Everything Else (3)

3 Reasons Against Ad Blockers

Ad blockers are popular. Yet, they’re also a problem. They’re a problem that can be broken into three sub-problems, sub-problems that speak not only against the use of ad blockers but argue against their existence.

Published on May 31, 2019, filed under .

The cover of “199 Love Haiku.”

199 Love Haiku (the Book)

In 2016, I wrote 1,000 short poems, haiku-style. I wrote those poems to challenge myself as a writer. I launched a website for the haiku and I shared the story. Today, I’ve published the 199 haiku that a few friends and I liked the most as a book.

Published on April 9, 2019, filed under and .

What Happened on Google+, the Philosophy Archives

Google+ is shutting down, pulling everything with it. I’ve used Google+. And although I’ve changed and would put a few things differently now, I decided to archive a few of the somewhat philosophical Google+ posts.

Published on March 8, 2019, filed under and .

2018

A retrospective.

Published on December 31, 2018, filed under .

Survival of the Primitive

Is ours a highly evolved culture?

Published on December 16, 2018, filed under and .

Why Being a Digital Nomad Sucks (to Me)

For countless years has it been a thing to romanticize the lifestyle of digital and global nomads, of people who live and work remotely. I believe there’s also much to question.

Published on June 19, 2018, filed under and .

Highlights From “Advice to Young Men” (William Cobbett)

“The first thing to be required of a man is, that he understand well his own calling, or profession; and, be you in what state of life you may, to acquire this knowledge ought to be your first and greatest care.”

Published on February 1, 2018, filed under .

On Loyalty

We should be protective of our greatest possession—our values.

Published on January 27, 2018, filed under .

Oh WTF My Tone, or: On Germans Speaking English

Anecdote. When I was working at Google, shortly after I had made one of my first bigger contributions, I experienced one of my more memorable performance reviews. You’ll never guess what happened next.

Published on January 17, 2018, filed under .

Highlights From “The Elements of Style” (William Strunk Jr.)

“Consciously or unconsciously, the reader is dissatisfied with being told only what is not; he wishes to be told what is.”

Published on January 15, 2018, filed under and .

On Meeting and Leaving People

Humans are social. Cooperation got us where we are. There are several ways to get to know new people, and, in relationships, to leave them. A few thoughts.

Published on December 30, 2017, filed under .

On Writing 1,000 Poems

A story of venturing into an entirely different genre.

Published on December 17, 2017, filed under and .

Privacy Experiments: How to Auto-Generate Random Web Traffic

I believe that privacy, which has never been about “hiding something,” is a fundamental civil right, one that is but must not be infringed on; so I once more played with randomizing personal web traffic.

Published on December 15, 2017, filed under .

What Happens When You Email the Companies That Are Responsible for 71% of All Greenhouse Gas Emissions

A few months ago I ran into an article referring to data from the Carbon Disclosure Project. I realized that the data may have been inaccurate and incomplete but also that it presented an avenue for us to actually do, a little.

Published on September 28, 2017, filed under .

What Happens When You Email Each of the 1,380 Members of the German and European Parliaments

Over the last couple of months I have emailed, each individually, all the 631 members of the (departing) German Bundestag as well as 749 members of the European Parliament (I was short two MEPs).

Published on September 27, 2017, filed under .

Why It Would Be Bad If Jesus Was Here

Arguing is something we have to learn. I observed this particularly in recent years when I started studying philosophy and went through courses for logic and argumentation theory. These courses…

Published on September 20, 2017, filed under and .

Living Websites, Living Books

To me, websites are living objects. They require regular care and maintenance. Such care starts with monitoring, from uptime control to visual site tests, demands technical quality control, and ends with content checks…

Published on August 17, 2017, filed under and .

Highlights From Martin’s “The Behavior of Crowds”

“When most of our neighbors are motivated by certain ideas, those ideas become part of the social environment to which we must adjust ourselves. In this sense they are ‘real,’ however â€˜crazy.’”

Published on June 28, 2017, filed under .

Why I’m Suspending Interviews With U.S. Companies

Over the last few quarters I was in conversations to move back to the United States. Over the last few weeks I noticed that that would feel like endorsing U.S. policy, and contradict my principles and values.

Published on June 13, 2017, filed under .

The Simple Answer to Our Terrorism Problems

How about we stop invading countries and murdering people. How about we allow those who are too afraid to live in freedom to live in supermax prisons (for free). And how about we finally remove from office who ever proposes to violate a human right.

Published on June 9, 2017, filed under .

On Work

On work, retirement, definitions, and mixing things up.

Published on April 26, 2017, filed under .

Highlights From Lippmann’s “Public Opinion”

“Who actually saw, heard, felt, counted, named the thing, about which you have an opinion? Was it the man who told you, or the man who told him, or someone still further removed? And how much was he permitted to see?”

Published on April 5, 2017, filed under .

My Top 10 Android Apps

Years ago, in 2009, I wrote an enthusiastic post about my then-favorite apps for Android. More for fun than anything I decided to write a follow-up.

Published on March 29, 2017, filed under .

Foreigners Are Heroes

Foreigners to our countries—expats, immigrants, refugees—are heroes. Foreigners, people like you and I, add to our lives and our cultures. Foreigners deserve our respect and our support.

Published on March 21, 2017, filed under .

A Digital Charta

When we think about it, although we live in a time of rights violations we don’t lack good intent, nor good law. That leads us to a particular initiative, the Digital Charta.

Published on February 6, 2017, filed under .

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