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How to grow old →

Published August 20, 2018  ·  All posts on Aug 20

Make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life. An individual human existence should be like a river — small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past rocks and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being.

~ Bertrand Russell from, How to Grow Old: Bertrand Russell on What Makes a Fulfilling Life – The Marginalian

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I’m certain I have nothing to add to that. If that doesn’t make you the least bit wistful, then I’ll wager you are young.

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Sebastien Foucan (Part 1 of 3): Explorer, evolution, and adaptation →

Published August 6, 2018  ·  All posts on Aug 6  ·  

Sebastien Foucan (Part 1 of 3): Explorer, evolution, and adaptation

What is the role of exploration in achieving personal growth and self-mastery?

Sebastien Foucan joins Craig for the first of a three part interview. Sebastien is best described – in his own words – as an explorer. Craig and Sebastien talk about what he means by explorer and how his journey of exploration has evolved over the years.

The purpose of it is liberation and self-development.

~ Sebastien Foucan (6:00)

Sebastien Foucan discusses his evolution as an explorer, emphasizing how his experiences with Parkour, freerunning, and L’art du Déplacement reflect a personal journey of discovery. He describes the origins of freerunning as an extension of Parkour, influenced by his desire to create a distinct approach that resonated with his personal philosophy. Sebastien outlines how these practices connect the mind, body, and environment, explaining their importance in fostering growth and transformation.

The conversation highlights Sebastien’s perspective on the maturity stages of development, from roots to fire, water, and air. He explores concepts like the cyclic nature of life, energy balance, and the distinction between training and practice. By emphasizing mindfulness and understanding one’s limitations, Sebastien illustrates how individuals can navigate their unique paths toward achieving their potential.

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What to do with your life? →

Published April 26, 2018  ·  All posts on Apr 26  ·  ,

If you’ve read this much without turning away, then your awareness is already too high for you to be happy living like the sleeping masses. It’s time to wake up. The bright light will hurt your eyes at first, even make your eyes water, but you’ll get used to it. And then you’ll receive your own high-powered awareness flashlight. And I have to tell you that it’s oodles of fun shining that thing in people’s eyes when they least suspect it…

~ Steve Pavlina from, Deciding What to Do With Your Life

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If you are seeking entertainment instead of education… wake up!
If you frequently say, “I have to…” … wake up!
If you can no longer read… wake up!
If you can no longer write… wake up!
If you can no longer move… wake up!

( …remember that comment I made a few days ago about the line? )

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Shuttle launches →

Published March 18, 2018  ·  All posts on Mar 18

I earn my living in comedy, but science is my hobby. I’m a fan of science: I hang out with scientists at science places and I read about science and scientists. My mom always says, “If you walk like a duck, talk like a duck, and hang around with ducks, people will start thinking you’re a duck.” This may be true for juvenile delinquents and waterfowl, but, unfortunately, if you walk like a scientist, talk like a scientist, and hang around with scientists, people will still know you’re a dumb-assed comedian.

~ Penn Jillette from, NASA’s Successful Quantifying of Comedy Timing

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When you get there, you will learn that SYMFTR is an acronym.

The piece begins with an apologwarning about it being long. It is not. …and if you have trouble reading pieces of this length — I weep for your soul and you really need to read more.

I once stood in the VIP area, 3.7 miles from a space shuttle when America EXPLODED HUMANS INTO SPACE. It was everything Penn describes. I should probably write about it, but it was so soo long ago.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Heating with math →

Published March 10, 2018  ·  All posts on Mar 10  ·  

Something a little different today: I’ve been considering switching to heating with gas and I recently ran some numbers.

tl;dr: I will be continuing to heat with solid fuel.

Preamble: We have already deeply insulated our attic, upgraded insulation in the walls which were opened during some remodeling, and replaced all windows and doors with modern versions. (Our house was originally built in 1954.) This is the obvious first place to begin improving heating your home.

Electricity: My electricity costs $0.0758 per kWh. I can basically turn on my electric baseboard heaters and this is what I’d pay (per kWh) to heat our house.

Methane: This is the proper way to heat a home in northern climates. Unfortunately, “street gas” is not present in my neighborhood. One block over, yes, here, no. They would install it for me… if I’m willing to pay the entire cost to rip up the street and put in the gas main.

Propane: Chemistry geeks know that propane has about 12% less energy per molecule compared to methane. But generally speaking, appliances (my gas cooking stove, a gas heating appliance I would need to buy/install) can be adjusted to burn either fuel. Anyway. I already have a small propane tank that serves my cooking stove, so I would “just” need a larger tank — possibly MUCH larger, possibly so large that safety ordinances would require me to put it underground. Anyway. My propane costs me $5.999/gal — if you know about petroleum, this is an incomprehensibly high number. Meanwhile, 1 gal propane = 27kWhr of energy. And a gas heater (I’m imagining replacing my wood stove with an appliance that sits in the same space) is effectively 100% efficient at turning that gas into heat. So simple math shows that propane would cost me $0.222/KWh — about THREE times the cost of electricity.

Firewood: This is MUCH harder to compute. First off, I have to estimate how much energy is available in the wood I’m burning; that’s affected by species of wood, and how it’s seasoned and stored (because the MORE water in the wood, the more heat is “lost” to vaporize that water and send it away up the chimney.) Some factors to consider: Where I live, there are several readily available “fuel” species of trees that are sustainably available. I’ve found a reputable supplier who is not hauling it long distances and provides me the right sizes etc for what I want. I also have the absolute best imaginable way of storing the wood in “cribs” that expose it to air drying while having it under cover.

So I’m guessing 20 million BTU per cord. (A cord is a stacked, pile 4 feet tall, with a foot print of 4×8 feet. Technically, it’s a pile of 4-foot LONG logs, 4 feet high and 8 feet wide on the ground. A true wood heating system is a separate unit outside that is meant to take 4 foot long logs. I purchase ~16″ pieces split, which still makes the 4×8 foot print computable. I digress.) Good fuel species can be up to 30MBTU/cord. So I’m being conservative with 20.

20M BTU is 5,861 KWh. I pay $300 per cord (fellow Pennsylvanians just twitched because that is pretty expensive — 225 or 250 is typical — but this is excellent wood species, all cut and split to the correct sizes for stove fuel, delivered early in the season, and dumped exactly where I want it. As usual, I digress. So math happens leading to $0.0512 / KWh. Even if I figure-in that the wood stove is only 80% efficient (we have a great stove made in Scandinavia which really does exceed 80% efficiency when operated correctly), that only bumps the cost up to $0.0639 / KWh.

Update in 2019: My electricity costs $0.07039 per KWh. (That’s down about 1/2 cent.) I’ve a new firewood supplier, with the price down to $225 per cord. That’s $0.038 / KWh, and still only $0.048 / KWh at 80% stove efficiency.

And finally some references…

http://www.propane101.com/propanevselectricity.htm
http://worldforestindustries.com/forest-biofuel/firewood/firewood-btu-ratings/

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Areas of vast silence →

Published March 5, 2018  ·  All posts on Mar 5

One of the functions of art is to give people the words to know their own experience. There are always areas of vast silence in any culture, and part of an artist’s job is to go into those areas and come back from the silence with something to say. It’s one reason why we read poetry, because poets can give us the words we need. When we read good poetry, we often say, ‘Yeah, that’s it. That’s how I feel.’

~ Ursula K. Le Guin from, Ursula K. Le Guin on Art, Storytelling, and the Power of Language to Transform and Redeem

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In the beginning, I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey — no, I’m not old enough to have seen it in the theater, thank you — and, in all honesty, I did not understand most of it. Later, I learned about the story, read the related books, etc.. I rewatched the movie and began a long period of wielding my understanding as a badge of pride. (“I understand 2001! Here, let me show it to you. Let me explain it to you.”) I eventually went on to learn to play the Blue Danube on the piano because the piece is so prominent and moving in the film.

… cross-fade …

Very recently, I saw a solar eclipse and I wished someone had queued up Also sprach Zarathustra — whose introduction, by the way, still gives me shivers. It would have been sublime to have had totality begin just as the creshendo strikes in the opening . . .

I digress.

Also sprach Zarathustra is a tone poem and after the eclipse — perhaps in search of that sublime moment missed — I took the time to listen to it in its entirety.

…and that led me to adjust my living room for optimal viewing
…to crank up the volume
…and to cue up 2001.

It was just as awe-inspiring as I recalled. Just as awe-inspiring as I’d hoped.

…and then I read this piece — from the perennianlly stellar Brain Pickings — about le Guin’s conception of art.

Something clicked and I gained a new appreciation for the film: “Yeah, that’s it. That’s how I feel.”

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Andrew Foster: Global Journey, Losing Everything, and Finding Purpose →

Published September 12, 2017  ·  All posts on Sep 12  ·  

Andrew Foster: Global journey, losing everything, and finding purpose

What does it take to transform personal struggles and passions into a thriving community that fosters movement, connection, and belonging?

Andrew Foster shares his fascinating journey from his home-schooled beginnings in Ohio, Arabic studies, and living in Jordan, (including meeting and training with Danny Ilabaca in Cairo) to facing the dark challenge of losing everything- including his purpose in life. Starting renewed from his lowest point, on a mountaintop in Colorado, he describes finding new purpose and direction, bringing him full circle to his home town in Ohio.

We come from dust, and we return to dust. We don’t have anything except what we’re given.

~ Andrew Foster (16:09)

Andrew Foster recounts his life journey, beginning with a childhood filled with classical music, philosophy, and a homeschooling environment that prioritized learning over grades. He describes his forays into sports like swimming and soccer, where he embraced the challenges of being an underdog. His passion for movement led him to Parkour, despite initial parental opposition, and to formative experiences abroad in the Middle East, where he studied Arabic and connected with Parkour communities.

A pivotal moment came when Andrew faced personal and professional loss, culminating in a cathartic experience atop a Colorado mountain. This epiphany shifted his perspective on life, motivating him to embrace gratitude, faith, and a commitment to community. Returning to Ohio, he founded Akron Movement Family, a Parkour gym centered on movement, love, and family, with the goal of creating a supportive, inclusive space for individuals to thrive physically and emotionally.

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Max Henry: Parkour Roadmap, infrastructure, and growth →

Published June 8, 2017  ·  All posts on Jun 8  ·  

Max Henry: Parkour Roadmap, infrastructure, and growth

What is the unique role of Parkour in fostering mindfulness, community, and personal growth?

Max Henry shares his introduction and journey into parkour, and how he’s gotten to where he is. He unpacks his book, the Parkour Roadmap, explaining what it is, and why he wrote it, before delving into his work on the Water Project with Know Obstacles. Max discusses his thoughts on the infrastructure of parkour, the changes parkour could undergo as it evolves, and the responsibility he feels to preserve the heart of parkour as it grows.

The story that you tell people is the story that they’ll believe, and that’s the story that you become.

~ Max Henry (18:20)

This conversation explores Max Henry’s journey in Parkour, detailing his early fascination with movement and the philosophy underpinning the discipline. Max shares how his diverse background in sports and music influenced his approach, and he reflects on the role of mindfulness in overcoming physical and mental barriers in training. The conversation highlights his dedication to the global Parkour community, as seen through his coaching work and involvement in projects like the Copper Water initiative in Africa.

The discussion goes into the maturation of Parkour as a sport, addressing its increasing accessibility, media portrayal, and potential future directions. Key themes include preserving the spirit of Parkour while embracing its growth, the challenges faced by professional athletes in the field, and the importance of community-driven efforts to ensure its sustainable development.

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The myth of the bloodless calling →

Published May 23, 2017  ·  All posts on May 23  ·  

I don’t care how much you say you love your work. If your vision is bold enough, there will soon be a point where your passion is used up before the work ends. Enjoyment does not carry you far enough when you are sailing epic waters.

~ Bryan Ward

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An updated version of the “peak oil” story →

Published September 13, 2016  ·  All posts on Sep 13

Instead of the scenario envisioned by Peak Oilers, I think that it is likely that we will in the very near future hit a limit similar to the collapse scenarios that many early civilizations encountered when they hit resource limits. We don’t think about our situation as being similar to early economies, but we too are reaching a situation of decreasing resources per capita (especially energy resources). The resource we are most concerned about is oil, but there are other resources in short supply, including fresh water and some minerals.

~ Gail Tverberg from, An Updated Version of the “Peak Oil” Story | Our Finite World

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Presented without comment.

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