I finished rereading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance this week, and it remains a mandatory read over fifty years after it was published. There is very little Zen, very little motorcycle maintenance. What stands out is the discussion of Quality.
Yesterday was Opening Day, and I am struck by the profound beauty of this occasion. Each year, just after the days surpass the nights, we begin this ritual anew...
Five Songs! Friday!
This week, I've been thinking a lot about self-interest. In any system containing entities with distinct, personalized needs or drive, an inherent tension arises between the efficiency of the overall system and the needs of each individual within it.
A new habit: Five Song Fridays. It's exactly what it sounds like. I'll try to share five songs. On Fridays!
Comparing some budgets and some books.
This isn't about astrology, I promise.
I managed to read 65 books this year. As an end-of-year victory lap, here's a few highlights, and a couple of suggested personal curricula. My full reading list for the year is all the way at the bottom, if you're here for that for some reason.
On value collapse and the balance between metrics and gestalt.
Here are a couple of interesting things about Gregor Mendel that I did not know, even though I got my B.S. in a building named after him!
Some takeaways from ChangeNOW 2025.
Fate sits at the heart of the Nordic sagas, lurking beneath the surface of the text like the ships intentionally sunk at Roskilde. Unseen but absolutely essential to those in the know. Detractors of these works (perhaps students in their initial exposure to this category of literature), will complain that