Sep 15, 2019Member-onlyAlgorithms Made Me Obsessed With BackpacksI was planning a trip to the Pacific Northwest. I’d be hopping on and off of planes, trains, and automobiles, then going on excursions into the wilderness, and possibly fighting sasquatches. I’d need gear for that, and my aging man-purse wouldn’t hold it. …Travel4 min readTravel4 min read
Jun 16, 2019Life Isn’t Supposed to Not Be ConfusingLast night I opened up my drafts folder on Twitter, and found the following half-finished thought that I’d saved earlier: “life isn’t supposed to not be confusing.” At first I dismissed it as a drunken tweet gone wrong, but once I got over the perplexing double-negative (how meta, drunk self)…Psychology3 min readPsychology3 min read
Mar 8, 2019Are Meal Delivery Services Worth It? Here’s Some MathI’ve been trying some meal delivery services recently. A few weeks ago it was GoodFood, and this week HelloFresh. They were good! Tasty food, decent portion sizes. …Food4 min readFood4 min read
Dec 4, 2017Why I’m Cutting Down on Artificial SweetenersI may have been wrong about artificial sweeteners. I’ve always been a big fan of them, because I love stuffing sweet things in my mouth, but also try to keep my daily calorie count somewhat reasonable. Sweeteners also have an ideological draw — I love artificial things. I’m typing this…Diet3 min readDiet3 min read
Nov 18, 2017Ghosts are Everywhere, Thanks to TechnologyOne thing I love about big cities is the history. This is the view from my hotel room in San Francisco. It’s not much to look at, so I was disappointed for a moment. Then I looked closer at all that’s there, outside my window, and indeed everywhere in San…Horror2 min readHorror2 min read
Nov 14, 2017Walking is Good For Your Brain, Your Community, Your Spirit, and Yeah Okay, Your Health TooI try to walk a lot. My step count has gone down since I started working from home, but I still get out and wander the neighborhood at least once a day, and use my feet as a means of transportation whenever I need to be somewhere else. …Health3 min readHealth3 min read
Oct 31, 2017Why Horror Movies Are Scary, and Why People Like Them AnywayMy PhD was on the psychology of horror. A while ago, I was contacted by a media agency who had seen one of my talks, and wanted help putting together a Halloween marketing campaign that could really frighten people. …Horror4 min readHorror4 min read
Oct 14, 2017A Deep Exploration of the Terrifying Stained Glass Windows at a Run-Down Children’s MuseumThe London Regional Children’s Museum has seen better days. …London Ontario6 min readLondon Ontario6 min read
Dec 14, 2016A Deep Exploration of a Weird Doll From a Second-Hand StoreMy girlfriend came back from an expedition to the bad part of town, and shouted “I got you a gift! You’re going to love it!” She was correct. This is Auntie Virus. The first thing you’ll notice is that she is extremely dirty. Just soaked in various fluids. That’s because…Weird4 min readWeird4 min read
Aug 18, 2016On the Political Correctness of General Intelligence (“g”)I’m a scientist now. Specifically, a scientist at a neuroscience company. But not a neuroscientist. I know, confusing, but the point is that I’ll probably be writing more about neuroscience at this blog now. One project I’ve been working on involves intelligence. For decades, there has been a war between…Political Correctness2 min readPolitical Correctness2 min read
