Brent
The Right Productivity Tool
I am becoming increasingly convinced that the reason someone’s not as productive as they want to be is not because they haven’t found the right stuff to organize their life. It’s because they keep getting more stuff to organize their life. Because here’s the problem: any productivity tool will have flaws. So if you’re looking for the “right” productivity tool, whatever tool you choose, its flaws will […]
Project Debt
Last night, I slept deeply and dreamed copiously. When my alarm went off, I slowly surfaced into the real world in one of those strange grey modes of thought where my mind was unfettered by reality but still aware of it. One belief crystalized: I have too many projects. This happens to us all; to me it happens frequently. Most of the time, I sigh, acknowledge it, and try to whack my way through the weeds of my projects. […]
Minimalism vs. Frugality
Most of us need to control our spending. Many people at some point realize that their finances are, well, not where they should be. Many of them respond with a focus on frugality, and look for cheaper cell phone plans, coupons, combined internet and cable plans, and streaming services. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with reining in your spending, and psychologically you may need to start with simple […]
The Power of the Scanner
We still receive a lot of paper. People hand us receipts and flyers. We get bills and statements in the mail. I don’t keep all of these, of course, but all my life, I dutifully kept mortgage statements, credit card statements, any unusual financial notices, etc. I’ve gone paperless with as many bills as I can, but some places are still old-school. I told myself I’d sort through them all. I honestly […]
Pursuing Minimalism
August 3, 2017: the day my copy of Fumio Sasaki’s Goodbye, Things arrived on my doorstep. Sasaki’s earned a reputation as one of Japan’s leading bloggers about minimalism, documenting his 5-year journey towards reducing his possessions. My curiosity got the better of me, and since Japanese self-help writers tend to be less aggressive than their Western counterparts, I figured I’d see what he had to write on the subject. I devoured the book in 2 […]
Hello, again.
My, this place is dusty. I’ve been gone from this site for over three years now. Much has changed since then, personally and globally. I’ve moved houses, switched employers, abandoned a couple of hobbies, and taken up a couple of new ones. Three years ago, I felt like I didn’t need a personal blog. Social media didn’t quite replace blogging, but it made blogging less […]
1920’s Faust (movie review)
Wow. It’s rare to come upon a movie that is such a masterful tour-de-force. Faust fires on all cylinders, creating a work that’s innovative, artful, and complete. Faust’s first few minutes are composed almost entirely of complex special-effects shots, showing angels and demons riding through the air. This in a film made in 1926. We then see a conversation between an angel and a demon, a bet that any mortal can be […]
Go Goa Gone (Movie Review)
It’s as though Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. watched the first Hangover movie, looked at each other, and said, “You know what that needed? More zombies.” I watched Go Goa Gone on my flight back from Japan, so I was in a loopy mood, so my apologies if this review is overly charitable. Go Goa Gone tells the story of a few brain-dead young Indian men who excitedly decide to crash an ultra-hip party on an island […]
Sherlock with Naked Women and Werewolves: Review of Strippers vs. Werewolves
Every so often, I feel a need for a dumb, fun movie. I want a movie that will entertain with flair, not necessarily with spectacle but at least with energy. It’s almost always dumb. Strippers vs. Werewolves isn’t dumb. It begins with a very cheap shot of a strip joint exploding in a ball of flame. It then cuts to a long shot of a man entering another strip joint, and as he passes […]
Japan, Day 10: Final Oddities
Today, I awoke comfortable. I felt used to Japan now. It wasn’t home, by any stretch, but it felt familiar. My plan for today was simple: visit the Imperial Palace, then head over to the fashion disticts of Shibuya and Harajuku. And they were all on the same Yamanote Line. First, the Imperial Palace. I had already visited a week prior, to discover the Palace was closed on that day. Today, I knew it would be […]