Category
January 23, 2017
Two things are undeniable about fire: it’s useful, and it’s dangerous. Anyone who’s been burned by a match or gotten too close to a campfire knows the latter for a fact. Yet it’s true that fire is useful as well. From cooking our food to warming our homes to powering the entire industrial revolution (and many of our cities today), fire has been at the center of much of human progress. Fire is powerful. Yet it’s still dangerous, as even children know. So we pin...
September 26, 2016
If you want to understand why it’s so hard to rise out of poverty, work 80+ hrs/wk for not a lot of pay. Even if you’re (mostly) doing work you enjoy, as I am now, it’s illuminating. What I’m being brutally reminded of is that it takes time and effort to save money. That seems obvious, and the typical rejoinder is “If it’s important, you’ll make the time!” But what if there isn’t a lot of time to make? I can manage all...
May 7, 2015
People like to talk about freedom. Especially when they get into politics. (We’re not getting into politics here; stay with me.) The idea of freedom is bandied about with nary a thought as to what it actually means. The truth is that most people in developed, first world, democratic countries are able to do pretty much anything a reasonable person might want to do. Yes, their freedom to murder and pillage is curtailed, but I think most of us find that a reasonable trade-off for...
April 19, 2015
“The key to eternal happiness is low overhead and no debt.” —Lynda Barry There are many reasons why I was able to become a full-time author when I did. I wrote a good book. (Or at least I think I did, though a few kind souls seem to agree.) I’ve worked hard, worked smart, learned a lot, and sacrificed. Being laid off certainly had something to do with it. But if I had to point to one reason, and one that’s replicable by anyone, it’s this: low...