I just returned from my annual pilgrimage with my buddy Jason and our friend Martin (plus his brother Jake this year), and here’s a recap. [ PLAYLIST: I’ve created a playlist of around 20 of the top sets at EDC Vegas 2017. You can download it here. ] I ended up going while really sick. I had a…

I have a theory about why Ronda won for so long and is now losing. Ronda started the female MMA game. There were female fighters before her, but her success got people to enter who otherwise would have gone on to be successful elsewhere. She massively increased the size and quality of the competition. Her style was to…

As I get older I become increasingly convinced that the center of happiness is gratitude. I receive this message in many different forms. Practically, I notice that much of the top advice on how to become more happy starts with making lists of things you’re thankful for. In terms of common wisdom, we hear things like, Be thankful…

I have a theory for why music makes us feel good. Not a theory—a hypothesis. It goes like this: beat –> pattern –> story –> struggle –> survival/reproduction –> meaning –> hormones –> happiness So beats and music are patterns, and patterns remind us of stories. Stories remind us of struggle and romance and danger and love, which…

There are many articles—like this one—that say that automation and AI are going to take menial human jobs, but that it’ll be a good thing. The argument basically goes like so: Yes, many human jobs will disappear, but those will be replaced with jobs we actually want Everyone will move to more advanced work that requires more creativity…

“It has no relationship whatsoever to anything anchored in some kind of metaphysical superspace.  It’s just your cultural point of view […] Travel shows you the relativity of culture.” — Terence McKenna Source: How VR Gaming will Wake Us Up to our Fake Worlds I find this perspective fascinating. Essentially, anyone trying to create an experience for you,…

I read a fantastic piece in Las Vegas on a guy who did LSD regularly for over a year. As time went on, I stopped viewing myself as a being separate from the universe. Sensations became interesting to watch, not motivating. I entered such a permanent state of utter peace and contentment that I stopped wanting anything at…

I think the most important skill in life might be facing failure, defeat, and criticism. So much of life’s training is about how to win and how to achieve success. Not nearly enough focus is placed on how to fail and then continue. We should be teaching young people three main things: Do your best to accomplish great…

I realized something a few months ago about youth and meaning. I think the reason we feel more alive when we’re young, and the reason that everything feels more significant, is because we’re full of evolution’s pixie dust—hormones. The movies we see as teenagers. Our first loves. The music we hear during that time. These are all made…

I’ve been somewhat serious about coffee for many years, and I’m settling on some preferences. If I had to describe my preference using non-expert terminology I think I’d say I prefer stronger brews that are smooth and subtle, with moderate character that emerges later and doesn’t overpower. Things I dislike strongly: weak coffee (if I can see through…