Author Archives: The Narrator

Take the Extra Minute: Frostbite Is Still a Real Winter Threat

Posted on 2026-01-19 by The Narrator

The days are stretching longer and the lure of a bluebird winter day is strong, but as any seasoned outdoor enthusiast knows, January and February often bring the most biting winds and the deepest freezes. Cold temperatures, wind and moisture … Continue reading →

Posted in Search and Rescue | Tagged frostbite, frostnip, outdoor safety, recreation, search and rescue, TakeTheExtraMinute, winter, winter safety | Leave a comment

Why Your Skin Is Not a Canvas: What Science Really Says About Tattoos, the Immune System and Long-Term Risk

Posted on 2026-01-14 by The Narrator

A good friend of mine recently announced his intention to get a sleeve tattoo later this year, a full, vibrant mural on his arm. As an admirer of art, I can appreciate the creativity and the impulse, but I’ve always … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Science | Tagged art, biology, body art, cancer, immune system, inflammation, ink, minimalism, science, tattoo | Leave a comment

The Q1 Strategic Dormancy Initiative: My Aggressive Pursuit of Sleep

Posted on 2026-01-09 by The Narrator

Abstract Have you ever felt like you’ve reached the point of Waking Inefficiency Overhead (WIO)? That moment when another 70-hour week proves that being awake is actually reducing your output? 2026 is here and after a year of unsustainable, high-intensity … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Labor, Science | Tagged burnout, corporate, employment, goal setting, neuroplasticity, office life, sleep, SMART goals, work-life balance | Leave a comment

Reckless Predictions for 2026

Posted on 2025-12-31 by The Narrator

Every year serious people make serious predictions about the coming year. Every year, by February, those predictions are quietly retired, rebranded as “signals” or blamed on “unexpected headwinds”. This is not one of those serious efforts. In the spirit of … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Holidays, Humor | Tagged 2026, ABC, AI, artificial intelligence, bureaucracy, ChatGPT, culture, fortune telling, future, Gemini, Grok, media, medicine, Meta, news, Nightline, predictions, reckoning, science, technology, work | Leave a comment

Santa, Inc.: A Hard Look at the North Pole’s Most Successful (and Most Questionable) Business Model

Posted on 2025-12-24 by The Narrator

For centuries, we’ve been told Santa Claus runs a “magical” operation powered by goodwill, cheer and an alarming number of cookies. That explanation collapses the moment you apply even the lightest pressure from a calculator. Let’s face it, if you … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Holidays, Money | Tagged Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, cheer, Christmas, data privacy, elves, Facebook, gifts, Goldman Sachs, goodwill, Google, holidays, Jeff Bezos, magic, Meta Platforms, Netflix, North Pole, OmniClaus, Palantir, Salesforce, Santa, surveillance capitalism, Tim Cook, Tristan Harris, Walmart | Leave a comment

Credit Card Companies Don’t Reward Responsibility — They Punish It

Posted on 2025-12-21 by The Narrator

A few days ago I received a letter from Chase Card Services. It was polite. It was professionally formatted. It was also a quiet threat dressed up as “customer care”. In the eyes of Chase Card Services, I am a … Continue reading →

Posted in Money | Tagged Chase, credit cards, Credit Journey, credit score, debt, debt free, finances, personal finance, predatory lending | Leave a comment

Wright Brothers Day: From Sunday Best to Elastic Waistbands

Posted on 2025-12-17 by The Narrator

Every December 17 we pause to honor the Wright Brothers, two bicycle mechanics from Ohio who looked at gravity and said, “We can probably negotiate with that.” On that blustery day in 1903 at Kitty Hawk, Orville and Wilbur Wright … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Economy, Technology | Tagged airlines, aviation, capitalism, efficiency, flying, investment, Orville Wright, pajama culture, pajamas, Richard Branson, travel, Warren Buffett, Wilbur Wright, Wright Brothers Day | Leave a comment

National Lost & Found Day: The Other Search and Rescue Mission

Posted on 2025-12-12 by The Narrator

Every December 12, while search and rescue teams across the country gear up for winter missions in the backcountry, a different kind of operation quietly unfolds in households everywhere. No avalanche beacons. No helicopters. No GPS tracks. Just you, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Holidays, Search and Rescue | Tagged chaos, grid search, hasty search, keys, Last Known Position, lost and found, mission, National Lost and Found Day, Point Last Seen, remote, Rest of World, safe place, search and rescue, socks | Leave a comment

Take the Extra Minute: Hypothermia Is Winter’s Silent Threat

Posted on 2025-12-09 by The Narrator

Winter has a talent for trickery. One moment, you’re enjoying crisp air, sparkling snow and a trail that looks like it was ripped straight from a greeting card. The next, the sun has dipped behind a ridge, the wind picks … Continue reading →

Posted in Search and Rescue | Tagged hyperthermia, hypothermia, outdoor safety, recreation, search and rescue, TakeTheExtraMinute, winter, winter safety | Leave a comment

Silent Steel Stalks Sudsy Serenity

Posted on 2025-12-05 by The Narrator

Once a year the universe aligns in a way that makes absolutely no sense, placing the pinnacle of martial discipline and the height of soapy self-indulgence side-by-side. December 5 is both International Ninja Day and Bathtub Party Day, a pairing … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Holidays | Tagged bath bomb, Bathtub Party Day, International Ninja Day, loofah, ninja, rubber ducky, self care, stealth | Leave a comment