Abusing the herb ruined my life — Before I begin bashing Bob Marley’s favorite pastime, let me make my position clear: I am staunchly pro-legalization. More to the point, I am in favor of legalizing all drugs. Does this mean I think all drugs are safe? Or that we should start handing out Hunter.S.Thompson-style …

I write for adults, thanks. — Every day, successful writers on Twitter bombard me with the same advice: “Simpler is better.” “Use plain, straightforward language.” “Don’t make it too challenging. ” Forgive me for rocking the boat, but that’s a load of crock. Let me clarify. My issue isn’t with people who write in this way…

How we find great sayings and what they mean to us is a story worth telling. — Long before the printing press, stories, songs, and sayings had to be memorized for posterity’s sake. This ancient oral tradition is the reason we can still enjoy works like The Torah, The Illiad, and Beowolf. Today, with an infinitude of information at our fingertips, this tradition has been almost entirely…

As long as your core values are in sync, the rest is an acceptable compromise. — “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare.” — Sonnet 130, William Shakespeare It’s easy to scoff at the concept of a “soulmate” or sneer at the notion of “the one”. With so many millions of potential partners, how can you…

A lifetime is not enough to fully grasp one language, but I grasp this one better than most. — I’m what’s known as a monoglot. I speak one language. The language of colonialism. The language I’m writing now — a mesh of German, Latin, and French that became the rich, intonational lingua franca. English is my first and only language and I’ve spent my life learning it. …

My recommended videos affirm an uncomfortable truth — Since its humble origins in 2005 as a slip-shod, free-for-all platform, YouTube has grown into a cornucopia of content. Despite its chequered track record with creators, questionable approach to censorship, and relentless corporatization, it remains the most popular video-hosting website. The YouTube creator economy has grown into a $100 billion…

In 1859, the Carrington Event became the largest CME ever recorded, and we were almost hit by one again in 2012 — As we go about our daily lives, working, paying bills, and trying our best to enjoy ourselves, we don’t tend to think in grand cosmic terms. Most of us aren’t constantly fretting that our solar system could be swallowed by a black hole, or that Earth might be hit by…

If you can’t beat ‘em… — Today marks a historic day. I never thought, as a millennial, I would be out of touch. After all, I was there when dial-up changed to wireless; when MySpace died; when Apple changed the world. But now that world is leaving me behind. I glean what I can from YouTube…

Don’t be deceived by the fun of it all. — “Fame means millions of people have the wrong idea of who you are.” — Erica Jong There’s no denying it: as a white, cisgender male I have bucketloads of privilege. Having no personal experience of racism, sexism, or transphobia, I can’t talk about these issues with any real authority. …