2 days agoExistential Physics: We All WavedPhysics makes a big deal about wave-particle duality. But the same thing is true of water, and your life. About ten years ago, the Transit authority in Boston released an anonymous set of rider data. Some analysis found that from even as little as two weeks’ of information, they could…Existentialism2 min read
Jul 20Everything Good is HardA good life comes from choosing to do the hard thing. I’m more and more convinced that everyone suffers an equal amount. It seems some people suffer less than others, but everyone suffers in different ways. What matters is how you choose to suffer. I practice a lot of discipline…1 min read
Jul 6The Short Happy LifeErnest Hemingway wrote a short story called, “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”. What a title. It’s a story in itself. It seems like a spoiler, because we know how things turn out for old Frank, don’t we? But that’s how the story ends for all of us. We…Life2 min read
Jun 9The Best Advice I Got: Take ComplimentsI’m passable on the drums. I can keep a beat and do a few fills. My first gig in Portland, I sat in on drums for a band I’d eventually play guitar and sing for, the Bo’Weevils. We played on the lawn behind Silly’s Restaurant. It was a gorgeous spring…Advice2 min read
Jun 2Existential Physics: Nothing StraightPhysics says, spacetime is curved. This sounds mystical, but it’s simple. Nothing is ever straight because nothing stops moving. We’re told the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. But if an airplane plotted a course between two cities in a totally “straight” line, it would be a…Existentialism1 min read
May 17Stupid Club: Serve The Servants“Now he’s gone and joined that stupid club.” — Wendy Cobain, on the death of her son Kurt, referring to the so-called ’27 Club’ of rock stars who died at that age I remember exactly where I was when I heard Kurt Cobain had ended his own life. …Learning3 min read
May 12Why Software Sucks: Matilda and HanselAfter 20 years in the business, I’m finally starting to be able to explain why. This is #1 in a series. Computer Science and software development have less in common than you might think. I’ll tell you why with an example from the movie “Zoolander”. There’s a plot point where the savvy reporter, Matilda, sends the clueless male model, Hansel, to steal some files from a computer. Hansel puts his eyes…Software Development2 min read
May 5Practice Uncertainty: Growing PainBefore I started writing, I thought it consisted of announcing things to the world: Moses coming down from Mount Sinai with the tablets, carved in stone. I’ve learned that the process of writing requires much more uncertainty. A huge part of writing involves figuring out what to write about —…Writing2 min read
Mar 17Parking Garage SpiritualityI had a spiritual experience in a parking garage. Does that sound weird? It was mysterious, but not supernatural. End of my senior year in high school, I came to Portland, and fell in love. I’d saved up a chunk of money working odd jobs, and moved right after graduation. …Spirituality2 min read
Mar 3The Definition of HappinessI started reading the dictionary when I was four years old, so I’m very attuned to the definitions of words. One of the most ill-defined words is “happiness”. There’s a lyric by the band Morphine that sums it up for me: “I’m exactly where I want to be right now.” …Happiness2 min read
