Filmmaker, Composer
As a continuation of a theme in my previous posts, Why Don’t I Understand Everything? and I Don’t Know, here’s more typing. I’m still surprised by two things: 1 How little we actually understand. 2 How confident we are in our predictions. Conversations I’ve recently had tend to be some version of Elon Musk’s [ ] The post I Think I Should Get Into Gambling appeared first on CarlKingdom.com .
I turn 51 next month. I’m grateful that my life is so simple. How did it get that way? A lot of my best choices in life were acts of omission. Not purchasing things. Not signing up for things. Not automatically saying YES to things. Traps for my time, energy, and money are everywhere. As [ ] The post The Art of Not Doing Things appeared first on CarlKingdom.com .
When I was a teenager, I was a follower of Ayn Rand. I knew everything! (I left that cult, but continued my fascination with critical thinking.) I’m learning how important it is to say, “I don’t know.” Our operating system for understanding the world is stories. Chains of causality. A, B, C… and then…? It’s [ ] The post I Don’t Know appeared first on CarlKingdom.com .
We know gossip serves a purpose. It alerts the community that someone might be The Bad Guy. We also know it’s better to be wrong and run away when we “sense” danger. Evolution and all that. PLUS: detection of evil is exciting! Moralizing becomes a hobby for some, or even an identity. It casts us [ ] The post Let s Play Find The Bad Guy appeared first on CarlKingdom.com .
I own a BMW X1. It s a 2021, and I bought it in 2024. I think I paid $25,000.* That s less than I paid for the Prius I owned before it. But if I factor in: Premium GasMaintenanceInsuranceRegistration, Taxes, FeesDepreciation The total cost of ownership, assuming I sell it at about 150,000 miles (8 years [ ] The post What If Someone Paid You To appeared first on CarlKingdom.com .
I went to the hardware store to return something. A customer ahead of me in line (also returning or exchanging something) had problems: 1 The clerk couldn’t find her item in the computer.2 The customer had to lean way over the counter to look at the screen, as the clerk tried to tilt [ ] The post If I’m So Smart, Why Didn t I Avoid This? appeared first on CarlKingdom.com .
I scrolled through Substack for a few minutes this morning. Its algorithmic feed decided I want to read inspirational posts that start with: “99% of people won’t…” Why is it always 99? It should be a thing we can call out, like Godwin’s Law. I decided to name this rhetorical tic after Barbara Feldon, from [ ] The post Feldon s Law appeared first on CarlKingdom.com .
As of now, these are the books I keep coming back to. They are in no significant order. And if you buy them from the links below, I’ll make 13 cents on the internet! The Art of Thinking ClearlyBy Rolf Dobelli2013 Sometimes I say this is my favorite book. Either that, or his other one: [ ] The post Carl s 7 Favorite Books: 2026 Edition appeared first on CarlKingdom.com .
The following is adapted from a lecture by Adyashanti, called The Awakened Life / Attending To Freedom. It can be found in Sam Harris’s Waking Up app. It s very much in line with the concept of my next (and hopefully final) album, which deals with Buddhism, loss, retirement, and death. The end of the story. [ ] The post How Much of Myself Is Necessary? appeared first on CarlKingdom.com .
I’m a collector of heuristics. Here’s one that applies to online dating. Disclaimer: I’ve heard women complain about this dynamic, too. PART ONE In the heterosexual dating world, men are typically expected to initiate. Sure. I can do that. When I find someone on the apps that I’m possibly interested in?* I take the time [ ] The post The One-Strike Rule appeared first on CarlKingdom.com .