You may remember me posting about Two personal bests in a week: Freedom, in which I jumped 8.4 pounds (3.8 kilograms) in my Turkish get-up to 70 pounds, plus lifted more in my presses. I think I commented that part of why I tried it when I did was because it was the end of a month with 31 days. I do a six-day exercise cycle starting on the first[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton: I’m sure I’ve written about this book before. I first read it when I was CEO of Submedia, so over twenty years ago. I’ve given away more copies of this book than any other that I didn’t write. I reread it now because it’s the choice for the book club[…] Keep reading →

I joined a group trying to find ways to fly less. One of the themes of the group was to show that “taking the train is just as good as flying.” I found this approach counterproductive. It set flying as the norm and other ways of traveling as alternatives. I think some people saw flying as the best and other ways of traveling as trying to measure up as best[…] Keep reading →

I’ve written and recorded a bunch lately on the peaches and heirloom tomatoes I’ve been eating tons of lately because people don’t take them. Here are those posts: I took a picture of the tomatoes so people could see how some are bruised and the skin broken. Maybe many people would find them unacceptable. In the picture below, the one in the upper left is pretty bruised, but didn’t lose[…] Keep reading →

I wrote last month about how I love recognition for my work and friendships that others pay for, like going on the field for batting practice. This time I can’t help sharing about access to another big New York City institution. A friend works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It turns out that since Wednesday is their maintenance day, it’s closed to the public but open to staff and[…] Keep reading →

I’m deep into writing my next book. It takes a lot of work, and I don’t just mean time and attention. As part of the process, I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art today. I wanted to see finished great works of art to inspire me, but I also hoped to see something in particular, and I found some examples. I wanted to see sketches and studies. Sometimes a[…] Keep reading →

I’d been thinking about pets. When most people lived on farms or hunted, they played a functional role, at least I think. Today, they’re more of a self-indulgence. Yes, we love them. We don’t know if they have consciousness or can love, but we believe they love us back. They seem to enjoy life, which is an end to itself, even if they don’t serve any function for us. Still,[…] Keep reading →

Late summer means produce at peak ripeness, especially peaches and heirloom tomatoes. Regular readers of my blog and subscribers to my newsletter have read of how my volunteering to bring overstock food from stores to places that give it to anyone for free has led to my getting for free amounts I can barely keep up eating that people turn down. This episode shares a saga of my confusion and exasperation[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: The Problem of Social Cost, by R. H. Coase: I heard about this paper months ago, or maybe years. I read it because it came up in the Cato Institute podcast I wrote about in Libertarians confused on pollution, sacrificing their core values. At the root: lack of hands-on practical experience. I believe I see Coase’s starting point that conflicts don’t necessarily mean one person harming[…] Keep reading →