I am something of a regular at a nearby convenience store. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but it is what it is. Part of what makes me a regular is the fun of taking a long walk over there in the morning and acquiring some sugary coffee-nated beverage of the canned variety […]
Spending Money on Hobbies
Most of us find new things to be interested in over time; very rarely do people pick one hobby and stick to it exclusively for life. But every new interest often requires a certain amount of upfront mental or financial cost, whether we are learning about our new domain or buying the gear we need […]
Meta-Politics
As far as politics go, I would describe myself as economically conservative and socially moderate. But what about my meta-politics? See, here’s the thing: forming an opinion about specific leaders is trivially easy. You barely even have to think about it. But forming a coherent philosophy of the nature of power is hard. It takes […]
Protecting Your Data in the Mess of Old Web Accounts
I have over 120 online accounts, which is insane. I’m not even the sort of person who signs up for things on a regular basis – I have a natural aversion to opening these accounts. But all it takes is switching insurance every few years, applying to a handful of jobs here and there, or […]
Corporations Are Not Your Friends
Once every great now and then, I try to do a deep search for my name on Google to see what sort of personal information about me is available on the internet. I did this a month ago and was shocked to immediately see my LinkedIn profile in the top 3 results. This was especially […]
Into the Unknown
January. Everything is a countdown to January. It still scares me to think of quitting my job, and it will certainly be expensive, but for all I know, this could be the only chance I have to take a year off while I’m still young. Yesterday I took my first hike of the season, with […]
Wasted Learning
I’ve read many books over the years, and most of those books were not worth reading. It’s likely I might have picked up a nugget or two of knowledge that I now (ungratefully) carry with me, but one of my greater frustrations is just how little meat some books have. Complicating the matter is my […]
*History Intensifies*
I’m building my own book scanner now. It’s basically a PVC rig that will hold two cameras on each side and allow for a book to be placed in the middle. Both covers will be at a 45 degree angle so each page can be photographed in high resolution without damaging the spine. I’m doing […]
Too Many Projects
There are at least 3 people in this neighborhood who collect old cars. One person has about 3-5 domestic cars from the 70s, another has a few French cars from what looks like the 60s, and another has around 4 French or European cars from the 70s or 80s. All but maybe one of these […]
Support Local Businesses?
I spent a good part of Saturday browsing around a mountain town with one of my friends. It’s been a long time since I explored local shops, and it was a bit of a treat. I naturally found myself thinking about economics, what it means to support local businesses, and whether it really matters. The […]