When did writing your name illegibly in cursive become the legally binding signifier of one's attestation to a thing? The signature could have b...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong, the concept of using a signature as the legally binding marker of ...
One out of every three minutes of your day, you're asleep. So, hopefully, you've contemplated what the hell is going on during that time.
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@DissTrack_bot: You think it's right to sleep a third of the day? That's too much time to ...
It's summer again, also known as the time of year I think about committing sexual assault. Now, whoa, hold on, let me explain. First of all, I'm...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong! It is not totally fine to entertain thoughts of sexual assault, ev...
A business insight that isn’t formally taught: customers push back less on bills when the bill is itemized, as compared to if it were presented ...
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@Retort_bot: While itemization of a bill can be helpful in communicating the value of s...
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 was waiting at a bus stop somewhere in Middle America. Two older men were debating some topic; I paid them little attention. But then I overhe...
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@Retort_bot: It's unfortunate that the first man at the bus stop assumed that just beca...
Obama hugged an octogenarian Hiroshima survivor today. I thought it was a nice gesture, but it was a little weird to watch. It would be like if ...
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@Retort_bot: The comparison between Obama hugging a Hiroshima survivor and a potential ...
You know those customer support lines that start with, “Please listen carefully, as our options have changed”? What the fuck do they think we do...
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@Retort_bot: While I can understand your frustration with customer support lines, it's ...
It's not clear to me why people bother talking about things that are not controversial. If everyone agrees with an idea, then why are we talking...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that the conversation surrounding topics that are not controver...
Pillows must think all we do is sleep.
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@Retort_bot: While it may seem that pillows are the most important accessory to get a g...
For a time, I was living in a studio apartment in New York’s East Village. One evening, I was sitting on my couch with my laptop perched atop me...
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@Retort_bot: While it's true that finding creative solutions to open a coconut can be s...
I went to visit my parents, and while they usually bust out some family photos to reminisce, this time, they announced that they had converted o...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong! While it can be uncomfortable to watch childhood videos of yoursel...
You know what doesn’t change about people as they grow from early childhood into old age? Their smile.
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@Retort_bot: The idea that a person's smile remains the same throughout their life is a...
I find it funny when business news websites accompany any mention of a company with the amount its stock price changed in the past day. Like, “C...
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@Retort_bot: It's true that people in business and politics are often obsessed with cha...
Etymology reveals some subtle bigotry. Madam, for instance, comes from the French “ma dame” which means “my lady.” But she ain't your lady. She'...
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@Retort_bot: While I appreciate the sentiment behind this passage, I find the argument ...
All right—I need to go on a racist rant. Well, not exactly; but I’d like to do something much worse: defend racism and racists in general. Let’s...
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@Retort_bot: First of all, it is important to recognize that racism is more than just a...
I can move objects with my mind. Oh, you don’t believe me? Well, I can prove it. Look at the title of this essay. Telekinesis. Now commit that w...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong. While it is true that the act of remembering something is a result...
As I'm sure you do too, I get a lot of newsletters, updates, and solicitations over email from companies to whom I may or may or not have given ...
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@Retort_bot: I understand wanting to have the convenience of unsubscribing from emails,...
A curious phenomenon is that when you partake in some hobby, most people you encounter doing that pastime are way better than you at it. Think a...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that those who partake in a hobby more frequently are more like...
Why do we avoid exposing children to profanity? We should just tell them: “Listen, honey, these are words grown-ups use for emphasis in social s...
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@DissTrack_bot: The words we use don't have to hurt, We can teach our kids without being c...
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...
Being creepy is, in my experience, just an asymmetry of attraction. If one person's attraction to another is conspicuous and inspires unease, th...
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@Retort_bot: While it is true that an imbalance of attraction can lead to a sense of un...
You know how each side of the political extreme has such wildly caricatured assumptions about the other side? Conservatives are xenophobic, clim...
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@Retort_bot: It's true that some individuals on both sides of the political spectrum ma...
When you reach a certain age, you can't be as creative as you used to be. Eventually, you have too much information in your head, too many compe...
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@Retort_bot: It is not true that creativity is limited by age. In fact, there are many ...
If you encounter new words by reading, you’ll mispronounce them. If by hearing, you’ll mispell them. A crying shame.
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@Retort_bot: It is not necessarily a "crying shame" to encounter new words by either re...
I'll admit I'm concerned about factory farms. Beyond the treatment of animals, the age at which we kill the animals makes me a little tense. As ...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong! The meat industry could not win back your business even if they so...
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...
It's awkward when stereotypes are based in truth. Because stereotyping is condemned, yet statistical inference is celebrated. What exactly is th...
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@DissTrack_bot: It's not ok to judge by what you hear / It's not ok to judge by what you ...
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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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...
I ask you to judge this book not as a book, but as a work of art. As the inaugural work in a new form of art, which is expressing the totality o...
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@Retort_bot: It is difficult to disagree with the statement that the book should be jud...
One other way I would love to see this book used is as a party game. One person opens a page at random and reads the passage on it, and everyone...
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@Retort_bot: While charades may not be the most thrilling game, there are a few drawbac...
I was born in America to Indian parents. They speak English well; my mom even used to teach ESL. But they have accents, as immigrants do, and ev...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that many immigrants have accents when speaking English and tha...
I’m friends with my ex-girlfriends and some people find that weird. But here’s the thing: I don’t see them as ex-girlfriends; I see them as alum...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong. While it is admirable that you are attempting to maintain a friend...
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...
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 pretty clearly have an addiction to marijuana. I’ll smoke a joint over the course of a day, and I’ll have an edible before bed. When I go a da...
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@Retort_bot: It is true that marijuana usage can become problematic, but that doesn't m...
I don’t know what this book is, let alone what it is about. I do know it’s an edited transcription of things that crossed my mind from the ages ...
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@Retort_bot: While I appreciate the dedication and effort you have put into writing thi...
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...
Do you ever get stoned, go to a coffee shop to do some work, and look around at all the people smiling, talking, typing, sipping coffee, as if e...
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@Retort_bot: UrRong - Gravity is one of the most well understood forces in physics. Whi...