In this podcast we discuss Vladimir Alexandrov’s book The Black Russian, and what lessons we may conclude from it. Frederick Bruce Thomas was a black American businessman who made a fortune in czarist Russia in the early 1900s. His life is a fascinating one, and one that has much to teach us today.
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Small Twitter Account Gold: Tweet Reading 1
In this podcast, I read some of the recent great tweets I’ve noticed from small accounts on Twitter. Small Twitter accounts are a refreshing break from the contrived foolery of the mainstream blue-check accounts. They are an underappreciated gold mine of honesty, passion, and tortured grapplings with truth. Let’s give some credit where it is due, and hear what they have to say.
Continue readingExploring Small Twitter Accounts (Podcast)
I’ve been exploring small Twitter accounts lately. And when I say “small,” I generally mean accounts that have less than 50 followers. You’d be surprised how much gold can be found hidden away in these accounts: they tend to be raw, honest, and unconcerned with saying the “right” thing. In this podcast, I discuss how I started doing this, what I’ve learned, and how I go about it.
Continue readingThe Sea-Raiders (Podcast Reading Of A Story By H.G. Wells)
This podcast is a reading of H.G. Wells’s story The Sea-Raiders. It describes the assault of a unknown species of carnivorous squid on the quiet English coastline near Devon.
Continue reading“How Do I Transition From Youth To Middle Age?” (Podcast)
A reader emails me and asks for advice and guidance on how to navigate the passage from youth to middle age. But there are no magic answers, no magic wands. You have to keep moving forward, keep working on yourself, keep focusing on mind, body, and responsibilities. But I also detect some other things in his email, things that are unsaid. We discuss.
Continue reading“Should I Reopen A Closed Chapter?” (Podcast)
A reader reaches out to ask a question that’s been troubling him. He was recently re-contacted by an ex-girlfriend from several years ago. She appears to want to start over again with him, but he has his doubts and hesitations. Should he re-open this closed chapter of his life, or should he keep his distance? We discuss.
If They Had Lived Up To The Responsibilities That Went With The Privileges (Podcast)
The distinguishing feature of our “leaders” today is their near total disregard for putting the mission ahead of themselves. They are unwilling to risk their careers to make the hard calls that would truly benefit society. And because of their moral cowardice, all of us suffer. We see this played out over and over. In this podcast we examine an anecdote from the experience of one POW in the Second World War, and discuss its lessons. When leaders betray their oaths and their offices, the betrayal extends beyond their immediate radius of control: they betray future generations as well, the young people who were looking to them for protection and guidance.
A Conversation With SolBrah (Podcast)
I had a fantastic conversation with SolBrah on his podcast show last night. He writes about fitness, health, and society in a very perceptive and up-to-date way. You can find his Twitter account here, and his podcast show here.
Sometimes You Have To Make Allowances For People (Podcast)
Sometimes you have to accept the flaws and issues that people have, in order to accomplish the greater good. If you are in a leadership position, the priority is mission accomplishment. All else is secondary. Your people will not be flawless: some of them will have issues. If someone is a top performer, sometimes you have to learn to work around those flaws, as long as his abilities merit consideration. In special situations, you have to make allowances for people, and work around problems. Circumstances will be the judge of this principle–and it should not be abused.
Interview At “Knowledge Without College” With Patrick Butler
Last week I had a great interview with Patrick Butler, whose fantastic “Knowledge Without College” series has the following mission statement:
