Personal Archive

Sex Advice from Objectivists

July 20, 2006 · Category: Atlasphere, Humor, Objectivism, Personal

Last week, a writer from Nerve.com invited me, as owner of the Atlasphere, to participate in a column titled "Sex Advice from Objectivists." It's part of their regular "Sex Advice from..." series, including advice from tribute bands, Santas, and poker players. Get the picture? As I read through the questions I would be answering, I remember thinking that many Objectivists are just about the last people I'd want to be asking questions like this. Anyway, they published the Objectivist-themed column today, so go judge for yourself. Overall, I think they actually did a decent job of picking writers. Below are my own answers, preserved ...

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Happy Birthday to Andrew

June 29, 2006 · Category: Personal

A belated happy birthday to my dear friend Andrew, who just turned 30. May your 30s prove as enjoyable and growth-inspiring as mine have been so far.

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Ken Wilber Shines

June 13, 2006 · Category: Integral, Intellectual, Personal, Reviews

Marshall has been dragging me, kicking and screaming, into the Integral world of Ken Wilber. Kicking and screaming, because I've felt for some time that Ken Wilber's world is one where people wax extensively about theory, and neglect the practice. Gradually, however, I'm seeing that this is simply not true. Case in point: Wilber recently published a humorous, scathing, light, profound blog post called What We Are, That We See. And a follow-up called What is the Real Meaning of This? I just finished reading them both, in their entirety, and I'm filled with a sense of hope and inspiration. I think there's a ...

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Vonage IPO Allocations

May 23, 2006 · Category: Current Events, Personal

Kathy and I have been Vonage customers since sometime last year, so we qualify for direct shares in their pending IPO. We were invited to place an offer for up to 5,000 shares, though we were informed we might receive less than we offer to buy, if there are too many customers who want to participate. So we went ahead and placed an offer for 5,000 shares. (Actually, we're doing it together with a friend who has been following Vonage like a hawk and wants to buy the vast majority of the shares from us immediately after the IPO takes place.) Today ...

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Quotes from ‘The Way of the Superior Man’

May 20, 2006 · Category: Individualism, Integral, Mindfulness, Personal, Reviews

I've been reading (sometimes re-reading) chapters from David Deida's magnificent book The Way Of The Superior Man on a regular basis lately. I often do this for a few minutes at night before heading to bed, as an opportunity for reflection. Below are few quotes that have been especially meaningful to me. In any given moment, a man's growth is optimized if he leans just beyond his edge, his capacity, his fear. He should not be too lazy, happily stagnating in the zone of security and comfort. Nor should he push far beyond his edge, stressing himself unnecessarily, unable to metabolize his ...

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New Commercials for the Macintosh

May 2, 2006 · Category: Humor, Personal, Reviews

I'm still a PC user, but it's getting harder and harder to admit that with a straight face. PS. Anybody else think of Will when they watch the Mac guy?

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Insider’s Guide to Trader Joe’s

April 15, 2006 · Category: Health, Personal, Recipes, Reviews

Kathy and I just got our very own Trader Joe's -- well, other than the 300 other people who are always in the store -- about 20 minutes away, in Albuquerque. Anybody who understands that the only proper way to sell avocados is in bags of 6 at a time, has my money. When I first moved to Los Angeles, I would shop at Albertson's first, and then stop by Trader Joe's for specialty items I couldn't find at Albertson's. At some point, however, I realized that the prices at Trader Joe's prices were almost universally lower than at the chain supermarkets -- ...

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How Business Works in Russia

April 6, 2006 · Category: Personal, Politics

I have been trying to schedule a phone call with a close friend who is currently living and working in Russia. He sent me the following information this morning, and I found it fascinating, if only as a glimpse into modern Russia and the many ways in which we are still comparatively fortunate (beyond belief) in America. I have a landline in the house I live in, but I will have to schedule a time that I can use it with the permission of the landlady, whom I avoid as much as I possibly can. I haven't seen her for ...

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Those Photos on the Left

March 31, 2006 · Category: Personal, Photos

Regarding the photos on the left sidebar: It's a collection of photographs I've taken, photos I've had taken, or snapshots of friends who are especially dear to me. Mostly shots that I took, unless I'm in the photo. Originally, I created the sidebar photo montage to be one large repeating background image, but the file size was prohibitively high (260K) -- so now I've divided the photos across three separate background images that are randomly chosen each time you visit a new page. Since it's a background, your web browser will cache the image for any given page; so if you're trying ...

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Andrew Schwartz Is Now Blogging

March 30, 2006 · Category: Current Events, Personal

My close friend Andrew Schwartz has started his own blog, "Musings from the Unknown," and I look forward to devouring every word of it. If you enjoy the mindfulness and personal development themes I explore on Mudita Journal, then I think you will greatly enjoy Andrew's perspective on life. A quick introduction for those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting Andrew: Like many of my close friends, Andrew had a period in his life when he was profoundly influenced by Ayn Rand's writings, and he continues to share that general philosophical orientation. At the same time, he's a true ...

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