You Can’t Handle The Truth Dating apps deliver keen insight into the way people really think. This week, a long article about the inevitability of AI took social media by storm. The prediction (and engagement farming) is that in short order AI will bring about the End Times. Nevertheless, in my experience, AI sometimes works, sometimes not. In the fields of law and medicine, AI botches answers all the time. In fact, AI platforms make significant disclaimers around these topics. Ironically,...
23 days ago • 2 min read
Fitness Hacks to Avoid Getting Fit One fascinating aspect of gym behavior is the effort people make to avoid doing the work. The cold plunge particularly seems to draw out the best (worst) in people. For example, at one recent plunge session, the weirdo in the tub next to mine demonstrated an impressive feat of strength and balance. She hooked her arms and legs around the outside of the tub so that only her groin area would get wet. Biohacker Dave Asprey is the most famous face for another...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
My vasectomy, but my doctor got screwed On my to-do list as a newly single man was to get a long overdue vasectomy. On the big day, I decided to test my composure by declining the laughing gas and instead making conversation with the doctor.In actuality, the most painful part of the procedure took place after it was over. For some reason, the doctor’s assistant emphatically ripped off the medical tape that was holding my johnson in place. Honestly lady, what is your problem.During the...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Why I’m Bad at Dating Apps (and So Are You) Evolution + algorithms virtually guarantee a bad experience. I made it to the end of another dating app today, meaning I swiped through every profile in my city and selected age range, and arrived at the loading screen where there’s nothing left. I always congratulate myself for being so discriminating and efficient, but I might just be struggling with the “paradox of choice.” For humans, more options make us less happy. It’s harder to pick...
2 months ago • 2 min read
The Dog at the Gym After growing up in the suburbs, I am having a novel experience here in urban Miami. Dog owners take their dogs wherever they go — into the drug store, the supermarket, even restaurants. Nobody seems to notice or care. Either we live in a new culture where dogs are equivalent to children, or there is something unique about animals in a pedestrian environment. The good thing for pets and owners is that running errands outside delivers a meaningful amount of natural light....
3 months ago • 1 min read
My Awkward Miami Cold Plunge Encounter When I signed up last month at a new cold plunge spa, I asked them if they had any requirements for what can be worn (or more accurately, must be worn). Just as receiving sunlight directly on your privates helps stimulate testosterone production, the more skin that touches cold the more significant the brown fat activation and metabolic effect. My minimalist approach to plunging is to do it in my Speedo. I recently bought a second one on Amazon that...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Gym Multitasking and the New Age of Fitness I am striving at the gym to be less judgmental and more open minded. When I see somebody doing something absurd, I ask myself: Is this ridiculous, or is it a different kind of mastery? For example, I am always impressed by the guys talking to their Bluetooth earbud while doing a set of pullups. I certainly don’t have the lung capacity to grind away in good form and keep up a conversation. Recently, I came across a guy sitting on a machine who was...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Is Apple’s Brightest Phone Ever a (Bigger) Threat to Your Health? Apple’s new iPhone 17 has caused Twitter’s EMF watchdogs to erupt in protest. Engineers increased the iPhone’s maximum screen brightness to 3,000 nits, a 50% boost over prior phones. In theory, the risks to the new iPhone users from artificial blue light — from cataracts to endocrine disruption — have increased by half. Is Apple in fact run by psychopaths? Exposure to isolated blue light is toxic to humans, causing circadian...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Is Sitting to Blame for Low Back Pain? Maybe sitting isn't the problem but rather where the sitting takes place. I was generally pleased with how my physical therapist treated my low back pain. However, my biggest issue was, and remains, moving from a seated position to standing. When I asked my PT for a precision solution, he said, “Have you considered not sitting down?” While ridiculous, my PT may have been on to something. Sitting destroys backs. One guy from my gym told me that despite...
6 months ago • 2 min read