Some rules of thumb we review today include: "Is there a better use of my time?" "Stress vs. Reward Analysis" "It's okay to not finish a book you were reading for pleasure." "The braggers razor: the more someone brags, the less you should believe them." "Writing knife block: If struggling to understand something, write it down." "Opinions are earned, not owed." "Under-promise, and over-deliver." Rules of thumb should be applied in context. No rule should be applied universally! They're there to ...
Apr 28, 2025•11 min
Feynman Razor: If you can't explain it to a 5 year old, you don't really understand it. The Luck Razor: Much of what we call "luck" is the macro result of thousands of micro actions. The Arena Razor: When faced with two paths, choose the path that puts you in the arena. Once you're in the arena, never take advice from people on the sidelines. The Optimist Razor: When choosing who to spend time with, prioritize spending more time with optimists. Taleb's "look the part" test: If forced to choose b...
Apr 27, 2025•11 min
Alder's Razor: If something cannot be settled by experiment or observation, then it is not worthy of debate. Sagan Standard: Positive claims require positive evidence, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Grice's Razor: Conversational implications are to be preferred over semantic context for linguistic explanations. Chekhov's Gun: If it appeared in foreshadowing, it will likely be used in the future. Epileptic Trees: The wild, off-the-wall theories that happen when you are looki...
Apr 26, 2025•9 min
Occam's Razor: The simplest answer is often the answer. Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity. Hitchen's Razor: I must provide evidence for my claim, rather than demand you provide evidence against it. and Hume's Guillotine : You can't derive a moral imperative from a factual description of nature. THE SOURCES: The Philosophical Razors: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_razor Hitchen's Razor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitchens...
Apr 25, 2025•10 min
Here's the final part to the Fleetwood Mac deep dive. Watch the Silver Springs Video: 1997 "The Dance" vs. 2003's Boston Show https://www.tiktok.com/@m0dser/video/7437140094764469536: Official 1997 Silver Springs Full Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDwi-8n054s THE SOURCES: Fleetwood Mac Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleetwood_Mac 1997 Interview for Rolling Stone https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/fleetwood-mac-back-on-the-chain-gang-243176/5/ Lindsay + Stevie's Rela...
Apr 24, 2025•12 min
The Stevie Nicks + Lindsay Buckingham lore runs DEEP. Here's part 3. THE SOURCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleetwood_Mac https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/fleetwood-mac-back-on-the-chain-gang-243176/5/ https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-09-10/stevie-nicks-lindsey-buckingham-relationship-timeline http://www.inherownwords.com/lindsey.htm https://www.tiktok.com/@michellegomez.simppp/video/7477581755222936840 https://www.reddit.com/r/FleetwoodMac/comments/12...
Apr 23, 2025•10 min
Fleetwood Mac lore runs DEEP and today we're breaking it down from the beginning. Part 1: Peter Green creates a band, does some bad drugs, and quits the band. The guitarist does some bad drugs, quits the band and joins a cult. The rest of the band keeps touring and putting out albums every six months because apparently there were also good drugs at the time. Part 2: The new guy has an affair with Fleetwood's wife so the band breaks up and Fake Fleetwood Mac takes over. The OG Fleetwood Mac sues ...
Apr 22, 2025•10 min
Fleetwood Mac lore runs DEEP and today we're breaking it down from the beginning. Part 1: Peter Green creates a band, does some bad drugs, and quits the band. The guitarist does some bad drugs, quits the band and joins a cult. The rest of the band keeps touring and putting out albums every six months because apparently there were also good drugs at the time. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleetwood_Mac https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Green_(musician) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jer...
Apr 21, 2025•10 min
There's been an uptick in far-right/christo-fascist content on almost all of my various feeds lately. I've personally got a VERY niche "far left"/"abolitionist" social media feed, but recently this wildly problematic propaganda has been sneaking into every corner. But it's not just me. Trump appointed a grifter to sell "prayer" that would heal your illnesses and give you wealth for the ridiculously egregious cost of $1000. This person is an official white house representative being paid very wel...
Apr 20, 2025•11 min
The four common phases of political evolution are: That's sad, That's fucked up, Fuck this shit, How do we get free? Original source was removed but here's a repost from another great creator: https://www.instagram.com/ijeomaoluo/p/C9VPQIZPE5z/?img_index=10 Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund:: www.pcrf.net Donate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-funds GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL...
Apr 19, 2025•8 min
Today I'm sharing a few techniques that can help to build a healthier relationship with me and my screens. Putting a rubber band or hair tie around your phone is a cheap and super effective way to increase your mindfulness of your usage. 20-20-20 rule . Every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break looking at something 20 feet away. Having an alternative available builds the muscle of doing other activities rather than scrolling every single time our hands are idle. Turn off notifications. Delete app...
Apr 18, 2025•11 min
"Screen use is a complex phenomenon with a continuum of behaviors ranging from severe use to complete abstinence. Some forms of use are safer than others and this should be discussed with children upfront. Remember that use and unhealthy use aren’t the same as addiction." - Kevin Y Xu , Tiffany Tedrick , Jessica A Gold Screen Use and Social Media “Addiction” in the Era of TikTok: What Generalists Should Know: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10743327/ Differences in Screen "Addiction" in...
Apr 17, 2025•10 min
Lately, I’ve found myself using the internet less like a learning machine with limitless potential and more like a hypnosis machine slowly stealing my limitless potential. Donate to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.net GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast OR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcast OR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opi...
Apr 16, 2025•9 min
Instead of worrying about flawlessly juggling all the balls in your life, try to figure out if any of the glass balls are replaceable, or if you have any backup to help you balance or tidy or judge which balls need to be gently set down for a while. And if you step on some glass and feel some pain -You feeling pain isn’t a signal of failure but a reminder you’re human. Is it possible to lower the stakes? Can you downgrade a glass ball from needing perfection to just needing completion? Can you p...
Apr 15, 2025•11 min
I’m the type of person who always feels like I’m running late despite the fact that I very rarely am. I’ve been trying a new type of thought exercise where I take a moment to visit with a more senior or elderly me. Sometimes it’s my 81st birthday. I sit as her, with the underlying understanding that everything did eventually work itself out, and I had a great, full, and beautiful life despite all of its challenges. As I sit in my 80 ish year old body, I take a moment to reflect on the good parts...
Apr 14, 2025•8 min
Megan Phelp’s 4 rules for productively engaging with people who you disagree with: Don’t assume bad intent but instead, assume good or neutral intent. Ask questions: This signals that the person is being heard, and they also feel safer to ask questions in return. Stay calm: "right" doesn’t justify "rude". Pause, step away, use a digital buffer for social media exchanges, and then come back. Make the argument: don’t assume the value of your position should be obvious; it isn’t to others. If we wa...
Apr 13, 2025•9 min
COMMON TROLLING TACTICS: Ad Hominem attacks, Whataboutism, Just Asking Questions, Devil's advocate, Sockpuppets, Astroturfers, Do Your Own Researchers, Strawman, Tribalism, Tone policing, Hate mongering, Concern trolling, Moving the Goalposts, Red herring, False dilemma, Circular reasoning, DARVO, Thought terminating cliches, Outrage baiting, Derailing, Dogpiling, Virtue Signaling. HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM: Name the tactic: ( "This is a classic strawman." ) Refocus on facts: ( "Here is what we’re a...
Apr 12, 2025•9 min
COMMON TROLLING TACTICS: Ad Hominem attacks, Whataboutism, Just Asking Questions, Devil's advocate, Sockpuppets, Astroturfers, Do Your Own Researchers, Strawman, Tribalism, Tone policing, Hate mongering, Concern trolling, Moving the Goalposts, Red herring, False dilemma, Circular reasoning, DARVO, Thought terminating cliches, Outrage baiting, Derailing, Dogpiling, Virtue Signaling. HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM: Name the tactic: ( "This is a classic strawman." ) Refocus on facts: ( "Here is what we’re a...
Apr 12, 2025•9 min
Internet trolls have gotten out of hand, so today we're talking about the common trolling tactics and how to deal with them. Samantha North on Internet Trolling Tactics https://samanthanorth.com/internet-trolling-tactics Samantha North on Astroturfing: https://samanthanorth.com/astroturfing-on-social-media Donate to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.net GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com...
Apr 11, 2025•9 min
As someone who gets flustered and frustrated during confrontations, I tend to use humor as my first line of defense, which can be a powerful tool to disarm without escalating. But when people double down, I get flustered, especially when dealing with bad-faith arguments or deeply entrenched beliefs. I am focused on learning when to escalate, confront, engage, or disengage, and it has completely changed my perspective on what makes a "successful conflict". Not every battle needs fighting. Ask: Is...
Apr 10, 2025•9 min
"There is much unneeded suffering in the world and in our institutional life, much of it caused by our desire to have our own way or to adapt to what we don’t believe in. Collaboration with the enemy is one form of the politics we have been waiting for: a reachable way for power, love, and neighborliness to reshape our collective lives." - Peter Block Adam Kahane's book: https://reospartners.com/resource-library/collaborating-with-the-enemy Donate to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.p...
Apr 09, 2025•10 min
Human nature is not a machine to be built after a model, and set to do exactly the work prescribed for it, but a tree, which requires to grow and develop itself on all sides, according to the tendency of the inward forces which make it a living thing. - John Stuart Mill The resource from Henrik Karlsson : https://www.henrikkarlsson.xyz/p/unfolding Part 2: “ Becoming perceptive ” Part 3: “ Rationality is an underrated way to be authentic ” Donate to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcr...
Apr 08, 2025•10 min
"If a person can’t get out of bed, something is making them exhausted. If a student isn’t writing papers, there’s some aspect of the assignment that they can’t do without help. If an employee misses deadlines constantly, something is making organization and deadline-meeting difficult. Even if a person is actively choosing to self-sabotage, there’s a reason for it — some fear they’re working through, some need not being met, a lack of self-esteem being expressed. People do not choose to fail or d...
Apr 07, 2025•8 min
“It is love that pushes us to face the journey toward justice without flinching, love that impels us to keep going on the long, hard road, love that provides the moral compass and the map.” - Carolina De Robertis, Radical Hope: Letters of Love and Dissent in Dangerous Times The Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/557986/radical-hope-by-carolina-de-robertis/ Donate to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.net GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodca...
Apr 05, 2025•10 min
There are thousands of alternatives and accommodations for those of us who can't physically attend a protest or rally. Some are less glamorous than others, but some will feel like the right fit. It's a long haul. Don't give up on the fight, just keep moving forward. Add a little good where you can and reduce a little bad where you can, but don't be too critical on yourself (or your community) if you're unable to do it all at once, or you need to take breaks. We will need breaks. We will need sel...
Apr 04, 2025•9 min
Remember, if you stay prepared, you don't have to get prepared. If you're tear gassed: Get out of the cloud of tear gas and away from the general area as soon as you can. Seek high ground. Walk, don’t run. Running may cause you to breath more heavily, filling your lungs with more tear gas. Try to keep breathing even. If your eyes have been exposed and are burning or blurry, flush them with water immediately. Try not to touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. Use water from your water bottle to flush. I...
Apr 03, 2025•10 min
Before the Protest: Burner Phone: Ditch smartphones (or remove batteries, use Faraday bags). Use encrypted apps (Signal, but assume it’s compromised). Buddy System: Assign check-in times with someone not at the protest. Share arrest plans (e.g., lawyer’s contact). Write Emergency Contacts on Skin: In Sharpie, under clothing. Cops tend to confiscate bags/phones. During the Protest: Masks & No Distinctive Clothing: Cover tattoos, wear generic attire. Hands Visible, No Sudden Moves: Assume any ...
Apr 02, 2025•10 min
"There are no exact guidelines. There are probably no guidelines at all. The only thing I can recommend at this stage is a sense of humor, an ability to see things in their ridiculous and absurd dimensions, to laugh at others and at ourselves, a sense of irony regarding everything that calls out for parody in this world. In other words, I can only recommend perspective and distance. Awareness of all the most dangerous kinds of vanity, both in others and in ourselves. A good mind. A modest certai...
Apr 01, 2025•10 min
This month's patreon episode is about: Raw milk, Instagram Face, and Manufactured Consent: The relationship between the rise in homogeny, purity culture, and conservatism; and how we can reclaim our agency. The culture of “anti-cringe”, leads to a fear of standing out, which pushes us towards not just one type of look, but one type of ideology as well. This pipeline, which mass-produces conformity, is exactly what authoritarian systems crave. Purity politics and rising conservatism aren’t just e...
Mar 31, 2025•9 min
There are many who pretend to despise and belittle that which is beyond their reach. - aesop's fables The Fable: https://read.gov/aesop/005.html The Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fox_and_the_Grapes A post about it: https://medium.com/@alankay/sour-grapes-cognitive-dissonance-e21245597cb6 The Study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103119305967 DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + Links GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL ...
Mar 30, 2025•7 min
