There’s no getting around that deciding if something is positive or negative means judging it. If you want to avoid judging, thinking positively undermines your goals. If you can’t think of an alternative, you’ll conclude thinking positively is your best option because it’s your only option. But that conclusion just indicates sloppy or incomplete thinking. Sloppy thinking like that reminds me of some criticism someone gave me when I was[…] Keep reading →

Fred Wilson, a prominent New York City based venture capitalist, wrote about the size of the New York City technology sector in terms of number of jobs. I couldn’t help but think about a major issue about New York’s technology sector compared to other markets — the competition for talent with money coming from banking, finance, media, etc. While some people love working in start-ups and would never do otherwise,[…] Keep reading →

A reader contacted me and suggested I read the book “Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story,” by Jim Holt. The author writes for the New Yorker among other things, which implies I’ll enjoy his writing. The book promised to explore the question why the universe exists as opposed to not existing. Why being and not nothingness. I borrowed the book from the library. I hadn’t considered its[…] Keep reading →

I looked forward to reporting on running the marathon yesterday. After at least 300 miles training without incident or injury, I hurt my foot last week — I don’t think anything permanent, but enough to make running impossible. I put off deciding as long as I could, but with a heavy heart and tears almost welling in my eyes on as beautiful a fall day as you could hope for,[…] Keep reading →

I followed a link to an interesting site I recommend visiting: seeyourfolks.com. Check it out. Most of the comments I saw on it found the site depressing — an unwanted, surprising reminder of their mortality and how little they expected to see of their parents. I found it an effective site, but I hope the people who found it depressing reconsider their responses. The site didn’t tell you anything you[…] Keep reading →

The other day I passed a guy blowing leaves with a gasoline-powered leaf blower on a paved area in a park by City Hall. This post isn’t about him. It’s about us, including you. What is wrong with us? We buy oil from countries we have adversarial relations with, pollute the environment, create loud, unpleasant noise, so a fat person can work less, and cart away what would create topsoil,[…] Keep reading →

[I’m testing out something new for this page — to comment on current events or other opinion/editorial from the perspective of this blog on Fridays. My goal is to counter the common practice that other media generate readers and viewers by promoting outrage, fear, indignation, and so forth. It gets them but it fills their lives with emotions they probably don’t want. I want to help people feel more calm[…] Keep reading →