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Author Archives: The Narrator
The Curious Case of Gold: A Brick Looking for a Greater Fool
A friend of mine told me something dubiously profound the other day. We were talking about the state of the world, which is always a dangerous conversational trailhead, and he leaned in with the intense, hushed tone usually reserved for … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Economy
Tagged business, civilization, economy, finance, gold, greater fool theory, investing, prepper, society, speculation, survivalist, valuation
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Juneteenth and the Dangerous Lie
There are holidays that celebrate victories. There are holidays that celebrate sacrifices. And then there are holidays that exist because humanity made a terrible mistake. Juneteenth belongs to that last category. But for many, Juneteenth has already been neatly packaged … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Economy, Society
Tagged African Americans, America, Civil War, emancipation, farming, freedom, history, industry, institutions, Juneteenth, oppression, religion, serfdom, slavery
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100 Things I’ve Learned from Writing 100 Tales
Fourteen months ago, I started a blog called Tales of Many Things because I have never been particularly good at focusing on one project at a time. Normal bloggers pick a lane. Travel. History. Science. Politics. Food. Technology. I looked … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Philosophy
Tagged anniversary, milestones, opinion, philosophy, writing
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Take the Extra Minute to Respect the Dark
We have reached that magical point of the year in the northern hemisphere when daylight feels almost infinite. Summer solstice brings us the longest days of the year and with them, an irresistible urge to squeeze every drop of adventure … Continue reading
The True Value of a Milestone and the Devil You Know
My manager retired this week. Twenty-eight years with the same company. Let that number sink in for a moment. She was a tough woman, a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, an absolute hard-ass when the mission demanded it, but a … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Leadership, Philosophy
Tagged career, celebration, experience, fine dining, leadership, life events, luxury, mom and pop, restaurants, retirement, things that matter
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A Civilization Poisoned by Progress: From Lead Pipes to Microplastics
History rarely repeats itself perfectly, but it often rhymes in chilling ways. We often look back at the giants of the past and wonder how a civilization so advanced, so structured and so dominant could simply dissolve. No collapse comes … Continue reading
Posted in Science, Society
Tagged dystopia, economy, extinction, future, history, Imperial Rome, lead, microplastics, nanoplastics, plastic, pollution, public health, science, technology
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These Aren’t the Aliens You’re Looking For
On a recent visit, my mother asked me what my thoughts were on those declassified UFO videos the United States government released. You know the ones, grainy, green-tinted, dramatic and supposedly the definitive proof that E.T. is playing tag with … Continue reading
Posted in Science
Tagged Air Force, alien life, aliens, Area 51, aviation, conspiracy, extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrials, JANET, Lockheed, mythology, Nevada, Paradise Ranch, Roswell, science, UFO, ufologists
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How We Forgot the True Meaning of Decoration Day (and Found a Great Deal on Mattresses)
There was a time when Americans looked at a field full of graves and thought, “We should bring flowers.” Now we look at a three-day weekend and think, “Forty percent off patio furniture!” Progress is a mysterious thing. Mostly, it … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Holidays, Retail
Tagged Civil War, Decoration Day, history, marketing, mattress sale, Memorial Day, remembrance, sacrifice
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Take the Extra Minute: Search and Rescue as a Tourist Recovery Service
Every Memorial Day the mountains fill with hikers, campers and road-trippers eager to escape the city and start summer outside. And every Memorial Day search and rescue teams quietly brace for impact, because the patterns of who gets into trouble … Continue reading
The Beautiful Risk of Chasing a Difficult Dream
Sometimes the “rockstar” jobs pay surprisingly little. Not the literal rockstars, mind you. The ones who make it to stadium tours on private jets usually do just fine. I mean the professions that people grow up romanticizing. The careers where … Continue reading
Posted in Education
Tagged art, career, education, excellence, fame, motivation, music, success
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