The saying goes that once something goes on the internet, it is there forever. Given that, is the problem that photos, videos, tweets, etc. will stay online to plague us long past we’re dead, or is the problem that we judge people based on outdated viewpoints, single lapses in judgement, […]
Category: make it better
Sharpie Tattoos
I’ll occasionally draw on myself with pens. Ballpoints, sharpies, any of the random art pens that I have lying around. Especially if I’m thinking about a new tattoo, it’s a nice way of testing out what it looks like to have a drawing on your skin. The nice thing is […]
Problematic Hardware Language
We call the side of a connector that gets inserted the “male” side, and the place that has the connector inserted into the “female” side. This happens with plumbing, USB cables, air compressor hose adapters, and pretty much anytime something is being inserted into something else. What about changing it […]
Koalas
When I visited Australia in 2006, I went to a koala preserve to see koalas in the wild. They’re adorable, have a slow metabolism, but also can bite, claw, and bellow loudly if provoked. I think we can all be more like koalas – approachable and social, but with strong […]
Bad Romance
Looking back on failed relationships in the past, it’s tempting to blame the other person. We probably remember all the ways that they were incompatible with us, screwed up, or did that one thing that was really annoying. But how often do we consider how we might have been incompatible […]
Myth of the Genius
We tend to still believe in the lone genius – someone who does it effortlessly and quickly, without the help of other people. If anything, we may not believe in it, but we desperately hope that it might be us. That if we only found that one thing that was […]
Common Inadvertent Aggressions
When in a setting where people get to share how they want to show up in terms of their identities, if they don’t share it, don’t point it out or really make a big deal about it unless they share it. “You use ‘they’ pronouns, so you’re trans, right?” “Your […]
Wearing Other People’s Underwear
When talking about empathizing with people, we often talk about wearing someone else’s shoes. For such a key skill like empathy, which unlocks understanding the worldview of whomever you need to enroll to make change happen, I feel this is insufficient. We need to step into their shirts and pants, […]
Sides
On one side of the aisle, you have unity, hope, and admittedly some half-truths. On the other side, you have division, hate, and blatant lies and outright disinformation. On one side you have the support of teachers and scientists. On the other you have the support of white supremacists and […]
Hedgehog Cafes
I was visiting Japan for the first time, so I went to a hedgehog cafe. If you’re unfamiliar with this, Japan has a bunch of themed cafes with live animals in it that you can hang out with while you drink coffee and snack on crepes. We bought about 30 […]