I read a piece about Amelia Dimoldenberg, who, for 10 years, produces a YouTube channel chronicling her dates at London chicken shops. Her dates include Elmo, Synthia Erivo, Jennifer Lawrence, Sabrina Carpenter, Ryan Reynolds, and others. I love this show! British humor. I love the dry, awkward, deliciously witty, and absurdity of British humor. The title of the videos, “Chicken Shop Date” alone is hilarious — a chicken shop is not where you go on a first date in London. The Questions! Interviewing is an art. It’s like music. An opening and hard hitting starting question gives way to a meaty answer which gives way to a lighter un-related question which gives way to an out-of-the-box answer which gives way to a harder more cerebral question… the dance continues. Interview shows like “Chicken Shop Date” or “Hot Ones” or even “Between Two Ferns” gives an aspiring interviewer so many ideas for how to engage an interviewee and bring out the best in them.Question: “What object would you be?”Keke Palmer: “A rock…” her explanation is awesome.

I hear this question often: “Why would I want a lizard?” “Why would I go there?” “Why would I…”And I wonder if that’s an unfair question. Unfair because it’s impossible for a respondent to answer that question well. The only good answer I can think of is: “I’m not you, you tell me.”Marketers like to ask a similar question. Why would someone want to buy our product? And to answer that question, they need to have some hypothesis about the purchasing motivations of their target audience. But to the non-marketer or business-person, perhaps that question is rhetorical. Perhaps the esoteric meaning is: that’s a ridiculous suggestion you made, do you even know me. I think I would likely just say that versus using rhetoric. What if the question invites an opportunity to persuade? What if the why would I could be esoterically thought of as an invitation to brainstorm and think of interesting reasons. Unless you knew the asker to be a literal communicator, you might need a lot more context clues to help you know that was the intent. Also, I don’t believe the median person is that literal a communicator. So I’m left wondering, how do I best engage with that question when it’s asked outside of business? The weirdo in me wants to answer literally… but the part of me that desperately wants to crack culture code knows an esoteric meaning may be present. Perhaps my response could be: Why would I want to invest any time figuring out why you would want to join me for coffee? I think I’ve arrived at a conclusion point. Ask people about themselves first and listen. if you can connect someone to a thing that solves a known-problem or indulges a known-interest, connect.If step 2 fails, go back to step 1.

Yesterday, I wrote about a sign in a doctor’s office. The sign signaled that patient privacy is valued. The behavior of the workers at the clinic suggested otherwise. A brand is only as meaningful as an organization’s desire to deliver on it. And if there is no desire to deliver on it, customers pick up the hint and move on. What I don’t understand is that the logic I presented applies to most businesses, but hospital systems exempted? In my mind healthcare, should be one of those things where delivering on a brand promise is life or death.

I walk into a medical clinic and observe a sign that reads: “For patient privacy, please wait here. Thank you.” So I wait. An attendee helps the person in front of me. The attendee speaks loudly enough that I can clearly hear the answers and topics being discussed. I can’t help but wonder: I wonder if the attendee is aware of how loud they are?What’s the point of signaling privacy?What if I highlighted the paradox for the attendee would they care?As I am writhing — writing — this another person walks in. I learn that person’s name and what they’re in for. I learn the name of another person who needs their appointment changed because a provider will be out I learn that another attendee is sick and will be traveling to Miami. And I learn the name of the attendee I suppose this is the experience of the Lincoln Avenue Health Center, a clinic of the Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedtert Memorial Hospital.

Possibly one of the best tv shows I’ve watched in a billion years. I cackle, I laugh obnoxiously loud, and I love how it’s absurd, endearing, physical, quirky, and reflective of what it means to be human. Too often I feel like an alien. I try to allow life get ahead of me and move mindfully through it; but, the second order effect of that is tend to see life as an observer. And, I imagine, aliens must feel like observers. That’s ridiculous, absurd, and — interestingly — human.

I enjoy visiting prediction markets — Polymarket and Kalshi are two examples — every now and then. In some ways, I find these mini-markets about the future more revealing and sobering than reading or listening to 24/7 news. I operate with an understanding that people invest into the things they know. For example: the trending market on Kalshi is “What share of the vote will the AfD get in the German election?” I know nothing about the AfD or what’s going on in Germany; however, I assume that a majority of the people who voted in that market have an idea of what they’re talking about. The market is leaning towards a 66% chance that the AfD will get 20-24.9% of the vote. That’s interesting because it invites a whole host of questions: what’s going on in Germany? Who is the AfD? What are the ramifications of them getting more or less than 20-24.9% share of the vote? What impacts might that have on me? How about best picture at the Oscars. On Kalshi, Anora is given a 75% chance to win best picture. That market is worth 4M dollars — not an insignificant amount of money. I am now curious about “Anora.” I love movies, and haven’t made time to watch it. Maybe I’ll check it out. Lots of hype in US news about the US acquiring Greenland. I don’t know if I have strong enough interest in that topic; however, I see the real and satirical news headlines. How much is hype and how much is real? Where are people putting their money? As of right now, 23 Feb at 4:05am Central, Kalshi shows there’s a 25% chance, and some voters have linked articles to support their votes. How much of the headline is hype and how much is real? I am not an economist, yet I enjoy thinking about price, signals, and markets. And while markets certainly contain noisy data — a bet can be thought of as the sum of the value you place on something plus noise — it appears a lot less noisy than opinion news. Now, time to rent “Anora.”

I don’t get the warm fuzzies from being together with my family. That’s not a sensation or sentiment that I register.

Instead, I believe I receive an adjacent sentiment — not the same, but perhaps in the same genre. A feel good feeling from making sure my siblings have what they need, from knowing I spent a few moments with my parents, or other activities that fall in the category of “being present for others.”

I am thinking about signs and signals. I came across a sign in someone’s yard that read “science is real.” And, I am cautiously confident that the sign owner is signalling their public health policy positions. This post is not about that person or their views. Instead, it’s about the paradox of science. I am fascinated by UAP (formerly known as UFOs) phenomenon and other space-related topics. My fascination led me to learn more about science and scientific thinking. With reasonably certainty, I believe that science deals with real things but the assertion that those real things are what they appear to be is and must be treated with skepticism — scientific theories are falsifiable. Oversimplified. Let’s say I have a theory —y. For it to be a scientific theory, I must be able to test if x could make theory y not true. If my attempts to disprove myself fail, my theory y strengthens. We approach the world of theory y becomes fact if an overwhelming amount of evidence amasses that theory y is true. And even then, long held scientific beliefs have gotten over turned through new discoveries. In a sense, science is not real, it’s skeptically evolving. I believe that’s a testable theory.To question the notion that “science is real”, for some, is to signal that I do not believe in science or perhaps the sign-owner’s worldview of science. I discovered that firsthand. And what’s odd to me is that the act of questioning the claim is inherently scientific. It is to hold a view that can’t be tested that is considered, by many, pseudoscience. Richard Feynman, a famous physicist, calls this “Cargo Cult Science”.What if the sign, “science is real”, is not about the method of scientific inquiry but about effect of accumulated scientific knowledge? Maybe the owner asserts a belief that: of what we have learned now, we believe that which we have learned to be real. That makes sense; however, we must accept that which we know now is subject to change and cross-examination — it’s typically helpful to hold a gradient of speculation towards claims of any kind. My (highly un-original) theory, open to examination, is that the sign signals membership to a group. It’s an indicator of “this is how we are”. In fact, the text at the top of the sign reads: “in this house, we believe…”. And that signal helps others place that household in a type of mental social stratification — are they “in” my group or “out”? And, unfortunately for me, I am rarely “in” with most groups. I am usually “out.” Not for my views on anything, but mostly for not being willing to accept group (family, social, you name it) beliefs or norms out right. To hold a belief that science is real but not be open to an examination of that belief seems ironically anti-scientific. The experience of the yard sign reminds me of other symbols people use to signal their group beliefs — like a crucifix, tight jeans, or “ARMY”. All of that said, I’m open to my beliefs being challenged. I welcome it. I care so much more about finding some kind of objective truth about us and our nature than fooling myself and others. “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool. So you have to be very careful about that. After you’ve not fooled yourself, it’s easy not to fool others….” — Richard Feynman with an edit by me.

Kevin Kelly, an author and founder of Wired magazine, wrote out 50 years of travel tips here. I agree with many. Examples:If you hire a driver, or use a taxi, offer to pay the driver to take you to visit their mother. They will ordinarily jump at the chance. They fulfill their filial duty and you will get easy entry into a local’s home, and a very high chance to taste some home cooking. Mother, driver, and you leave happy. This trick rarely fails.Note: I did something like that in Istanbul. I didn’t ask to visit a mother, I asked if I could take them to lunch. Worth it!When visiting a foreign city for the first time, take a street food tour. Depending on the region, the tour will include food carts, food trucks, food courts, or smaller eateries. It will last a few hours, and the cost will include the food. You’ll get some of the best food available, and usually the host will also deliver a great introduction to the culture. Google “street food tour for city X.”Note: Always do that! Go to the places with long lines. Anthony Bourdain said that street vendors rarely stay in business if they’re poisoning their neighbors.Go to a cemetery. Look for sacred places. People live authentically there. Don’t just visit the markets, but also go to small workshops, hardware stores and pharmacies –  places with easy access to local practices. See how it’s different and the same all at once.Agreed. I love visiting a cemetery — maybe for more personal reasons though. As a kid, I believe with reasonable certainty that my parents shielded me from death. Even today, they don’t enjoy talking about the subject. I believe that’s made me insatiably curious about the topic and wanting to understand it more. Paradoxically, meditating on death gives me profound peace and contentment. In 53 years of traveling with all kinds of people, I’ve seen absolutely no correlation between where you eat and whether you have intestinal problems, so to maximize the enjoyment of local foods, my rule of thumb is to eat wherever healthy-looking locals eat.True. In fact, the restaurants that appear as if they should be condemned are the best. I still dream of a bulalo soup I enjoyed while sitting on coke crates chatting with taxi cab drivers in Manila. The rate you go is not determined by how fast you walk, bike or drive, but by how long your breaks are. Slow down. Take lots of breaks. The most memorable moments—conversations with amazing strangers, an invite inside, a hidden artwork—will usually happen when you are not moving.I best learned that lesson while in Ireland and England. In both places, strangers went out of their way to chat, take an interest in me, and force me to slow down and enjoy. I still remember visiting a bar in England (alone). I met this stranger who sat next to me. We talked. He asked me if I wanted to go to another bar, I said why not. We ended up having an awesome night meeting his friends, enjoying awesome ramen, and have super warm beer (I don’t know how the Brits drink cask ale). I’ll add my own tips:Generally speaking, humans are good natured creatures anywhere you go. A smile, rice, cigarettes, and a humble demeanor (all or a combination of) will win you a helpful acquaintance in most places. You’re not in Kansas, so don’t expect Kansas. Surrender yourself to the paradox of other cultures and embrace. Eat the food. Embrace the norms around time, family, and work. Don’t seek out Instagram shots — seek out experiences.Don’t take yourself too seriously. You’re going to screw up — that’s the point and that’s how you’ll learn. Enjoy the process of making mistakes and getting better. The experience will humble you and you’ll come out a stronger person as a result. ]Consume lots of local art and music! See live music, visit art exhibitions, get exposed to architecture. Visit museums. If possible, go with (or better — make!) local friends. That’s how I experienced Bangkok, Dublin, Cork, Manila, St. Petersburg, Bali, Semarang, San Jose (CR), Lima, and other places.

Fascinating. Sharing with you.