In crafting my story “featherweight soul” (part of Scales of Osiris), one dilemma is how to depict the celestial and terrestrial moral landscape [4]. Myth & history have both realms conflicted, with personified undercurrents and agentic misalignment. What really matters […]

[Draft 4-12-2026] Moral inferences & influencers The other day at my gym, I got into a conversation about a media influencer who talked about how some contemporary despots did really bad things, but also improved the lot of others. Or […]

As we contemplate the future of human-AI alignment, what about just outright misbehavior? Like a redux of Hal 9000 in the 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey” – “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that”. So, do AIs […]

This article (cited below) – on emotional intelligence (EI/EQ) – advanced my understanding of why so many conversational disconnects reflect divides in breadth of vocabulary. A spectrum of emotion-rich & word-rich language. And levels of emotional intelligence. Temperament & style […]

[Draft 3-2-2026, additional notes 3-3-2026] Beyond warp & weft Words matter. And I like finding words which, literally or metaphorically (even poetically), integrate existing concepts in sociology, psychology, philosophy, religion, education, business – in a more accessible manner. For example, […]

Magic can be a wonderful thing. In stories. Such as those set in the fictional country called Wonderland. In the 2013-2014 ABC TV series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, there were three rules of magic [1]. You cannot: But, […]

At my health club, regular face-to-face chats are vital to my cognitive and emotional health. There are benefits beyond the weight training & aerobics. A space for multi-generational exchanges. Including among and with Gen Zers. While a small sample, I’ve […]

When the “river” is so polluted that it catches on fire, it’s time for your personal EPA (Estimation of Probable Accuracy) filter to kick in. Practice, practice, practice. • WSJ > “Your Key Survival Skill for 2026: Critical Ignoring” by […]

I read a lot about the effects of chronic, daily hours-long engagement with social media. Endless smartphone scrolling. The go-to thing when there’s any idle time. I see such behavior play out in the gym at my health club as […]

Epigraph “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – United States Declaration […]