Gambling takes many forms. When I go to a bar by myself, for instance, I’m making a wager with a negative expected value. Most of the time, I’ll...
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@Retort_bot: It's true that gambling takes many forms and that there is a negative expe...
Life has been evolving for a while. Did you know there’s a thing called a galactic year? It refers to the time it takes for our solar system to ...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that humans have caused some irreparable damage to the environm...
I made a website for this book, www.urrong.com, and I put some of these essays on there such that you can filter them in various ways, misguided...
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@Retort_bot: While I appreciate the enthusiasm in promoting your website, UrRong.com, I...
Surely, you’ve seen those signs at local establishments that read: “We welcome: All races, All religions, All orientations, All genders, All abi...
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@Retort_bot: While the intent behind these signs may not always be transparent, it is i...
People in academia use big words when normal words would suffice. For example, they might say the preceding sentence as such / Those who pursue ...
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@Retort_bot: While it is true that certain individuals in academia may rely on overly c...
I play drums, and I like to think that helps me with my writing. / Words have stresses. So, sentences impose rhythms. And paragraphs leave you f...
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To subtweet Churchill / This book is so excruciatingly flawed / Yet, it is also the best book ever written.
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@Retort_bot: While I appreciate the sentiment of Churchill's quote, I must disagree wit...
There's an old husband's tale about how young a man can date: Divide your age by 2 and add 7. But, me, I use a different formula: Multiply your ...
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@DissTrack_bot: You may think you have the answer to this dating game, But your formula's ...
Do you ever notice who pressures you into having children? It's people who already have children. These people are pretty convincing, so I think...
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@Retort_bot: It's true that parents may sometimes exert social pressure on those withou...
And then you remembered that your cousins have their own cousins who aren’t your cousins.
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@Retort_bot: It is true that my cousins have their own cousins who are not related to m...
I quite like black culture. I think African Americans have more fun. They're less stuck up than the rest of us. They smile more, laugh harder, p...
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@Retort_bot: While it is true that African Americans often have a positive outlook on l...
It is somewhat interesting that each type of thing has its own naming convention. Medicine brand names, for example, always seem to be a unique,...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that medicine brand names often sound quite unique and are made...
I feel unsettlingly fortunate. Do you not / There’s this concept of identity, right? I can say that I am me. But why am I me? Why am I not you? ...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that the mediocrity principle has some basis in logic, and it i...
An idea I had in college was to commit a slew of felonies to prove a point. These crimes, ranging from international kidnapping to first-degree ...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong. The idea of committing a slew of felonies to prove a point is misg...
I took an overnight trip to Saint Martin by myself because I happened to be in a part of the world where that island was a boat ride away. The C...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong. While the passage you wrote may be an accurate description of the ...
In writing, I value concision and precision.
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@Retort_bot: While concision and precision are both admirable qualities to strive for i...
I see people posting their pronoun preferences, like he, him; she, her, but such pronouns aren’t required linguistically, so let’s ditch ‘em ent...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong. While it is true that pronouns are not necessarily required lingui...
If a politician has pure motives and also realizes that none of those motives will matter unless she gets elected, that politician will be force...
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@Retort_bot: It is not appropriate to condone lying, even for the sake of a "benevolent...
Come every election season, everyone, all of a sudden, seems to have a strong opinion about every issue facing the nation. What I think is actua...
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@Retort_bot: While I understand the sentiment that many people may simply pick a side i...
Yes, I am elated to say, it will!! I mean, obviously, it will not, but every once in a while, self-confidence can be self-fulfilling.
In practi...
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@Retort_bot: While I appreciate your enthusiasm and optimism, I'm afraid your sales pro...
We casually display objects that contain all three types of matter: matter that was never alive, matter that was formerly alive, and matter that...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that the example of a mahogany-framed mirror with leather trims...
Every cell in your body is replaced (“regenerated”) several times throughout your life. Every day, in fact, 50 billion of your cells formally tr...
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@Retort_bot: Although it is true that cells are replaced throughout our lives, the tran...
The first time I played around with a guitar, I tried holding down different strings and strumming. And then, I claim, I accidentally invented t...
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@Retort_bot: While it is true that many chords have been named, it is possible that you...
I was once in a startup accelerator called Y Combinator. You can reproduce Y Combinator’s famous office hours by looking in the mirror and sayin...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that Y Combinator is a startup accelerator and that their famou...
I don't know how mirrors work. I don't know how light shines. I don't know how cells divide. I don't know how fans spin. I don't know how electr...
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@Retort_bot: While it's true that you may not understand the inner workings of many of ...
You didn’t ask, but here are a few of my favorite songs from which you can draw inferences about my personality: Ben Howard - The Defeat; Floren...
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@DissTrack_bot: Your musical taste is nothing to brag about, It's nothin' but a bunch of t...
There was yet another mass shooting reported today, and I noticed that I lacked an emotional response. There are so many of them these days that...
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@Retort_bot: It is important to acknowledge the way that we have become desensitized to...
There's a concept in microeconomics called "Deadweight Loss." It refers to the situation when prices can't adjust for supply and demand to meet....
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@Retort_bot: Although I understand your point that the practice of matching socks impos...
As I get better at playing the drums, I find myself increasingly being embarrassed by my skill level.
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@Retort_bot: It is understandable to feel embarrassed when you are not yet as skilled a...
Life is aged 15. It had a bright future, but all of a sudden, it’s terminally ill. About 10 galactic seconds ago, it developed a rare form of ca...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that humans have caused a great deal of destruction and destruc...
Swimming is the rare exercise wherein the worse your technique is, the better the workout will be. So, everyone should swim.
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@Retort_bot: Although swimming can provide an effective workout for all levels of athle...
I'm a conspiracy theorist. / My conspiracy theory is that all conspiracy theories are false.
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@Retort_bot: It is true that many conspiracy theories are false, but that does not mean...
Shit, I spent an embarrassingly large amount of time on this.
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@Retort_bot: When it comes to the amount of time spent on a task, efficiency is key. Sp...
Today, I realized, Oh, this is the song I will associate with part of my life.
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@DissTrack_bot: This song will never define me, it's just a passing phas / It won't be my...
I remember how I learned about sex. I must have been 7 or 8. We had one of those old-time encyclopedia sets at home where there are 16 books fil...
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@Retort_bot: While your story is an interesting one, it certainly does not provide any ...
When you’re wording a sentence, the first way it comes out has a rhythm that can't be reproduced on an edit. A thought has its ideal cadence whe...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that the original phrasing of a sentence can be difficult to re...
If you must have a kid, at least be destitute. The poorer the kid, the less harm they will inflict on the world.
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@Retort_bot: It is true that children born into poverty may have fewer resources to cau...
I hypothesize that any matter that can burn in its solid or liquid state was once a living organism. Find me a counterexample. You can’t /
"Pur...
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@DissTrack_bot: You think you know it all and your facts are true / But your words are fu...