermath of this pandemic. It’s the platforms and at-scale logistics companies that are going to really own it: Walmart, Amazon, etc, as well […]
I have to admit a failure. For all of my knowledge of the crisis at hand (I have amazing access to information), for all of my will to face it, and for all of the small preparations I made for […]
I love old farms and skyscrapers under construction, old cars and Elon Musk’s newest spaceships. I think my ideal way of living would consist of working on a farm (or hunting/gathering out in nature) during the day and working on […]
You love spending time with them. You’ve accumulated great memories together. You’re sad when they decide to move on. You promise to stay in touch (and mean it). And you hardly ever talk to them again. It’s hard to admit, […]
Sometimes I paralyze myself with my own cynicism and critical mind sometimes. When I am burnt out on the posturing, inauthenticity, the mundanity, or the inanity of something in the mainstream (from soulless corporate jobs to mindless consumerism to self-referential […]
What is the right way to respond to pandemics? What is the right way to educate children? What about healthcare? What’s the right relationship between the sexes? What is the right relationship with family? With tradition? With the past? With […]
I love going into new situations and finding out what I can do. I plunged myself into a tech company, despite not being very technical myself, and I found my place. I spent the last month working in a horse […]
Wheels. Levers. Pulleys. Ramps. These basic machines are profound innovations that form the basis of nearly ever other physical labor-saving technology we have today. They’re also the creation of men with far less technology or understanding of physical science than […]
There’s no simple rule for knowing when it’s time to leave a job/project/gig (or any other endeavor, for that matter). But if you are working a job or pursuing a project mainly in order to learn, the decision can become […]
Late last year I traveled to the beautiful island of Puerto Rico for the first time. The people were friendly, the rainforest and beaches were beautiful, and the city of San Juan was filled with interesting history and architecture. I […]
Not everyone is living in the same decade. This is one of the most fascinating things you learn as you delve more deeply into the present and the past. It’s easy to assume when you read about the 1940s, for […]
One thing I find especially bothersome about the response to the COVID-2019 pandemic is the common meme telling average people to “just stay home and watch Netflix.” What does it say about us that this is a common idea of […]
The other night I made my first post-lockdown grocery store run. And I’ll admit it was a bit unsettling. It was strange seeing a security guard. It was strange wearing a mask. It was strange feeling a sort of fear […]
I recently finished Ross Douthat’s The Decadent Society, a compelling argument that we live in a world that has become incapable of fundamental change. From arts and culture (endless reboots – think Star Wars and Marvel) to political gridlock to […]
For all of my Duolingo lessons and high school Spanish coursework, I’ve always felt self-conscious about using Spanish. Why embarrass myself and maybe even offend a native speaker with my poor attempts? So Spanish as a skill has remained firmly […]
Local, state, and federal governments are using the COVID-2019 coronavirus crisis to assert more and more direct control over the lives of individuals. The president has “banned” travel to Europe and travel from China, though control over individuals’ movements has […]
Want to help your neighbors during the COVID-2019 coronavirus pandemic? You don’t necessarily have to do it for free. Some of the most useful people will be people who are doing remunerative work. There are nurses and doctors, yes. But […]
There’s a path my life could have taken – could still take – toward the life of an intellectual. I’ve just about always been interested in one or more of the favorite intellectual subjects of philosophy, history, politics, theology, economics, […]
Have you ever gotten sick because an obviously-ill person (“OIP” for short) showed up to work and coughed on everybody? Have you *been* that obviously-ill person? What I find really strange is how common this scenario is – and how […]
Most days after I finish my tasks at the stables, I’ll spend a little extra time working. I clean in the corrals, check on the horses, fill up water buckets, or pick up some trash – some extra contribution to […]
What can the COVID-19 virus teach us about philosophy? With any virus – but particularly with an especially infectious one – we get a perfect working metaphor for the relationship between individual actions and society. Namely: the only thing that […]
“In the name of God, do your duty.” – Atticus Finch, To Kill a. Mockingbird In case you missed it, we are now living through a pandemic. COVID-2019 (AKA “coronavirus”) is a highly infectious virus known to infected more than 128,000 […]
Who takes pays the greater price and takes the greater risk – the brave man, or the coward? The man who volunteers to defend his village against the dragon only experiences pain and danger momentarily. He either dies (temporary pain […]
He drives a truck, makes his own moonshine, and chews tobacco. He’s good with his hands. He’s working on the farm, at the feed store, or at a construction site. He’s got a thick Southern drawl, multiple guns, and dogs. […]
My generation may have been the last one born in which privacy was the default rather than the exception. Of course, it didn’t take long for that to change. In my younger years I saw the birth of Facebook, Instagram, […]
Note to self: When you put off doing what you need to do, you force your future self to deal with what you should be dealing with now. You rob your future self of that time, energy, and emotional wellbeing. […]
There are few enough epic moments. There is no swelling musical score. It often isn’t clear whether a challenge is a climax or just another conflict. People are often so disappointed to find that the world is not like the […]
People leave the family farm. Sons go to college instead of going to work into the plumbing business. It has a thousand faces, but there’s this American idea that inheriting a vocation is “settling,” so you’d better go off and […]
“Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.” – Warren Buffett This is fine advice for a financial catastrophe, but it has a corollary in other disasters as well. Case in point: coronavirus. It’s generally not […]
Yesterday I went to a gorgeous, clean, brightly-lit, colorful, fully-stocked grocery store. I found just what I wanted (free range eggs were even on sale!), brought it to an express aisle, chatted with a smiling and friendly cashier, and went […]