If an adult wants to smoke in their home, that’s their business. If they give themselves lung cancer, that’s their choice, assuming their sickness doesn’t tax others who didn’t choose. Likewise, if people want to consume doof, that’s their business too. But if someone smokes where others who don’t or can’t consent to breathing that smoke, or if someone too young to know the long-term results of their choices smokes,[…] Keep reading →

I passed through Chinatown this afternoon and passed countless produce stands selling fresh vegetables and fruit. A while ago I read in the New York Times that many stands there have a separate supply chain for their fresh produce that’s grown relatively locally independent of the supply chain for other grocery stores or farmers markets in the city. While Chinatown is full of produce stands, the rest of New York[…] Keep reading →

We’ve all seen the graphs and data of rising obesity. People get riled up about it. I have no problem with people living by their values when their choices affect only themselves. I pick up litter daily and hear from Workshop alumni and podcast guests who pledge to pick up litter. They sometimes cry when their hands-on practical experience leads them to see and consciously process what they usually look[…] Keep reading →

People act as if flying is necessary for life. I sometimes list people who have never flown. Here’s a short list from a recent presentation I created: Maybe it’s just me, but they seem like people who accomplished meaningful things. I was curious about Lincoln: had he traveled overseas? I knew Jefferson, Franklin, and other Founding Fathers had spent time in Europe, meaning sailing across the Atlantic multiple times. I[…] Keep reading →

It’s been almost ten years since I posted Why Sriracha Hot Sauce tastes good. In it I wrote: Progress report on enjoying food over doof I don’t think I’ve tasted it in the decade since. Then in my volunteer work salvaging food that would be thrown away, I ended up with a jar to deliver. It had been opened, so I had a chance to taste it. It’s been years[…] Keep reading →

On March 23, 2016 my flight arrived in JFK from Paris. Since then, I challenged myself to go a year without flying. I expected it to become the worst year of my life, or at least miserable: I could list more fears, but I can summarize that I considered flying an unalloyed good. If you feel you can’t live without flying, that your family will disown you, etc, believe it[…] Keep reading →

Months ago, when I read Adam Alter’s book and hosted him on the podcast, I learned that executives of social media companies often don’t let their children use the services they work for. They know they design them to addict. I recently saw an old friend who works at Facebook. He has two kids. I asked him if he let them use Facebook. He said “no,” with a look of:[…] Keep reading →

Living more sustainably isn’t hard. Our human ancestors did it for 250,000 years. Our non-human ancestors did it for billions. Most life forms do, maybe all except we modern humans. Living more sustainably in a culture that for whatever lip service it falsely pays to sustainability rewards the opposite is hard. Then the problem is people—that is, social and emotional, not technical. After all, it costs less, requires less time,[…] Keep reading →

I’m curious if anyone wants to share their intuition, how they are living their lives, not necessarily people who research the state of the earth, but what you think for yourself and your children, if any: Do you think tomorrow—that is, the future in general—will be more or less healthy, safe, and secure than today? I haven’t researched the question, but I’d bet for all of human existence, nearly all[…] Keep reading →