The Five Hundred - Untitled
I am sharing a piece I wrote for The Five Hundred for my latest blog post. A monthly writing Prompt group. If you have not tried it before, check out The Five Hundred and submit an entry of your own. This is the first piece of creative writing I have attempted since just after college. I hope you enjoy.
Everyone Should Nudge More
As part of my simplifying down I've started reading just one book a month. I used to try and read as many as possible but that gave me no time to reflect and review what I read. The first book for 2018 was a carry over from 2017. Nudge, by Nobel Prize winners, Thaler and Sunstein. I discovered this book while listening to the Freakonomics Podcast. I loved it from page one. They describe their approach as "Libertarian Paternalism" and as a real "Third Way" option in our increasingly divided political landscape.
Becoming Minimalist
Minimalism represents time and balance for me. The time to do and experience all the things I want. Along with finding the discipline to not let what other people define as import dominate my time. For me, that means cutting out the "noise" of life more than getting rid of things. It requires being ok with earning less, having less, but definitely experiencing more.
The Aggregation of Marginal Gains
In 2010 Dave Brailsford took over as the General Manager and Performance Director for Team Sky (Great Britain's professional cycling team). To take the team to new heights, Brailsford introduced the team to a concept that he referred to as the "aggregation of marginal gains." The concept can be summed up as improving every facet of training by 1 percent so that collectively those marginal gains could equate to a larger performance improvement overall. At the 2012 Olympic Games the team dominated the competition by winning 70 percent of the gold medals available.
Your Friends List & Dunbar’s Number
Dunbar's number is a suggested cognitive limit to the number of people (150) with whom one can maintain stable social relationships—relationships in which an individual knows who each person is and how each person relates to every other person.
Discussing Minimalism with Kristen Hester
I got a chance to interview with Squat Wisely and discuss the topics of #Minimalism and how it relates to my blog post on Commuting in Atlanta without a car. Check it out if you're interested. Starts around the 6:10 mark.
Living in Atlanta Without a Car
The future of transportation is not going to be about the car. Even where cars will still be used, they will most likely be run autonomously. Georgia is getting ahead of the game and passed a law that puts in the framework to build out autonomous vehicle lanes, parking spaces, and more. Moreover, groups like Advance Atlanta, the Atlanta BeltLine, Georgia Commute Options, and many more are coming up with When it comes to regional transit, Hyperloop is stepping in to connect regional cities. Routes are being planned that could revolutionize travel and commuting as a whole. Theoretically, you could live in one state and commute to work in another daily and in under 30 minutes to one hour. Ultimately, we may add a scooter and a motorcycle with sidecar to are vehicle options.
High and Low Entropy
Physicist and Cosmologist, Sean Carroll. TED Talk where he discussed the concept of Entropy. I look at a lot of systems this way. Trying to work backwards to a low Entropy model from a high Entropy state. First, I should define entropy. Secondly, I should explain why I find this law so interesting, as it relates to culture, politics, and everyday living. Lastly, I will expound on how I try to control entropy in my own life.
The Short Answer
Tantum sed Copiosus. I first heard this phrase as a Sophomore English student at Oglethorpe from my then Department Advisor. It roughly translates to, "of the right size and quality." He was referring to how I should construct my papers. That no matter what length is assigned, every word and citation should be pregnant with the weight of contemplation and creativity. I am still working to master this approach.