I’ve had a number of iterations of the same conversation with friends as we have reflected on 2017 in the year’s waning days: despite it being a very, very bad year for the institutions, policy makers and civilians that work to uphold the democratic conventions upon which all of life as we know it … More A Year in Review 2017: Personal Growth Amidst a Fragile Macro Environment
I recently finished reading The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food, a remarkable investigation, journey and manifesto by celebrated chef Dan Barber. The book weaves anecdotes, research, history and opinion into a compelling narrative calling for society to embrace the complexity of an integrated natural ecosystem in which humans can work hand-in-hand … More Abundance & Decentralization Part I: In a world of abundance, to be rich is to be moderate.
She’s an unconventional beauty – her cool, icy exterior; her raw strength and colossal presence; her willingness to reveal her complexity and the constant burdens that weigh her down; her tattoos and her take-no-bullshit attitude. Her functional-industrial aesthetic is born from necessity rather than design, but today fashionistas from Paris to Tokyo seek to replicate her … More An Ode to the Williamsburg Bridge
The more interesting question: what are the second-order consequences for society? Clean Meats — that is, animal products grown in a lab through cell culture — are morally acceptable and preferable to the status quo because they involve no unnecessary animal suffering and have orders of magnitude lower negative externalities than traditional livestock agriculture. If you are new to the … More “Clean Human” is a morally defensible addition to Restaurant menus of the future
There’s something incredibly humbling about saying what you really, truly feel about someone you love in public. There’s a pressure to find the perfect words to describe emotions that cannot be described; to give justice to the depth and complexity of a real relationship; to not resort to clichés. No wonder most people only give … More The Duck with the Dimples
I love beef. I love the first bite of a medium-rare cheese burger fresh off the grill, juices oozing. I love beef stroganoff so much I cooked it at my own birthday dinner party last year. But on November 8th, 2016 I gave up beef. And I’m asking you to do the same. To be … More On November 8th, 2016 I gave up beef. Here’s why I’m challenging you to do the same.
2016 was a roller coaster year both personally and more generally, and in all honesty I am ready to put 2016 to bed and focus on starting the new year afresh. But once again I am consciously reflecting on what has happened in the past 12 months as I did in 2014 and 2015. I originally … More A Year in Review: 2016, The One Where I Ran A Lot
As my thinking around my value-creation opportunities evolves, I find myself returning to the three markets that I believe match the three criteria necessary for me to commit time and resources to them; namely, a market which: aligns with my core values of living a value-creating, sustainability, community-focused life, offers me a chance to apply … More Electric Bikes, Communal Dining, & Coffeeshop+[Function]
Let me tell you about my weekend. On Friday evening I walked three blocks down to the farm on the East River to watch the sunset over Manhattan. After the sky had blackened and KC had showered from her yoga class, we took a bottle of Malbec down to the Korean-French BYOB hole in the … More Brooklyn Summers
I love coffeeshops. Some of you probably know this about me, and some of you may even have read my blog post about my love for coffeeshops. I (like many people) have a dream of running my own coffeeshop one day, establishing a community outpost that brightens the day for the weary, and offers a … More The Coffeeshop Business Model (v1)
