The ownership of history is contentious: while private collections of artifacts are sometimes scorned, and the taking of them from public lands is outlawed, much of history is kept behind glass cases, accessible only to a handful of credentialed elite, or otherwise left rotting in sterile cardboard boxes in storage facilities. Even more difficult is […]
Letting Other People Benefit
This is a short post but one I’ve wanted to write for awhile. I’ve noticed that there is a very strong desire in most people to not be taken advantage of, and while this can be a good thing, it tends to spill over into not wanting others to benefit from one’s actions at all. […]
The Tyranny of Scheduling
I hate scheduling. I don’t wish to be overly negative about this, but it’s one of the most psychologically draining activities for me. With friends it can be difficult and involves much texting back and forth, and with businesses and organizations, it can just be terribly annoying and inconvenient. I prefer to structure my life […]
Steering Intermediate Shaft: Adventures in Laziness
When I first bought my current car many years ago, it proved to be much more reliable than my first car. I felt comfortable driving it a whole state away. Oh yeah, moving up in the world. But it had one key flaw: the steering was always making this annoying thumping sound, especially at low […]
Save Money on an Unhealthy Lifestyle!
I am something of a regular at a nearby convenience store. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but it is what it is. Part of what makes me a regular is the fun of taking a long walk over there in the morning and acquiring some sugary coffee-nated beverage of the canned variety […]
Spending Money on Hobbies
Most of us find new things to be interested in over time; very rarely do people pick one hobby and stick to it exclusively for life. But every new interest often requires a certain amount of upfront mental or financial cost, whether we are learning about our new domain or buying the gear we need […]
Meta-Politics
As far as politics go, I would describe myself as economically conservative and socially moderate. But what about my meta-politics? See, here’s the thing: forming an opinion about specific leaders is trivially easy. You barely even have to think about it. But forming a coherent philosophy of the nature of power is hard. It takes […]
Protecting Your Data in the Mess of Old Web Accounts
I have over 120 online accounts, which is insane. I’m not even the sort of person who signs up for things on a regular basis – I have a natural aversion to opening these accounts. But all it takes is switching insurance every few years, applying to a handful of jobs here and there, or […]
Corporations Are Not Your Friends
Once every great now and then, I try to do a deep search for my name on Google to see what sort of personal information about me is available on the internet. I did this a month ago and was shocked to immediately see my LinkedIn profile in the top 3 results. This was especially […]
Into the Unknown
January. Everything is a countdown to January. It still scares me to think of quitting my job, and it will certainly be expensive, but for all I know, this could be the only chance I have to take a year off while I’m still young. Yesterday I took my first hike of the season, with […]