I just got back from the Midnight Jam at Merlefest, America’s top roots music festival started by legendary blind folk guitarist Doc Watson. Ever since then, the festival has featured and fostered some of the world’s best bluegrass talent, from Jerry […]
“Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality.” – C.S. Lewis “Good can be radical; evil can never be radical, it can […]
“It is impossible for the same thing to belong and not to belong at the same time to the same thing and in the same respect.” – Aristotle “A is not non-A” – Classical Logic’s Formulation of the Above Is […]
It is 5 at dawn But still I write yesterday No excuses yet Alarms have failed you Sleep comes as a trickster god Will your pen spite him? Do not look to night Your muse will come with the sun […]
I have a massive wolf-head banner with the words “winter is coming” hanging next to my desk at work. For people who don’t know its source in book series and television show Game of Thrones, this banner means that I am […]
I’m fascinated by the theory of evolution. With some nuances that biologists are still exploring, it’s safe to say that as a theory for explaining the emergence and diversity of biological traits, evolution is unmatched. For a few reasons, I’m starting to […]
Like many people, I struggle with attention. Social media has only made that struggle harder, particularly Facebook. From viral videos to blog posts and articles to photos of friends, this site has everything it needs to take me away from […]
Today’s writing challenge: write my life story to the tune of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, following a consistent rhyme scheme and more or less similar meter. Why, you might ask? Sometimes it’s best not to ask these questions. But really, though, Will […]
“My name was in the newspaper in my home town. Yeah, they ruined my reputation because I didn’t bow down” I’m a big fan and believer in the idea of criticizing by creating. There’s plenty to criticize in our world. […]
I just had a really lovely dinner with friends at the Piedmont Tavern at Piedmont Park here in Atlanta. This park is one of my favorite spots, and these friends brought great conversation to the meal. This is an exception […]
I have a confession. I used to be a music snob. In fact, I used to be snob about a lot of things, but music fandom and criticism was my main snobbishness outlet. It turns out that there are a lot of […]
“Taxes are what we pay for civilized society…” – Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Today is the annual tax due date here in the United States. With all of the typical bitching and moaning going on, I thought it […]
Unoriginal thinking is one of the greatest of human technologies. Coming up with all of your own ideas is as wasteful and as making your own wheels, grinding your own flour, and digging your own wells for water. We live in […]
Dear human race, have you heard? A new Star Wars trailer came out this week. At last check, it only has over 1 million views. Something is wrong with that, human race. There are 7 billion of you at least, and […]
Easter is underrated. Here we have a holiday celebrating one of the greatest underdog stories and unexpected plot twists of all time, and all we do to celebrate it in the West is to wear pastels and eat some rodent-shaped […]
Today is Good Friday, the day on which Christians commemorate the death of Jesus by Roman crucifixion. For that reason, it’s also a commemoration of the event which birthed the use of the cross in the Christian tradition. Unless you’re blind or […]
I’m pretty intense about my work. I set high goals. I work long hours. I’m not above occasionally sleeping in my car or sleeping at the office if it means getting more work in. Startup marketing is my competitive sport of choice, […]
Dragons are a powerful part of our symbolic toolbox. From miserly greed to lust to pride to vengefulness, dragons and their power in stories often represent our unacknowledged and unresolved issues. To slay our dragons, we frequently have to go through […]
Your biggest fans are the people who pat you on the back. They’ll say nice things to you and about you. They’ll cheer for you in your successes, and they’ll encourage you in your losses. God bless them. We all […]
Happy Monday to you, wherever you are. If you’re gearing up for a new week of work, you know that one of most important tools is your Spotify account. And if you’re any kind of creative type, you know that […]
I’m an interviewer at heart. These days, when I meet just about anyone, I approach a first conversation with the mindset of a learner and the goal of really digging into the stuff that normal small talk won’t touch on. […]
Like most normal children, I spent a good bit of time in my toddler years putting together wooden toy train tracks and hauling “freight” through imaginary countrysides. When I got a little older, I loved riding on trains at theme parks, and […]
Today I’m starting to post a series of free business and project ideas I’ll be putting out online on a semi-regular basis. Why? Well, for one thing, the ideas I have in the shower have to go somewhere. For another, I want […]
I may be new to photography, but I’ve not been slow in getting my work out to a world in desperate need of non-terrible stock photos. That’s why I’m now a contributor over at Unsplash, everyone’s favorite source for Creative […]
Philosophy is one of my favorite games. We don’t often think of it as play, but philosophical thinking requires all of the same rules-bounded creativity, feedback-based improvement, and exploration of a good sport. Playing the philosophy game has done more […]
When I talk to other young people about what it’s like to work in a startup environment, I often get asked about the books that have helped me most. As anyone who has received gifts from me could tell you, I […]
Back in February, I attended my first Walpole family reunion as an adult, and therefore as someone remotely capable of enjoying family reunions. I’ve already had my disillusionments about “family blood” and “family pride.” Too many family gatherings can just […]
Small, growing, fast-moving companies are some of the best labs for philosophy the world has ever seen. They’re particularly good for philosophical questions about meaning, effort, and what makes a good life. Time and change move much faster in startups than in […]
Last night I slept in my car. Before you begin to worry about my well-being, readership, I should tell you that I did it by my own choice. Some late-night work and traffic expectations made it the more practical option, […]
So, you’re living in a geographical area swayed by a strongman with the political philosophy of Benito Mussolini and the immigration policy of a collapsing empire. Things are getting pretty bad pretty quickly. What do you do now? You don’t want […]