My building’s routine maintenance project that began keeping residents from roof access last March is now extended to this March, as my building manager informed residents earlier this month. The delays mean I have to keep walking ten or fifteen minutes each way to Washington Square Park to charge. Argh. The building manager wrote me in early December, “The plan is for the work to be completed in December.” So[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: Land Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn’t, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies, by Michael Albertus: As a podcast host, I receive many promotions of books, companies, etc from publishers and others. This book came to me in one of them. It comes out next month. In my book I explore how our culture came to be how it is, in particular, how we[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: Meditation for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts, by podcast guest Oliver Burkeman: I loved his book Four Thousand Weeks and I loved this book. I see it describing how to look at and respond to our culture and my life without getting caught up in its pressure to make me feel like I’m not enough, that I don’t[…] Keep reading →

People erroneously contrast individual action with systemic change, like doing one hampers you from doing the other. Do they think musicians practicing their instruments prevent the orchestra from practicing together? Systemic change is not the opposite of individual action. If you rationalize and justify living against your values because in some way you’re doing what culture around you does, you’ve been corrupted. If you don’t live by your values, you’ve[…] Keep reading →

I don’t think I’ve seen a sign with this phrase: “Pollution makes me sick,” but I think it would work. The most popular one seems to be “There Is No Planet B.” I just thought the words and realized they carried more meaning than just their immediate meaning. Then I started thinking of alternative phrasings. I think they all work to some degree: Pollution makes me sick Pollution is sickening[…] Keep reading →

I haven’t heard anyone in medicine question the effects of pollution from our medical system on people outside the care facility. What about people harmed by plastic, emissions, and other pollution? They may be affected for centuries and all over the world. I don’t know anyone who calls America’s medical system unwasteful. Every time I walk into a doctor’s office I expect to see each care-person use half a dozen[…] Keep reading →

Yesterday I listed sustainability tactics based on extrinsic motivation that fail sustainability and drive unsustainability. Today, I’ll list emotions about nature I often hear doing the Spodek Method that, when acted on, lead to people doing more than they said they would, expressing gratitude, and being happy to share. I just wrote those items in ten or twenty minutes. I’ll add to the list as I come up with more.

The number one topic of my book is freedom and liberty. In my view, science, technology, market reforms, and legislation follow from freedom and liberty. Without freedom and liberty, you can’t have the other things, but without them you can still have freedom and liberty. Pollution destroys life, liberty, and property. Our Constitution was built on a premise that a role of government is to protect life, liberty, and property.[…] Keep reading →

Podcast guest Brent Suter plays for his hometown team the Cincinnati Reds and the Reds played the Yankees last night in Yankee Stadium. Brent and I have recorded three episodes so far. We’ve kept in touch since recording too. I asked him if I could see him at the game. He arranged for me and some family members to meet him on the field at Yankee Stadium for batting practice[…] Keep reading →