Tag: social commentary

  • On Meaningful Work

    On Meaningful Work

    Why do I always follow up my plans for doing my writing with, “once I get my house in order?” A perusal of productivity books by men and women gives me some insight.

  • I Miss Blogging

    I Miss Blogging

    Do you remember when blogging was fun?

  • My Best Work

    Which element of your best work do you most want to #amplify this year? Instead of considering simply doing more work, take the time to consider which elements of your work would most light you up to amplify. What’s holding you back from amplifying it? Is it that obscure little thing no one will care about?…

  • Saruman is not our Leader

    I want to get one thing straight. We’re not secretly evil. (1) It’s not like Canadians are trying to create Orthanc in the Boreal Forest… it’s just kind of… happening. You know, you can basically have the Global Warming/Climate Change/Environmental Pollution conversation with any five-year-old caught in the middle of trashing his room… “Augh! What…

  • “First World Problems”

    Today’s post is unabashedly meta. That phrase, “first world problem” has been kicking around my social media streams for a while. I *think* it started out as a reminder that whatever it was that was bugging you, you should have a bit of perspective on it. “Can’t get my phone to connect to my internet…

  • The Elitism Question

    “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Michael Pollan’s advice on what to eat from the New York Times, which has turned out to be surprisingly controversial. Real food? Everybody knows that’s just for the wealthy elite… Berkshire pork and morels at $180 an ounce, right? Something like that… certainly no relevance to the average…

  • Analyze This: On Not Giving Stuff Up

    This post comes with a caveat: It is an exploration of systems, the limits of agency, and the social constructs that  preclude giving up my car… yet. I am not looking for sympathy, nor am I beating myself up over my limitations in the face of the myths of Western civilization. I recognize that I…

  • Greenwashing of the Week

    I am hereby bestowing my illustrious “Greenwashing” award, which will be noted by at least 50 people, to the company Future Shop, for their not-quite-stated Earth Day flyer. It is hard for me to write this, because they have pulled off the most creative and effective form of greenwashing, namely, making a significant financial contribution…

  • Slowing Down

    A radical, heretical proposal to our energy problems. Use less energy.

  • The Price Of Gas!

    Oh! It is time to run in circles and flap our hands! Gas is going up! Food will cost more! Who could ever have predicted this??? Here is one of the places where the division between structural analysis and the personal impact becomes glaring. It has become apparent to me over the last few years…

  • Taking a Deep Breath

    On social media conflagrations. OK. Yesterday, I was writing about the moral legitimacy of a particular trademark. Understandably, there has been a social media firestorm over this issue, as people feel that their contributions have been marginalized. In return, the owner of the trademarks has issued a press release accusing the bloggers of the community…

  • How to Build a 1500 Follower Facebook Page in 24 hours

    It turns out to be rather simple: Trademark a common phrase that is primarily used by freethinking radicals. OK. It won’t be your page, but if you want to galvanize a movement and you are willing to be the common enemy, this could be an effective strategy. There is a disturbance in the force today…