Several items on my personal gear list were used by the whole family, and thus, this page was born. I have excluded our furniture. We keep only those items that are useful and/or are enjoyed which allows our family to focus on doing things that … “Family Gear 2022”
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If you listen to popular culture and the ads which “inform” us about acceptable conduction you would be inclined to believe that there are numerous specialized products and activities that we must engaged in for the sake of properness. I ran a series of experiments … “Personal Care Heresies”
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TL;DR Effective contact tracing combined with quarantining individuals at risk is highly effective with the least impact to most people’s lives. COVID vaccines are highly effective. If you over 30 you should get one. For healthy people under 30, COVID has had very low mortality … “COVID”
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TL;DR Contempt is extremely corrosive and will destroy relationships and society if not countered. Rather than encouraging people to repair a breach, contempt encourage people to separate, widening the gap. The solution is to truly listen to people you disagree with, looking for how you … “Against Contempt”
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Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. Aphorism attributed to Albert Einstein In the face of an ever accelerated and complex world, I have found seeking simplicity to be a shelter. Rather than getting caught up in, and reacting to our fast moving … “Simplicity”
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I purchased a Boy album as soon as it was available at my local record store and became a real fan after U2 played the Agora in April 1981. At the time I couldn’t have told you why I liked U2… just that their music … “In Appreciation of Bono”
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Last month I heard a story on NPR’s marketplace show about how policies concerning bourbon illustrate the long standing urban-rural divide in our country. It was an interesting piece, but not one I expected would have any impact on my life. A month later some … “You never know when a NPR marketplace story will be useful”
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Several items on my personal gear list were used by the whole family, and thus, this page was born. I have excluded our furniture. We keep only those items that are useful and/or are enjoyed which allows our family to focus on doing things that … “Family Gear 2021”
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A friend recently asked if I could watch only one movie, what would it be. This is an incredibly hard question. In the end, my answer was the documentary Weapons of the Spirit, a story of the town Le Chambon that sheltered around 5,000 jews … “Favorite Movies”
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These are note I made for myself when I was considering a career change many years ago. Last week several friends indicated an interest my notes so I am sharing them here. At some point I would like to flesh this list out even more … “Make a Difference”
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I have been reading Thinking Fast and Slow which I would highly recommend. If you have read a summary and think you know what’s in the book you are wrong. I think it takes example after example to actually internalize how easily we are influenced … “Confirmation Bias and Shoes”
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I strive to be grateful for my material possessions and not fall into the trap of consistent consumption. For the last several years I limit my purchases to consumables and replacing items that wore out for most of the year. Think of this as intermittent … “Shopping Diet Retro June 2020”
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Bugforce Scale as proposed by Paul Wagner is an attempt to describe how annoying mosquitoes are from a qualitative perspective. An example of one of my level 9 experiences was descending into the basin holding Dick’s Lake. While walking down the trail I briefly stopped … “Bugforce Scale”
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The following is a reference I use when selecting the next hiking or backpacking destination with a bias toward Northern California. I make it in 2002 and just now am updating in because many of the links were out of date. Each year I say … “Hiking Destinations”
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In the book A Praying Life, Paul Miller asserts that we shouldn’t focus on prayer (the method) but rather God (the object). Miller has a very high view of prayer. He expect prayer to accomplish things. Not because we are somehow manipulating God, but because … “Replace Prayer List with "Cards"”
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Truth is the only thing worth standing on. Lies, falsehoods, secrets, excuses, might seem expedient, but they are like quicksand. They will drown your life if you walk in them. Lies can only hurt people and will rot away your heart and conscience. Secrets limit your ability to share fully with others and hurt your inner life until exposed by the healing light of truth and honesty.
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The following is my typical packing list. Items “*” are optional. This list was extracted from my Packing & Traveling Light post. For a more complete description of these items see my yearly gear for life list. This list also exists as a google sheet which … “Packing List”
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Making this list was originally inspired by one bag lifestyle and Tynan’s Gear posts. I hope this list might encourage others to surround themselves with items that truly bring them joy and remove items that are a burden… and not to encourage people to consume more. I used pretty … “Gear 2020”
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