A Practical Humanist Application for Blockchain
When I wrote this in 2018, I was worried about the tampering of our collective archive of human knowledge. Today, we've seen the tampering of AI systems to try to fit partisan narratives. This essay was written in the hopes that someone would help build an uncompromised archive of news-information.
Published Sep. 2018
The genius of Maurizio Cattelan’s ‘Comedian,’ Explained
Martin Heidegger was able to squeeze the reality of a whole world out of a simple pair of peasant's shoes. Jean Paul Sartre pumped philosophy out of a simple cup of coffee… or was that perhaps Søren Kierkegaard?—
No matter—I want to write why this taped banana is brilliant.
How can the aspirations of early modern European humanist cartographers help us understand the genius of Maurizio Cattelan's Comedian? I explain.
(essay coming soon...)
Theater, Distilled. Forging the Ritual of the Furtive Tearoom.
In late 2020, John Waters made headlines after donating part of his art collection in exchange for naming a pair of restrooms in his honor. The move felt like the work of a master alchemist and it led me to write this +3,000 word essay within a week of news breaking. I wanted the piece to match Waters' work in style and content, so this essay on intellectual art is labeled "NSFW"—it includes lewd descriptions and quotes from historical sources. I edited and produced all the art assets to make the essay cohesive. If you've never read an essay on intellectual art, don't fret, I made it accessible for a general audience.
One art professor in California confessed to me that this essay was the most enjoyable thing he had read in awhile.
Published Nov. 2020
An archeological joke on the multiplicity of truth
Many of the jobs I've held are positioned at the crosshairs of debate and veridictive practices. I am not a sophist, but it can be overwhelming to constantly hear that various partisans think they have ownership over the "truth." This feeling led to this archeological joke on the multiplicity of truth.
Published Aug. 2018
Dear Apple: What the fuck is your latest ad campaign actually saying?
Despite being one of the most profitable companies on earth, it's clear that all that money hasn't saved Apple from producing some ad campaigns that have visually bombed. I took a stab at this one.
Published Aug. 2018
A Temporary Defense of Political Memes
Memes are a tool in our toolbox to defend what's right.
Dismiss them at your own peril.
Published Aug. 2018