Typical

When NASA first started sending astronauts to space, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat the problem, NASA scientists spent years and millions of dollars to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300 degrees Celsius. 

And what did the Russian do?

The Russians used a pencil.

Great advice

Nullius in verba – take nobody's word for it

Yep

Letter to the Person Who Carved 

His Initials into the Oldest Living 

Longleaf Pine in North America

Tell me what it's like to live without

curiosity, without awe. To sail 

on clear water, rolling your eyes 

at the kelp reefs swaying

beneath you, ignoring the flicker 

of mermaid scales in the mist, 

looking at the world and feeling 

only boredom. To stand 

on the precipice of some wild valley, 

the eagles circling, a herd of caribou 

booming below, and to yawn 

with indifference. To discover 

something primordial and holy. 

To have the smell of the earth 

welcome you to everywhere. 

To take it all in, and then, 

to reach for your knife.

~ Matthew Olzmann

Well...

My wife likes to make love in the back seat of the car...

...but I'm getting tired of driving her around.

~ Rodney Dangerfield

Never argue with someone at a lower level of political awareness than you

Levels of Awareness in politics

Level 1 - They believe what their preferred news say and do not sample other sources. Not aware of counter arguments. Not aware their news is mostly narrative.

Level 2 - Sample news from multiple sources but believe only their own sources are accurate. Think the other side is all narrative, but familiar with all sides of issues.

Level 3 - Aware that ALL news is fake, at least in the sense of missing context and spin. Also known as Gell-Mann Amnesia. But still believe the experts in various fields are usually correct. 

Level 4 - Understand that NONE of our experts are reliable. Some might be right, not none can be trusted without verification. The distortion of money makes no expert credible.

Level 5 - They see the gears of the machine. The Republic no longer looks like whatever the Founders intended. The control of powerful billionaires and intelligence professionals is now obvious.  

Level 6 - You are dead because you know too much. Also known as Epstein Level.

From Scott Adams

I think I'll take his advice tonight!

Eat at a local restaurant tonight. Get the cream sauce. Have a cold pint at 4 o’clock in a mostly empty bar. Go somewhere you’ve never been. 

Listen to someone you think may have nothing in common with you. Order the steak rare. Eat an oyster. Have a negroni. Have two. 

Be open to a world where you may not understand or agree with the person next to you, but have a drink with them anyways. 

Eat slowly. Tip your server. Check in on your friends. Check in on yourself. Enjoy the ride.

~ Anthony Bourdain