Bathroom Reading Habits (Geneva, 1561)

A charming little bathroom book, found in the privies of La Fusterie in 1561. And yes, there is a pun in this summary

The Courting Stick

Dating has never been easy, but the eight-foot courting stick still used to separate New England couples into the 19th century made things both harder and easier.

Should You Be Taking BCAAs?

There’s a lot of research to sort through, but the short answer is that most people don’t need to take BCAAs and, if you do, you should keep the quantities moderate.

Six Essential Skills Scholars Can Learn from Copywriters

Most people in academia learn a style of writing that is great for precision, but terrible for persuasion, and those habits are deadly when it comes time procure grants, fellowships and jobs.

Getting Things Done by Making Slacking Hurt

At a certain point this year I found myself frustrated and feeling like I wasn’t getting anywhere on several different projects, while at the same time feeling like I was working too much and not having enough fun. I needed motivation, and I needed priorities. I came up with something that helps me with both […]

Hitchiking Imitates Life

There’s no stupider way to hitchhike than to stand by the side of the road with your thumb out hoping someone will stop. And yet do you see people do it any other way? Which way are you living your life?

You Can Always Yell Later

My mom taught me as a child, it’s really hard to unyell once you’ve yelled. If you want to get what you want, start soft. You can always yell once that fails, but you once you’ve yelled, it’s too late for the soft approach.

Ice Cream For Dinner: A Graduation Speech

Most graduation speeches are full of clichés, claptrap and wicked insinuations. I have tried to adhere to that model as closely as possible.

Three Keys to Good Decisions

It’s hard to make good decisions, but here are three quick jedi mind tricks to avoid a lot of bad decisions:forget sunk costs, use absolute numbers rather than proportions, and be aware of confirmation bias.