Articles

A reflection on ninja movies, Nintendo classics, and why you can't always go home again.

Building a narrative generation engine that transforms Markdown into a static website, with analytics for voice, tags, and semantic relationships.

Have a plan and stick to it.

Exploration of how Congressional bills, tax policy, and debt accumulation reveal the importance of reading legislative details rather than relying on summaries, myths, and talking points.

How tech company perks are designed to keep employees at work forever, not to necessarily benefit them long-term.

A deep dive into the legacy and challenge of Contra, the classic video game, and what it teaches us about mastery and resilience.

The Daily Drucker. Organizational Theory. Insurance. Tom Cruise Movies. A story about culture, education, and the importance of diving deep into what you do.

A journey through note-taking systems from Roam Research to Notion, exploring how databases and daily notes can tame creative chaos without killing spontaneity.

Notes and highlights from Gotham Writers' Workshop's Writing Fiction guide—covering character desire, point of view, voice, theme, and the hard truths about revising and querying.

Channeling the Federalist Papers, and the perils of partisan drift in American democracy.

How efficiency can destroy the intangible magic that makes institutions and experiences meaningful.

An examination of Alibaba's Qwen AI model—how it challenges Western dominance in LLMs while revealing the complex intersection of technology, censorship, and geopolitics.

The Bear. Netflix. Mesa Grill Rolls. Cup 4 Cup. Yoda. Airborne Toxic Event. The Life Impossible. Brain Rot. Hemingway.

An intersection of AI writing tools, human creativity, and the experiment of building an automated writing system.

How keyboards, typewriters, and deliberate limitations shape the writing process and help projects reach completion.

How the St. Louis Cardinals' 2024 struggles illuminate the universal challenge of building momentum in baseball, business, and life.

Woodworking joys, cellar economics, and a father's reflection on celebrating his son's graduation with a 13-year-old bottle of wine from an imperfect but cherished DIY wine cellar.

A ten-year look at the gear that's never left my bag and the stories that ride along.

From Taylor Swift to the Apostle Thomas, a look at how easy labels obscure the fuller story of a life.

How ordinary words transform into extraordinary meanings—from Homer's 'epos' to modern 'epic,' and the perfectionist journey of editing and writing.

A detailed guide to smoking ribs using the Texas Crunch 3-2-1 method, but it's really about passion, attention to detail, and commitment to excellence.

A love letter to the Ryman Auditorium—its history, improbable survival, and the artists who keep its pews humming.

Reflecting on the attacks, the allure of conspiracy theories, and the duty to guard the truth.

Tracing casting tapes, box office shocks, and the rush of imitators sparked by Star Wars.

Parsing the Cardinals' 2023 sell-off, the metrics behind it, and why the blueprint missed.

Dive into the world of panda diplomacy, and the fast fashion industry's challenges.

From Luke Combs’ clover to Taylor Swift’s stadium takeover, a night-by-night look at Music City’s record-breaking shows.

Rediscovering the 1987 Topps set, gum dust and all.

A review of Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead, a modern reimagining of David Copperfield set in rural Appalachia.

Rafael Nadal, Jack Morris, and a Baseball Myth with a Hint of Truth.

A reflection on high-frequency trading, moral choices in tech, and the short story it inspired.

Comparing Scott Rolen and Don Mattingly through stats, lore, and Hall of Fame debates.

Why Gatsby keeps shifting with age, and what old typewriters still teach us about craft.

Playing with the machine. A true step forward in the advancement of digital assistants.

Mike Leach, you will be remembered.

Testing an earth battery to keep a novel honest—because some scenes deserve a real-world trial run.

Reflections on Roam Research, smart notes, and making knowledge systems work.

A masterclass on writing craft through analysis of Russian short stories.

Reflecting on family photos, missing negatives, and the father who documented every moment from behind the camera.

A Smokies travelogue, a bear encounter, and a plea to fund the park before the commons break.

The transformation and origins of the Peace Prayer inspired by Saint Thomas Assisi. Words do matter. And reverberate into eternity.

Book notes from How To Live, by Derek Sivers. A tangible book that reflects the advice and values it conveys.

Reading Mike Duncan's history of the late Roman Republic and jotting down the parallels, missteps, and cautionary tales.

Going back to Nintendo’s Punch-Out!! Yes, almost 30 years later …

A trip to Lanai. One of the best places on earth. Please don’t go here, keep the place special.

A comprehensive guide to Acadia National Park, featuring hiking trails, sunrise views, and the ultimate lobster roll challenge in Maine.

Catching up on a decade of writing, from Knights of Legend to The Day Life Breaks.

The story behind The Day Life Breaks, an unfinished editing project with an interesting crowdsourcing experiment and mysterious correlation.

A detailed analysis of HR1, the 791-page voting rights bill, and the dangers of omnibus legislation that centralizes power and limits who can run for office.

Transforming a wobbly oak table into shelves, tinkering with wooden rings, and embracing imperfect experiments.

Given in 2005, Steve Job's commencement speech is the most watched in history.

How constraints, serial releases, and fresh art keep a long-running story alive in the Kindle era.

What would it look like if it were easy? A question to ponder.

A brief synopsis of American Lion, the times of Andrew Jackson the 7th President of the United States. And Hermitage pictures.

Modeling a clone of your own writing, the ups and downs of machine learning for creativity and story creation.

Reflections on the Capitol insurrection, rhetorical excess, and the resilience of American democracy.

Tracing the rise of QAnon, anonymous image boards, and the real-world harm born from conspiracy fantasies.

Belated thoughts on Kylo and Rey's adventure. Star Wars will stand the test of time, despite the latest trilogy. The lore fills in the gaps, logic leaps abound.

Debunking conspiracy theories and reclaiming sanity from social media noise.

Reflecting on Jefferson's razor-cut gospel and the questions it raises about faith, privacy, and study.

Wishing for the world to return, thoughts on the loss of live music.

Notes from David Sinclair’s Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To. A book on longevity.

Memories of Notre Dame and hopes for the future after the fire.

Nuances in the English language and why it’s OK to make a writing mistake now and then.

How to build habits that last. James Clear’s book is a treasure.

Notes and thoughts on Ryan Holiday's book describing the events from Bollea v. Gawker. A conspiracy theory exploring the downfall of Gawker Media.

Notes from Doris Kearns Goodwin’s history of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in wartime.

Franklin Roosevelt’s first inaugural address, introduced with a reminder of why its courage still matters.

My favorite concerts of 2018 including Drew Holcomb, Taylor Swift, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, and more.

Revisiting Spielberg’s adaptation and Ernest Cline’s novel through 80s nostalgia, VR quests, and what might have been.

Music festival rain out saved by a true lover of music. Sheer will. Pushing new artists to the forefront. May you play forever, Brandi Carlile.

Overview and notes on Valter Longo's Longevity Diet.

What would you do if you only had twenty-four hours in Paris?

Notes from Anything You Want, a book written by Derek Sivers. Lessons on business, entrepreneurship, and life.

Old tech nostalgia collides with Flash’s rise, fall, and the beliefs it captured.

Rediscovering albums, gear, and lessons learned from spinning records.

Wreckless Eric's masterpiece, a song for the ages. How do you measure success? Think the long game.

A tour of the places that shaped Jason Sheridan—and the writing behind him.

Cliff notes from the book of Ecclesiastes. Carpe Diem - Seize the day.

A nostalgic look at the Switch launch and what makes Nintendo's hardware magical.

The greatest illusion. Child magic lasts forever.

The importance of copyright for writers and creatives, and how to make a formal claim through the U.S. Copyright Office.

Weighing conviction, risk, value, time, and mission before saying yes to the next big project.

How the Sisyphus Effect illustrates the importance of recognition and feedback in preventing workplace and personal demotivation.

A quick look at why markets reward diversification even when focus drives better margins.

A return to Kennedy Space Center, a walk beneath Atlantis, and a reminder of the risks and rewards of exploration.

Technical reviews, always good to revisit as technology keeps changing year over year.

William Faulkner’s Nobel speech still calls writers back to courage and the human heart.

Catching up on classic films during the holidays after cutting the cord.

Running Mackinac Island's Lilac 10K and chasing fudge-fueled memories.

Why Hamilton’s defense of the Electoral College still matters—and how it shaped a turbulent election season.

Blue Zone life lessons. A book review of The Blue Zones, analyzing the commonalities among centenarians and practical advice for living longer.

The achievements and setbacks of space travel.

Building a backyard electromagnet with my son, sparks, missteps, and all.

Lasting books, a comparison of the Gutenberg Library to the NY Times Best Seller List.

Harry's return proves a play can still feel like magic.

Ripping out ornamental shrubs and replacing them with raspberries, grapes, and heirloom veggies—less curb appeal, more dinner.

My favorite commencement speech. Anyone who creates from the ether should watch monthly.

On the Goo Goo Dolls, the enduring pull of “Iris,” and why creating despite writer’s block still matters.

A flow-state running playlist inspired by Josh Waitzkin, knights, and a dose of 80s rock.

The sights and sounds of Hawaii’s oldest island.

The ask now speech. We lived in a different age then. Words do matter.

How often do you look at someone’s shoes?

Why every manuscript needs multiple passes, multiple readers, and the humility to start again.

The good life, death of Mr. Creedy, and pondering negative visualization.

As a fan of the game, this is my favorite speech. Branch Rickey's timeless speech about Ty Cobb and what makes a baseball player great.

The MBA final project, business simulation. How the philosophy of Better Done Than Good can beat a well thought out business strategy. Think big. Be bold.

Five mystery novels whose finales truly surprise, plus a nod to the hard-working authors behind them.

The importance of moveable type.

Building the map for Silver Throne and revisiting the cartography that sparked the journey.

Celebrating Skype’s animated reactions and the little UX touches that keep conversations fun.

The importance of writing down your resolutions.

The story of painting a book cover.

Tony Stark, meet Walt Disney—your true inspiration.

On children’s songs, runaway drafts, and trusting other eyes to tame the monsters.

Remembering a patient shop teacher while building a dream table and embracing imperfect craft.

Revisiting timeless children’s books for writing inspiration and remembering why their stories endure.

Corrections, tips, and gear notes: Chemex, Kalita Wave, Intelligentsia, Acaia.

Project inspiration—writing for an audience of one.

Momentum matters in sports.

Why Zion and Kolob Canyon top my list of national park adventures.

A good mantra in life is to not buy in the first place, getting rid of stuff takes hard work. The story of cleaning out a basement and the lessons learned about consumerism.

Adding Capitol Reef and Canyonlands to the Utah road trip paid off in food, views, and surprises.

A personal reflection on being told you're overweight by the BMI metric, exploring the flaws of this measurement system while accepting the challenge to chase BMI 24.

Some institutions should last forever.

The Princess Bride might be one of the greatest flicks of all time. Sword fights. Giants. Revenge. And True Love. Reading Cary Elwes's book was a great trip down memory lane.

Shoes, podcasts, and the rituals that keep—or derail—a runner’s rhythm.

Building a blog with Ghost and Azure Web Services with my kid. Building a website, playing with machine learning, virtual machines, and Content Management Systems.

Making the perfect french fry.

Why writing a novel is far harder than it looks, and why it’s worth finishing anyway.

Six personal principles for getting blog posts out the door.

Pour-over brew guide and roaster recommendations.

Believing in the impossible changes your mindset.

At least for me, exercise matters little.

“It was a bright, cold day in April and the clocks were striking 13.” And other great opening lines.

Reliving SEC heartbreak, leaning into the curse, and rallying for another season of Mizzou football hope.

The power of Possibility Days.

The world is changing. It always is. Adapt and play a role in the changes happening around us.

Remembering Rome, Washington, and the everyday sparks that keep wonder alive.

Old technology reviews, a time capsule of yesteryear and an ode to moving.

Clearing your head and life long learning.

The safety razor. A father's journey from modern cartridge razors back to the traditional safety razor, discovering the art and economics of proper shaving.

Thinking back, the ending hit the right cord and keeps with the theme that it is not ourselves that matter. It is who we impact that lives on. Highly recommended.

A look at Eric Schlosser's Command and Control, the Damascus accident, and the people who guarded America's largest ICBM.

Comparing kids' Christmas wishes in 1913 vs 2013 and what that says about time, value, and memory.

A lifelong Mizzou fan vents about decades of heartbreak—and dares to believe anyway.

Mobile computing and the world of video games. A father's journey into Animal Crossing with his son, discovering the addictive nature of Nintendo's charming life simulation game.

Nothing wrong with printing a good book ...

A reader's manifesto on the scams, history, and hard-won lessons inside the global olive oil trade.

Picking sides between Bernard Malamud's grim novel and the movie's sparks-filled finale—and why the myth matters.

Lehane is really good at this writing business. Outside of Mystic River, this might be his best.

Five observations from the 2012 election—from demographics to the Electoral College.

A critical analysis of the 2012 presidential election, stimulus package, and the need for big ideas in American politics.

Thoughts on doing what you love and working hard to achieve excellence.

Reflections on autism and acceptance through the lens of Ferdinand the Bull.