Every now and then I find myself in an emotional spiral. While complete and constant self-awareness will never come naturally to me, I have at times used a technique that helps me escape and reset. I'm sure there's some long-known psychology term for this, but I call it my check out / check in method. It looks something like this: When I'm running too hot, I check out. I take a break from whatever is causing me stress.
Like most people on the planet, I've been using ChatGPT lately. It has been really neat to learn how this technology works and how to interact with it for best results. I've also been taking a mathematics class at the local college and I thought I would try out a few of the homework problems with ChatGPT. It didn't go well. Here's a pretty simple problem that deals with probabilities:
I have a blog. Since you're here, it's pretty clear that you know this. I've had a blog for awhile now. I've also had absolutely no direction when it comes to what content or value my blog provides. What should I write? Should I write? I feel like I know a little about a lot of things, but there are very few non-niche things that I know a lot about. The areas where I do have some knowledge are not particularly interesting to discuss.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is an exceptional book that explores the complex relationships between two childhood friends and their shared passion for video game design. The book is a stunning achievement that delves deep into the world of game design and provides a fresh and unique perspective on the creative process. The story is expertly crafted and beautifully written, making it an engaging and thought-provoking read.
Truth, a necessary building block in any society, is eroding and splintering in the United States of America. Truth is a fundamental expectation within a society. If that society cannot determine and agree on what is true, economic and cultural progress will be difficult if not elusive. Philosophers have debated over the topic of truth for thousands of years and those debates tend to wade into the deeper meaning and origins of truth.
The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston is a captivating read that digs into the world of anthropology and exploration. The book tells the story of an expedition to Honduras in search of a lost city that is believed to be the home of an ancient civilization. The journey is led by a team of scientists and archaeologists who are determined to uncover the secrets of this lost city and its people.
The problem of evil is a reconciliation of the existence of evil with a God that is benevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient. If an all-knowing, all-powerful, wholly good God exists, why is there evil in the universe? If God has these traits, why has he allowed evil to exist? This is an important issue in the philosophy of religion, as it is fundamental to Christianity and better understanding God. This paper will discuss the problem of evil and argue against the existence of a benevolent and omnipotent creator of the universe.
In the 1990s the internet was regularly called the Information Superhighway, most notably by former Vice-President Al Gore. The internet was being discussed as a way to connect millions of people to others and anything they could imagine: shopping, encyclopedias, massive piles of data, even their friends and loved ones. While that still holds true today, some of the most popular corners of the internet have strayed from that definition. According to Statista, a company that specializes in consumer data, Facebook has over 2.
Capitalism was once thought of to bring a country into a prosperous era, and in many ways it has. However, it is now becoming apparent that this economic system has many negative side-effects. Capitalism significantly rewards business owners and job creators but tends to leave the working class behind, and as such economic inequality has grown in America. The further this inequality grows, the harder it becomes to justify that capitalism is morally good. In this paper I argue that capitalism should be reassessed through a lens of utilitarianism to determine if it still can be considered a moral good.
The mind-body problem is the philosophical problem of how our minds and bodies relate to one another. This is important because it attempts to answer the questions of consciousness and what it means to be human. There are two primary beliefs within the mind-body problem, dualism and monism. Dualism is the belief that the mind and body are two distinct entities. Monism is the belief that mind and body manifest from a single entity.
Longitude by Dava Sobel is a well-written and expertly researched book that tells the story of John Harrison and his quest to solve one of the greatest scientific challenges of his time: determining longitude at sea. The book is both a history of the problem of longitude and a biography of Harrison, who was a remarkable inventor and craftsman. The story begins in the 18th century, when sailors were still relying on the position of the stars and the sun to navigate the seas.
The Address Book by Deirdre Mask is a thought-provoking read that delves into the history and meaning of addresses. Mask expertly guides the reader through the evolution of addresses, from ancient times to the present day, and how they have shaped the way we interact with the world around us. One of the things I appreciate most about this book is Mask's ability to make complex historical and sociological concepts accessible to the general reader.
The Devil in the White City is two stories expertly weaved together. The first story is the tale of the Devil - H.H. Holmes, a con artist and one of America's first serial killers. Holmes had quite the twisted story - insurance fraud, unethical medical experiments, bigamy, and murder are just a short list of the nefarious things that later made him infamous. The second revolves around the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
In The Consuming Fire, Scalzi builds on a fun, fast, political story of an empire nearing ruin. If you haven't, I recommend reading The Collapsing Empire first. Not only does this story pick up just moments after the first book but I feel that neither of these work well as stand-alone novels. These are stories that are working towards something much bigger, which is how I feel more series should be written.
Nick Bilton's American Kingpin is a spellbinding journey into the dark and intriguing world of the Silk Road, a notorious online marketplace that pushed the boundaries of technology, liberty, and morality. This gripping true crime narrative takes readers on a rollercoaster ride through the rise and fall of Ross Ulbricht, the enigmatic figure behind the Silk Road. Bilton's storytelling prowess shines brightly in this meticulously researched and brilliantly executed book.
Michael Crichton’s Airframe delivers a relentless blend of suspense, technical precision, and corporate drama that grips from the first chapter and doesn’t let go. Set within the complex and often opaque world of aviation manufacturing, the novel follows a high-stakes investigation into a mysterious midair incident—one that threatens to upend a major aircraft deal and reputations along with it. What makes Airframe so compelling isn’t just its pacing—though Crichton keeps the tension simmering with near-perfect control—but its detailed, almost documentary-like insight into the inner workings of the airline industry.
A very cold planet in No Mans SkyWell, it never really left. I'm the one that left. I loved the space exploration part but that got old pretty fast. I played it on PS4 when it came out and it felt a bit shallow and underwhelming. Now I'm starting over on the Xbox One X and I have to admit, the 4K and HDR look amazing. This game now feels like what I was hoping for at release.
Last week my wife and I took a vacation. We spent 5 full days (along with 2 days worth of driving) in the mountains of Colorado fishing, hiking, reading, relaxing, and generally decompressing. Going through my day-to-day routine might bring consistency, but it also can wear me down after a while. Couple that with the stresses of work and the world at large and I'm amazed I don't have headaches more often.