As life advice goes, this is an odd one, but unlike most of what I post here, it could actually be useful. Most people change the blade cartridge in their safety razor every few weeks. I change mine every few months. That’s how long it takes mine to get dull. The reason is something I learned from my father. . . .
Author: Paul Knight
The Final Debate
I’m not sure I have anything to say about last night’s debate between Donald Trump and Joseph Biden that other commentators haven’t said, but here’s my take. The winner of the debate was clearly . . .
The Social Dilemma
I just finished watching a documentary called The Social Dilemma on Netflix. (Thanks to my friend Kevin for recommending it.) The movie is horrifying, and I think everyone should watch it. The movie asks and answers the question, What’s the problem with social media? I haven’t been a fan of social media for years. The algorithms behind it are designed to literally addict people to their screens, thereby wasting their time, diminishing the quality of their lives, and harming their relationships. It serves up distortions and outright lies, keeps people in their media echo chambers, and fosters divisiveness. But I didn’t appreciate just how dangerous it really is before watching this film. . . .
Biden’s Going to Win
Okay, I think we can risk saying it. Barring some horrible screw-up on Joe Biden’s part over the next two weeks, he’s going to win the November 3rd election. We Democrats are terribly gun-shy about expressing any confidence in a Biden victory because we were confident four years ago that Hillary Clinton was going to win, and look how that turned out. . . .
Designing a Productivity System to Maximize Your Peace of Mind – Part 2
Everyone who gets serious about improving their existence system finds themselves wondering what tools are best suited to the purpose. . . . Some of us get fairly obsessed with this question, and go on a hunt for the perfect tool or set of tools to keep ourselves organized. There’s a belief, or maybe a hope, that finding the right tool will somehow automate the process of navigating our lives, ensuring that we always do what needs to be done without having to give it a thought. Of course, there’s no such tool. No matter how well designed our productivity tools may be, it’s our productivity practices that get the job done. . . .
Designing a Productivity System to Maximize Your Peace of Mind – Part 1
An existence system has to accomplish three things:
- Make us reliable, so that nothing slips through the cracks;
- Help us prioritize, so that we never realize that we’ve just spent a couple of hours doing something other than the thing we should have been doing;
- Provide peace of mind — that is, reduce the stress and anxiety that can come from having a lot of stuff on our plate.
The key to all three goals is to stop keeping track of anything in our heads. . . .
The Big Send
Yesterday was the day everyone who had written letters to Democratic voters under the auspices of Vote Forward, encouraging them to vote in the November 3rd election, mailed their letters. The timing was intended to have the letters arrive close enough to Election Day to have the maximum impact. . . .
Willowood Pottery
Jennifer, my mother and I drove over to our friend Caryn Newman’s pottery sale in Ewing, New Jersey, today. Caryn is an amateur-turned-professional potter, and proprietor of Willowood Pottery. . . .
An Overnight on the Jersey Shore
Jennifer, my mother and I drove out to Spring Lake, NJ, yesterday, stayed overnight at The Breakers hotel, and returned this morning. We took a walk on the boardwalk when we arrived, enjoyed an early dinner outside by the hotel pool, and had a room service breakfast this morning. We figured this was our last chance this year to do something like this before the weather gets too cold. . . .
My Preferred Candidate vs. My Preferred President
I realized the other day that my preferred candidate for president in 2020 and my preferred president starting in 2021 are two different people. . . .