Here is one sentence to summarize the five sections of this post: 1) Democracy is in poor health 2) because power has shifted from governments to businesses 3) but there is a way we can reclaim power 4) and we have built a solution 5) that helps democracy evolve as fast as the world evolves.

1) Democracy is in poor health

I love our US democracy like I love a feeble grandparent hobbling down the hallway, proud of everything they have accomplished, rich with masterful wisdom about a world which no longer exists.

All things considered, our democracy has lived a long, healthy, robust life. And…

Ten years ago today I launched the Carrotmob movement by swarming a liquor store with hundreds of other people.

That day, it felt like my life was about to change forever. And then it did, as soon as this video came out and went viral:

When you spend ten years focused on the same problem, you learn a lot. …

Today, we launch MoneyVoice, the ultimate tool for voting with your money. Why should you care, when a thousand other tech products are also launching today? Most of today’s thousand shiny product launches ultimately will not matter. Your precious attention should be reserved for the truly interesting ones with the potential to be enormously impactful.

When I look at the most impactful companies, I see that they have two things in common:

• They address a problem that the majority of the world’s population has been experiencing for at least a century.
• People are not aware that they have the problem…

From the first days that I ever showed MoneyVoice to anyone, I began hearing the following question from people like my sister, my aunt, my housemate, etc: Why does MoneyVoice require me to import data about my purchases in order to work? It quickly becomes clear why this is necessary: the whole point of the app is to harness the power that comes along with being a verified customer. Your transactions are how we verify that you are a real customer, and that gives your feedback much more power and influence. …

Part Two: Mind

Now that you’ve read part one, I will assume your heart is in the right place. So, let’s explore what’s the matter with our grey matter.

One of the most frustrating things about the climate crisis is that it makes people freeze up, psychologically paralyzed. One reason for this may be that the issue is just too complicated for people to easily understand. But subconsciously, there’s more to it than just the complexity. They hear about it and manage to ignore it, shut down their brains, or focus on something else. Most people don’t need new information. They need to…

A two-part essay about the human heart, the human mind, and how they relate to the climate crisis.

Part One: Heart

Neville Chamberlain did not see it coming. In hindsight it seems obvious to us: Of course shaking hands with Hitler in 1938 and agreeing to let him take over part of Czechoslovakia wasn’t a good idea. I mean, it’s Hitler. Yet when Chamberlain returned to England as a triumphant prime minister, he wasn’t the only person who was proud that he had “secured peace in our time.” It was a wildly popular accomplishment. …

Burning Man 2014 was my best burn ever. Here’s why.

AS LIFE GOES, SO GOES THE BURN

Burning Man is ultimately a reflection of life. But it’s not a normal mirror… it’s one of those “funhouse” mirrors which lets you look at certain parts of yourself in new ways. If there’s a part of yourself that you want to examine, Burning Man can magnify that for you so it looks huge, or distort it to give you new perspectives on what your other available life realities might look like.

2014 has been a year of self-exploration for me, and I brought that same mindset to the playa…