Articles

I’m part adventurer and part renaissance man with some dabbler and jack of all trades thrown in. These articles are part of my exploration of life.

Our foster kitten posing with our book "Feel Your Feelings"

My cat editors

A quick story about my cat editors with lots of pictures of them "helping" me in the office.
A foster cat waiting for the door to open.

Finding purpose in life

Do you ever wonder what is the meaning of life, and what is your purpose? I explain the meaning of life in the simplest term. Once we answer this question, we can then explore how to live a fulfilling life or, in other words, how to turn dreams into reality.
A leaf of basil back lit by the sun and full of colorful sparkles.

How to measure atmospheric oxygen depletion

This article is more for scientists and field researchers. A practical step forward in determining global oxygen depletion rates. A conclusion to decades of research.
A man wearing a gas mask watches television in a smoggy dystopian world.

How long before the Earth runs out of oxygen?

Have you ever wondered how much breathable air is on Earth, and if we'll ever run out? Our atmosphere is paper-thin relative to a basketball, and we use its oxygen to power internal combustion engines, create electricity, and manufacture products (cement, chemicals, plastic). Worse, we are destroying the plants that make more breathable oxygen.
How much oxygen does a tree produce?

How much oxygen do plants produce?

I calculate how much oxygen a tree breathes and how much excess oxygen a tree produces in three different ways. Spoiler alert: It's not a lot.
The song of global oxygen depletion. Art by @Stevenmarkperry.

10 reasons why global oxygen measurements may be wrong

Ten reasons why we might be measuring oxygen in the atmosphere wrong. And how global oxygen depletion may be a hidden driver of climate change.
Two boats in cerulean blue water

Overcome depression with travel

Guest Post by Manish: Sometimes taking a break from your daily routine is the best way to get perspective on your life. Here are some tips on how travel may be the refresher course on life that you need.
Calvin's final resting spot under a tree in the backyard.

Sacrificing physical health for mental health

Time for an update on my progress of losing weight while literally doing nothing. A sad update leads to renewed motivation. I also added a few new rules to try, like: Put down the spoon in between bites. 
Medea sculpture

The heroine’s story

Arguably, Jason’s wife, Medea is the true hero of the story. The story of Jason and the Argonauts is told from Medea’s point of view in Book VII of The Metamorphoses by the poet Ovid.
A pile of diet and fitness books. Comparing and contrasting them is the beginning of a mindfulness diet.

The Do-Nothing Diet

My first life experiment will be about a topic that seems commonplace: how to lose weight. Here I try a variation of a mindfulness diet. I call it the Do-Nothing Diet. Can I lose weight by literally doing nothing?
A dramatic picture of water droplets (clouds). A metaphor for the mass of oxygen on Earth.

How much oxygen is in the atmosphere?

I demonstrate how to calculate the mass of oxygen in the atmosphere. And I talk about ten reasons why the accepted values may be wrong.
Bahamas. Pink sand beaches, turquoise sea and deep blue sky.

The benefits of depression

It sounds like a contradiction, but consider depression a practice problem for life's bigger challenges. Learn how to put depression into perspective.