Why The Right Change Often Feels Wrong
On Tuesdays I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the lovely archive). This week’s question came from J.R.…
Category: Philosophy
On The Quest For Fun
Last week I saw Ian Bogost speak at Town Hall Seattle about his new book, Play Anything: The Pleasure…
The 7 Questions For Any Tradition
A tradition is simply a custom that has been passed down from one generation to another. Their longevity can…
Staying Sane In An Insane World
How would you explain the events of this year to someone from the year 2050 who time traveled to…
The Advice Paradox
“The ultimate question of any advice, rules, or traditions is, What do you ignore and why? No one can…
Designers, Morality and the AK-47
Recently Mike Monteiro wrote about whether the AK-47 is worthy of study for a design student. I agree and…
What Questions Never Leave You?
[Each Tuesday I take the top voted question from readers and answer it (submit yours here). With 119 votes, this week’s winner…
Why Small Ideas Can Matter More Than Big Ideas
[Originally published at Harvard Business as Does Size Matter For Ideas?] Americans are preoccupied by the size of things: big…
The Distraction-Free Life?
Maybe the challenge of modern life isn’t external distractions, but our lack of practice with concentration? I learned to…
Saving Your Creative Soul (video)
We share a mass confusion about creativity – why are ideas are so fun in our minds but so…
The Rules I Live By
[Note 12-5-17: this question came up this week for a 2nd time, with 368 votes, by Richard Ferrers, and…
Life as Reinvention
[Of the 247 kickstarter backers of The Ghost of My Father, there was one gold sponsor, contributing $1000 in…
My Next Book? The Atheist of Jerusalem
In 2012 I visited Jerusalem for the first time and had an amazing experience. I’ve long been a student…
Help wanted: researcher & photographer for next book
[THIS POSITION WAS FILLED. THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST] My latest book, The Ghost of My Father, is barely two…
Why Bad Odds Can Be Good For You
Sometimes I have an idea for something I want to make. When I mention it to friends, I eventually…
How To Get Out Of A Bad Habit
I regularly take the the top voted question from readers and answer them in a post. With 62 votes, today’s winner…
Why You Are Not Drowning In Data
[This essay appeared in issue #9 of Offscreen magazine] We love to blame the world because the world can’t…
Should you ban Woody Allen’s films?
The resurfacing of Woody Allen’s past is sad from many perspectives, amplified by how a daughter and a family…
When Did You Last Change Your Mind?
When was the last time you changed your mind about something important? As children we changed our minds frequently…
Why do we accept bad systems?
Each week I take the top voted question from readers and answer it. With 45 votes, this week’s winner was “Why…