Category Archives: Culture

Gravity Didn’t Turn Off (and sadly, neither did the internet)

Posted on 2026-09-12 by The Narrator

I recently met up with a friend for lunch to catch up. He mocked me. “It didn’t fail,” he said, struggling to contain himself. “What didn’t fail?” I asked. “Gravity. It didn’t turn off.” Then he laughed uncontrollably. This was … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Science | Tagged Albert Einstein, August 12, conspiracy theory, Erwin Schrödinger, general relativity, geodesic, gravity, Isaac Newton, Max Planck, Niels Bohr, Philipp von Jolly, physics, relativity, Richard Feynman, science, spacetime, Werner Heisenberg, Wolfgang Pauli | Leave a comment

The Future We Have Yet to Build

Posted on 2026-09-08 by The Narrator

I like science fiction, but not all of it. A great deal of science fiction is little more than technological window dressing wrapped around a familiar story. Somebody gets a spaceship, somebody else gets a laser gun, somebody discovers a … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Philosophy, Society | Tagged Alexander Belyaev, Arthur C Clarke, Dune, entertainment, Eragon, Fermat’s Last Theorem, future, Gene Roddenberry, Harry Potter, Isaac Asimov, Jules Verne, Robert A Heinlein, science, science fiction, space opera, Star Trek, Star Wars, technology, The Last Starfighter, The Lord of the Rings | Leave a comment

The Unholy Alliance: Why Enemies Sometimes Find Common Ground

Posted on 2026-08-19 by The Narrator

When we think of evil, we often imagine it as selfish, ruthless and uncompromising. It seems unlikely that such forces would ever work together. After all, two predators fighting over the same prey rarely cooperate. Yet history and fiction are … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Philosophy, Society | Tagged Adolf Hitler, alliance, Avengers, Benito Mussolini, BRICS, China, Cold War, Communism, Dark Lord, Dark Side, Darth Vader, de-Stalinization, diplomacy, Emperor Palpatine, evil, Fascist, G7, Germany, good, Infinity Stones, Italy, Jedi, Joseph Stalin, Loki, Mao Zedong, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Middle Earth, Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Nazi, Nikita Khrushchev, One Ring, Operation Barbarossa, Pact of Steel, partnership, Poland, Russia, Saruman, Sauron, Sino-Soviet Split, Sith, Soviet Union, Star Wars, Tesseract, Thanos, The Lord of the Rings, United States | Leave a comment

The Table I Wish I Hadn’t Sat At

Posted on 2026-06-27 by The Narrator

Sometimes the greatest lessons in life are not taught by mentors. Sometimes they’re taught by people who accidentally show you exactly who you never want to become. Recently I found myself seated with three seasoned managers. They had all spent … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Leadership, Philosophy | Tagged business, corporate culture, ethics, integrity, leadership, morality, servant leadership | Leave a comment

The Curious Case of Gold: A Brick Looking for a Greater Fool

Posted on 2026-06-23 by The Narrator

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 | Leave a comment

Juneteenth and the Dangerous Lie

Posted on 2026-06-19 by The Narrator

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 | Leave a comment

100 Things I’ve Learned from Writing 100 Tales

Posted on 2026-06-16 by The Narrator

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 | Leave a comment

The True Value of a Milestone and the Devil You Know

Posted on 2026-06-07 by The Narrator

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 | Leave a comment

How We Forgot the True Meaning of Decoration Day (and Found a Great Deal on Mattresses)

Posted on 2026-05-25 by The Narrator

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 | Leave a comment

Take the Extra Minute: An Imperial Safety Briefing for the TK-Trooper

Posted on 2026-05-04 by The Narrator

As search and rescue volunteers, we live by the creed of preparedness, planning and visibility. We preach the gospel of readiness, the wisdom of planning and the essential need for high-visibility gear. The Empire, on the other hand, apparently skipped … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Search and Rescue | Tagged armor, Dark Side, Galactic Empire, May the 4th, New Order, Rebel Alliance, safety, search and rescue, Star Wars, stormtroopers, TakeTheExtraMinute | Leave a comment