Life

Five Levels of Ruin — And Where Our Civilization Ranks — One of the things that I find interesting these days, in a kind of sardonic way, is this. “Doom” has gone mainstream. You can read articles about it in the august pages of the New York Times. And those articles always have the same slant: “We’re not doomed!! Stop being…

If You Don’t Think the Future of Human Civilization Is at Risk, Think Again — It was just yesterday that I wrote about whether or not we’re “doomed.” As if right on cue, today, the UN released its “final warning” on climate change. And if you think I’m a “doomer,” well, it turns out I’ve got nothing on…the world’s best scientists, who wrote much of…

The Fear That Black People Would Seek Retribution For Enslavement — Since before America was America, the country feared the rebellion of Black people. One initial fear was that the Black enslaved might join forces with Blac and white indentured servants as they did during Bacon's Rebellion in 1676. After those combined forces burned down Jamestown, then the capital of Virginia…

Working at a high level with awareness of the lower level is much more powerful than working at a high level with no awareness beyond that. X = Acting classes; Y = Any programming language Trust your instincts. Act on the first idea that comes into your head, just to…

But don’t make me love it any less. — 1. The level of delusion Before visiting the US, I always imagined those lines that you keep seeing in movies about how America is the greatest country in the world were nothing more than that: lines in movies. I was so wrong. When I went there I was shocked to see that Americans have been…

Too much education is just procrastination. — College still has some relevance. Especially if you want to become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. But the relevance of college is slowly decaying as online education takes over. Universities haven’t exactly done themselves any favors by continuing to make tuition fees higher. I mean, is a 6-figure MBA really…

Dearest, In my time, I have met some interesting people. And during these 200 years, I have come across many that have been lost to time. Whether their photographs wind up in an antique store or an old shoebox in an attic, no one seems to know how the person…