Recently I came across a review of the movie Whiplash by Adam Neely, a YouTuber who wanted to talk about it from a jazz musician’s perspective. The entire reaction is definitely worth watching, because Adam goes through some of the culture of Jazz musicians that the movie definitely misses. But it was this part that really struck a nerve with …
Worst Nightmare
Photo by David Spiers on UnsplashThe thing about dreams is that there’s no way to tell what they’re like for anyone else. Trying to explain what happens in your dreams seems nearly impossible, as words don’t often seem to capture the sense of scope or scale. The XKCD comic is absolutely perfect: https://xkcd.com/430/ My dreams are vivid. The colors are …
More Than Just A Jeep
“That’s a boss rig, man.” I was coming out of the gas station, back towards my truck that was sitting at the refueling pumps, my trailer carefully parked so that others could get their own cars and trucks in between the pumps. My Jeep sat high on top of the trailer, immovable via 3” straps from the axles to giant …
The Honorary Doctorate – The Participation Trophy of Academia
Should people who get an honorary doctorate use it as a title? Is it okay, or are they just valor-stealing participation-trophy poser monkeys
LTTP Reviews – Flowers for Algernon
In a return to “Late to the Party Reviews,” we revisit the nostalgia of Flowers for Algernon and see if it holds up to the memory.
Written Exceptionalism
How do you know when something is truly exceptional?
Nothing To Hide: Redux
The specter of secret recordings of university professors once again opens the door to the loss of individual rights and freedoms.
The Mysterious Hard Drive
It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but something happened over the weekend that is prompting me to write a blog that I believe is worth spreading far and wide. You see, over the weekend I found myself the unexpected caretaker of a complete stranger’s digital life. Through a strange set of circumstances, I found myself in possession of his …
Quora: How Do I Stop Myself From Oversharing?
An interesting question on Quora came up, and I thought I’d try my hand at answering: How do I stop myself from impulsively oversharing deep and personal sad stuff about myself to people who barely know me? Why do I do this? So, putting on my “armchair psychiatrist” hat, I thought I’d write a response. It’s a very straightforward question that …
Quora Question: How Do Contextual Clues Help The Communication Process?
A Quora question asks about how context affects communication.
Quora: Why Am I So Scared of Competition?
A Quora question that seems to reflect some current trends, bred into children in schools nowadays.
The Name Game and Spam Connections: The “Jaweed Scenario”
I have an unusual name. I like my name, but I admit that it’s unusual. I often get people that I don’t know me try to fudge by using my middle name – and often get it wrong. While my middle name is Michel, I can understand why people (non-francophones, obviously) will call it “Michael.” But I don’t go by my middle …
Is Disney’s “Song of the South” Really A Problem?
Disney will not release Song of the South on Disney+, no matter what. This is a shame.
Not Always What It Seems – A Vignette in Patience
“Oh god, it’s going to be one of those flights!”
Moment of Zen: Sounds from a Small Town Barbershop
Moment of Zen: Small Town Barbershop.