AI– Artificial Intelligence. Most of us have literally seen that movie. The first Terminator movie was shown in 1984 and Ahnald, the Terminator, said, "I'll be back”.
Read More
Perhaps you’ve seen it? While traveling through the east terminal section of Austin Bergstrom International Airport, just beyond the last glorious whiff of Salt Lick BBQ brisket, past the folks drinking expensive cheap wine at Vino Vino, and just before you get to the elevator of the Delta Sky Club…
Read More
Tyranny! We are taught to resist it ... at ANY cost.
Yet, virtually all of us have willingly invited it into our own homes.
Within those walls, it lurks, bosses us around every day, offers us untenable choices, plies us with guilt. No, I am not talking about your tw- year-old grandchild dropped off for the weekend by your unappreciative son.
Read More
In life, there is medicine in all kinds of things that don’t live in a little rust-colored plastic bottle with a tamper-proof top, and a white label on the side stating, "no refills.”
Today’s remedy comes from an oversized suitcase…
Read More
Recently, a friend sent me a book to read, and asked that I pass it along to someone else after reading.
The more I thought about it, the more profound the request seemed.
Read More
Reflecting back on the essays posted this year, I can’t help but notice that each piece plays its own unique note, yet contributes to a harmonious whole—a collective symphony of insights that transcends the sum of its parts.
Dive back in or catch up on what you’ve missed, and see if any of these strike a chord…
I’ve often pondered my affinity for a diverse array of interests, whether it be food, culture, art, music, or people. It’s as if I resist committing to a single passion and fully immersing myself in it, owning it and becoming known for it. Instead, I’ve been what might be kindly stated as a "jack of all trades, master of none". Or perhaps to some, an outsider lacking pedigree, or even purity of blood and thought.
Yet, I have managed to be neither this nor that. And at the same time, on a good day, both.
The intriguing nature about truths is their tendency to resurface.
Frida Kallo once said something about sorrow, which could also be applied to truth.
“I tried to drown my sorrows, but they learned how to swim.”
Truths also tend to learn how to swim.
Read More
Imagine a mundane, post-war America obsessed with conformity. In this world of mean definitions of perfection, everyone secretly felt their own families were peculiar, if not downright eerie.
Enter Charles Addams, a middle class guy, toiling away in a nameless drab office from an unremarkable little town in New Jersey. Little did he know, within the confines of his mind, he was dreaming up a masterpiece of madness, campiness and dark humor.
If you’ve been around here awhile, you might be under the impression that I am an expert at something, but without a clue as to what that might be. That's okay. I have similar suspicions of my expertise.
Read More
If you’re reading this, you already know I have a little problem keeping my big mouth shut.
Read More
This is about Shark Tank- the TV show. Lots of people equate starting and investing in businesses to Shark Tank. It's the gold standard. The north star. The bee's knees. Any other superlatives you can think of.
Read More
I'm not talking about reduced fruit preserves here. I’m talking about how we define who we are and what we are into—what makes us feel alive. It’s our jam. And oh, how we love to protect it.
Read MoreThere’s a reason "if it bleeds it leads" works. Coined in the 1890s by William Randolph Hearst during a period when yellow journalism (a reporting style that stooped to new lows) was at an all-time high, the phrase meant sensational, violent stories got prioritized in the evening news.
And it holds true today.
Read More
Oops...I may have just lost half of my readers. Who am I referring to? Everyone wrapped up in “hustle culture,” of course.
Read MoreMany opportunities and visions we decide to pursue are less about the decision itself, and more about changing the narrative surrounding how we view that decision.
Read MoreThis is the time of year when we think a lot about time: its passage, how much we have left, what have we done with it, how much we let get away, and what comes next.
Read MoreThe first leg of what would become a life of many wonderful journeys, both mentally and physically, started here. Right where you are now: The University of Texas at Austin.
Read MoreLast week, I was on a business trip visiting one of my old haunts—the Marylebone district of London. It was a place that became the center of my business operations for a while. It’s also where I learned that there’s an art to failing.
Read More