In the past month, I read a few very interesting articles on what appears to be an aristocracy in America. First, there is “The 9.9… — In the past month, I read a few very interesting articles on what appears to be an aristocracy in America. First, there is “The 9.9 Percent Is the New American Aristocracy”, a long, thorough accounting of how a wealthy aristocracy came to be in modern-day America. An aristocracy that is…

How to know that happiness will return after the drama passes. — Imagine you’re on the beach, hip-deep in water. The sun is shining, there is a gentle breeze, and the water feels cool around you on a warm day. You feel the waves go in and out. The scene is almost like a dream. And then you notice a big wave…

What are we doing with all this stuff? — I had to run an errand at the local Smith’s store last night. I’m always kind of surprised to see what’s at the entrance. They keep a giant table at the entrance and it’s full of chips, sweets, and soda. Bags of chips in a giant disordered pile, as if…

I’ve been running the numbers. It doesn’t look good. — Scratch a conservative and they will tell you that capitalism is the best system for allocating scarce resources. I’m not sure about that. How about capital? I’m not so sure about that, either. We don’t have very many useful metrics for understanding wealth. We’re not in the habit of using…

He is progressive, won by a landslide, and he wants to abolish the filibuster. — Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman is a curious cat. He’s 6'8". On most days, he can be seen wearing gym shorts and a hoodie. He talks to everyone, everywhere no matter their political persuasion. Most people would peg him as progressive. …

Some of them want to go to space before the world blows up. When their ships spring a leak, what will they do? — We live in a surplus society. That means that after the day is done, we have enough resources left over to create and enjoy the conveniences of modern life. A tiny fraction of us actually works on a farm to produce the food we eat today. The rest of us…

How to work around an army of captured regulators. — A series of tweets reminded me that our energy bureaucracy does not work for the rest of us. The revolving door between the public and the private sector has allowed the energy industry to staff the commissions and boards that approve massive energy production projects, with people who would rather…

I’m sick as a dog. Pain is in all the places I don't want it. So I write. — So long ago, I took up the habit of writing a morning page. I write a morning page every day to know my mind, my fears, my hopes, and my dreams. Since then, writing has been a major component of my problem-solving process. And I have learned that writing helps…

Unsafe for legal tender at any speed. — Years ago, when Bitcoin was just a curiosity to me, I bought some Ethereum. I spent weeks studying it and reading tons of articles. I talked it over with my wife and then we decided to spend almost $4000 on Ethereum. In 2017, I bought ten coins on Coinbase. …