[When someone always criticizes you: 1) ask if was meant for you or if they just wanted to hear it out loud; 2) ask “how am I supposed to do that?” to tease out whether they have actually thought about it practically; and 3) confirm that “what I’m hearing is…” to clarify if there’s anything constructive.]
Let’s talk about what an iconic photo can tell us about Border Patrol….
Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man.
Collective intelligence with Conor White-Sullivan
[Your past self is another person.]
quick tips for difficult conversations
[Have a difficult conversation by: 1) avoiding small talk or “how are you?” and starting with “thanks for making the time to speak with me”; 2) state that you need help with what to do or feel about the subject; and 3) finish by sharing that you feel settled or like the direction, and then ask “how about you?”]
Phenology, Time and Synchronization
[Befriending a bird, the news spreads to other animals.]
[We refer to plants in English as “whats” and “its”, implying an object, rather than “whos”, implying living beings.]
What would it mean to speak a language thousands of years older than English?
Let’s talk about a gofundme for Trump….
[Someone working at $15 per hour wanting to raise 355 million dollars would have had to start in the year 678, BC, and that assumes a twenty-four hour workday with no weekends or holidays.]
[When someone’s lying to you: 1. tell them you need to come back to the conversation (and walk away); 2. say “something feels off”; 3. simply wait, as it makes dishonesty uncomfortable.]
[Add pauses around your verbs to appear more controlled in your speaking.]
17 Foreign Words English Desperately Needs
[Abbiocco: Italian for ‘food coma’.]
[Schnapsidee: German for stupid ideas, like arranging furniture late at night while drunk.]
[Ubuntu: Zulu for “I am because we are.”]
[Sommer: Afrikaans for “just because”.]
[Tartle: Scottish for not remembering the name of someone you just met.]
[Mamilhapinatapai: Yámana for everyone wanting the same but noone acting on it.]
[Treppenwitz (staircase wit): German for thinking of a comeback too late.]
Jacob Collier Answers Instrument & Music Theory Questions From Twitter
I aspire to talk this deeply, fast, and fun.
1.8 Million Subscribers (and no one cares)
[Musicians can play until they’re 98 years old and beyond, but nobody wants a YouTuber doing that.]
[Not making an industry money puts you in a somewhat adversarial relationship.]
[The YouTuber career inevitably ends in burnout.]
[YouTubers have no elders, only peers, and this is isolating. Musicians have those who have been doing it longer than them, and a community in the real world to engage with.]
how to respond to passive aggression
[Respond to passive aggressiveness by: 1. clarifying if that was ‘meant to be helpful or hurtful’?; 2. stating when you observe negative tone even when they claim to mean it positively; and 3. acknowledging that it’s okay to not be okay and communicate that it’s a safe space.]
Let’s talk about changing American foreign policy….
[Build power for yourself and your community instead of borrowing it from elected officials.]
[If you want to make a difference in areas where the USA invades, you’re better off buying solar panels or an electric car because it helps shift the dynamics to not require the resources for that intervention.]
Growing your own food is the highest form of meditation.
[Soak cardboard in water for fifteen minutes, wrap around a glass jar, and remove just before dry. Use as a plant pot and place in soil to prevent root interference.]
How to save money and making a homemade cleaning spray out of lime peels!
[Chop finished lime peels and put into a spray bottle, add 1/2 cup cup white vinegar, 1 tsp salt, a bit of dish soap, and fill the rest with water. Shake and spray for a nice household cleaner.]
Let’s talk about Biden, banking, and overdrafts….
[USA banks make over eight billion dollars a year from overdraft fees (by charging people who don’t have money).]
[Halve onions into a muffin pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper; bake for 25 minutes at 425°F then baste with butter; bake 40 minutes more and baste again before finishing.]
More clean hacks because so many of you asked for it!
[Refresh towels in the washing machine on a full cycle with half cup of baking soda instead of detergent and half cup of vinegar instead of softener.]
[Handle insults by: 1) Adding silence or continuing as if it doesn’t affect you; 2) if a stranger, asking for their name, then asking to repeat what they said; 3) if someone you know, saying maybe they’re right and checking in if they’re feeling okay.]
YouTube Commentator Beau of the Fifth Column on Fact, Opinion, and the Democracy In Between
[Democracy needs people to slow down the overly progressive and drag along the overly status quo: high polarization where people can’t talk to one another limits the discussion that fuels a functioning ecosystem.]