Category Archives: Tips

This week’s selected media: January 28, 2024: Superabundance, The Population Bomb, War Is a Racket, Finding the Mother Tree, Gandhi. Wow, a lot in a week!

on January 28, 2024 in Tips

This week was overcast and rainy nearly every day. I barely caught rays so had to ration electric power, meaning a lot of reading and listening to books on my phone, which uses less power. I’m writing this post fast since it’s raining again and barely have power left. I finished this week: Superabundance by Marian Tupy and Gale Pooley for the Cato Institute: I knew the premise of the[…] Keep reading →

This week’s selected media: The Social Life of Forests, Oppenheimer

on January 21, 2024 in Tips

This week I finished: The Social Life of Forests, by Ferris Jabr, about Suzanne Simard: This six-thousand-word New York Times article asks: “Trees appear to communicate and cooperate through subterranean networks of fungi. What are they sharing with one another?” and profiles a scientist at the forefront of studying forests. I came to it following up reading The Overstory, since one of its characters is based on Simard. Here’s an[…] Keep reading →

This week’s selected media: January 14, 2024: Take the Lead

on January 14, 2024 in Tips

This week I finished: Take the Lead, by Sasha DiGiulian: The author is one of the premier climbers today. The book describes her journey from childhood to winning too many competitions to count and being the first to climb many faces around the world, along with the fame that comes with it. My nephew loves climbing and she went to college where I did (Columbia), so when her team sent[…] Keep reading →

This week’s selected media: January 7, 2024: Overstory, Melancholia, Superabundance videos

on January 7, 2024 in Tips

This week I read and watched: The Overstory, by Richard Powers: People recommended this long novel for a while, saying I’d like it for being about nature. I didn’t find it boring, but didn’t get it either for the most part. I found the language distracting. I prefer the grammar and syntax not to call attention to itself, away from the meaning. I don’t find ecoterrorism appealing. The author did[…] Keep reading →

Christmas trees being thrown away after a few days’ use, part 1. Lovely pagan tradition, people.

on January 2, 2024 in Habits, Nature, Tips

What would Jesus do? Would he kill trees in a Pagan tradition for a few days and then put them in the garbage, like this? It’s January 2 and my neighborhood is swimming in dead trees people used for a couple weeks. I know people are just starting to throw away their Christmas Pagan trees, so I’ll post these few now and update with more. Why? So you can remember[…] Keep reading →

This week’s selected media: December 31, 2023: Drug Dealer, MD; Supernova in the East; Flags of our Fathers; Letters From Iwo Jima; Video Sales Letter Training; Urban Cycling

on December 31, 2023 in Tips

This week I finished: Drug Dealer, MD, by Anna Lembke: She wrote this book before Dopamine Nation, which I finished last week. You know someone likes a book when after finishing it he reads the author’s previous book the next week. Drug Dealer, MD wasn’t as personal as Dopamine Nation, but described the growth of addiction well. She described the systemic forces driving doctors, insurance companies, government, medical associations, patients,[…] Keep reading →

My Second Winter Solstice: Over 1.5 Years Unplugged From the Electric Grid (and counting). More freedom than ever.

on December 21, 2023 in Freedom, Tips

Today is my second winter solstice relying on solar for my electrical power. Tomorrow I’ll have more daylight than today, not counting clouds. Last year I couldn’t believe I was making it as long as I was and was going to NYU several times a week to power my phone and computer. I didn’t notice, but last week began my sixth month since my last electric bill. This year, courtesy[…] Keep reading →

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