Dear Friend, What madness would drive me to co-sign an Op Ed in the BDN, five days into my term as a selectperson, when I know this will create division within my community, at a time we most need to be united? The basic answer is: when people are using their privileges and power for…
In August, we packed the Civic, already battered as a highschooler’s steed and a college commuter, scar down one side from an icy day on RT17 headed south from Binghamton. The mission: rock climb and adventure our way up New England, to Maine, where I had land. There, we would build a cabin. Three young…
Dear friend, On my mind is rhizomatic social growth – this idea that grassroots isn’t deep enough. For these trying times, facing violent challenges to human wellbeing, we need deep resilience. We need rhizomes – creeping rootstalks which grow underground and interconnect us to flourish. This is in opposition to, say, a seed bomb, which…
Dear Friend, Is this a radical approach to governance? I only have a few minutes for a missive. Yesterday, I learned that the governor is not only a big Vonnegut fan, but that many of the connections I have with government, the young people I am excited to direct the future of my State, are…
Dear Friend, I only have a few minutes, but I wanted to fill you in on my busy yesterday. The morning began with a skate on the marsh, clawing into my drysuit and jogging slip-sliding out to the ice for a quick lap. The ice was not very good, lots of feathery holes to trip…
Dear Friend, You told me about Ezra Klein’s Op Ed in the New York Times about dangerous AI. I thought to myself “Finally, someone I respect, someone thoughtful, who will give us a context for how to adjust our expectations as new information rapidly emerges to inform us about one of the most powerful transformations…
Hi friend, I am faltering. It is just after 9AM on Sunday and I’m meant to be taking the lift up Black Mountain of Maine for deep powder runs through spectacular glades. Instead, a series of judgement errors has led to a day of exhaustion, hard labor, and possibly, a loss of a few thousand…
Dear Friend, I think, for once, I might not write about work, and how things work, and rather focus on the “snow on the pine” like the haunting demo version of Paul Simon’s “Duncan”. The snow is falling fast. It looks like we have a couple feet stacked up by successive storms on the front…
Hi Friend, I haven’t much time. It’s snowing, again, and so beautiful here at Inchoate. I am feeling tired, run down, and sad to see Chloe leave so soon after I have returned from Colorado. I’m excited about all the tasks I have before me, and feeling like I have an awareness of the critical…
I got some feedback on my mission statement in my CV. Here’s the statement: To speed the exponential proliferation of positive change. Minimize pain and maximize pleasure on a global scale by creating, synthesizing, testing, and disseminating ideas and experiences. Here’s the new tweaked version: To speed the exponential proliferation of positive change. Maximize well…