There are many weapons in the world that rely upon strength. There are many weapons that rely upon skill. There are even a great number that rely upon magic. The Arrow of Befuddlement relies upon none of these. Instead, it relies upon the simple observation that most people dismiss what they do not understand. At…
Read MoreOne of the things I’ve always enjoyed about role-playing games is that they answer a simple question: “What if?” What if a wizard decided that physics was merely a suggestion? What if a thief could steal the king’s crown while standing in the same room as him? What if a dwarf looked at a dragon…
Read MoreOne of the things that always stuck with me was watching The Frugal Gourmet on PBS. A lot of people would watch the show and completely miss the lesson. They’d look at the meal he was preparing and say: “I can’t afford that.” “This isn’t frugal.” “Look at all those ingredients.” What they were looking…
Read MorePUBLIC STATUS SUMMARY Reference: PUB-001 Status: Active The Overthinker Committee is an ongoing collaborative thought experiment involving multiple AI systems reviewing observations, stories, field notes, and everyday experiences provided by a single subject. What began as a simple joke has gradually evolved into an exercise in perspective, documentation, and pattern recognition. The committee currently consists…
Read MoreOne of my favorite statements people have thrown at me over the years is: “You’re going to die alone.” Now, you’re saying this to a pragmatist. A pragmatist hears that statement and immediately responds, “Yes, probably.” Unless we’re involved in some larger event—a plane crash, train wreck, bridge collapse, or some other disaster—we all die…
Read MoreEvery once in a while, I do something a little different. Usually, Prompt to Post is exactly what it sounds like. You get the finished article, and somewhere behind the scenes there’s a prompt, a conversation, a stream of consciousness, or a collection of notes that helped get us there. This time, I’m posting the…
Read MoreA Title That Gives Away Your Age If you understand the title of this article, there’s a good chance one of two things is true: Either you’re getting letters from AARP, or your parents drove around well into the 2000s with a cassette deck in the dashboard. No judgment here. In fact, I currently drive…
Read MoreSunday Return Traffic This playlist was inspired by a day that started with a simple goal: go out, work, and see where the road led. What followed was a collection of moments that seemed almost scripted. The day included airport runs to Logan, a French teacher heading to France only hours after joking about the…
Read MoreLadies and gentlemen, let’s talk about the family. First, you’ve got the Welsh. Even the Irish feel sorry for the Welsh. And as much as the Irish can feel sorry for anybody, eventually enough alcohol gets involved that nobody gives two fucks. The Irish have that particular problem very well covered. Then you’ve got the…
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