The Think Tank Hall of Fame
Think Tank #100
Wow. I can’t believe I’ve done one hundred of these things.
I started the Think Tank series in early December of 2023 with a new idea. Instead of only writing longform essays blending together multiple thoughts, I’d experiment with a new formula of isolating only one thought and giving it my full attention.
It’s worked well, and since Thinking Man has grown quite a bit since I started the Think Tank series, I figured it would be a good time to look back at some old favorites.
This was the first one:
You Have a Choice
How many times in life do we forget that we can do whatever the hell we want? It’s something we don’t think about often, despite the fact that it’s probably the most important realization we can make. We wake up every morning on autopilot (probably later than we should have), embark on our morning commute, resentful of the fact that we ‘have’ to go to w…
This is another one from that first week, a thematic ‘sequel’ of sorts, where I talk about one of my favorite stories:
With God as My Witness
Why do we do what we do? Some people operate on autopilot, coasting through life without a second thought. But what about the rest of us? What about the people who decide to take matters into their own hands. Whose hands are we really in, once we make this choice?
A post about photography:
Out of Focus
I’d never really appreciated photography before. In fact, I’ve always kind of considered it a nuisance. I hate posing for pictures, and loathe the idea of missing a ‘real-life’ moment to capture a cheap replica of it that you may or may not ever look at again. The idea of ‘documenting’ one’s life (especially on social media) has always seemed to me so v…
A little truth about life, told via the concept of jaywalking (not much of a ‘heavy hitter,’ but I like it):
Stopping Traffic
Sometimes the little annoyances in our day can offer us our greatest insights. So, for some context, I ‘jaywalk’ at least twice per day—something that probably causes some annoyance to the drivers that are passing. It’s like a little ritual. Every day, during my break at work, I go to the little deli directly across the street. Of course, since crossing…
A somber reflection on the tragedies of city life:
Far, Far Down
What happened last night to the man sleeping on the L train? It’s not something we often think about, is it? We might ask ourselves if he smells. If he’s dangerous. But the question of whether he’s okay—well, of course he’s not, and it’s not our problem, so why bother thinking about it?
An interesting thought (prompted by a book that I never finished) that I wish would have sparked more discussion:
Noblesse Oblige
So, I’m completely hooked on The Power Broker. At the time I’m writing this, I’m about 50 pages in. By the time this is posted, I will probably have read much more. And I have to admit, despite his, well, unsavory reputation, I kind of like Robert Moses.
Some thoughts about a film projector in an art museum:
Intentionally Archaic Technology
On Saturday, John and I went to the Noguchi museum in Long Island City. It’s a cool place. I might write something at some point about Isamu Noguchi, his sculptures, or my experience with them. Right now, though, I wanna talk about this thing.
This one, about life, and video game character creation:
An Element of Chance
I’ve been thinking a lot about character creation in video games. You may have played some of these games before. You start out with a predetermined amount of ‘stats,’ usually a numerical value, and then you can distribute them as you see fit across a number of categories like strength, intelligence, speed, etc.
Some thoughts on the art of the sci-fi short story:
The Best Short Story Ever Written?
Science fiction writers are the best short story writers on the planet. In fact, I’d argue that the science fiction short story is the perfect incarnation of both the art of the short story and, potentially, the art of science fiction. They’re brilliant. How many times have you had an idea, but not known how to turn it into a full-length epic with a plo…
This one, where I talk about unfunny comedy through the lens of George Orwell (this is when these things really started getting good):
Shane Gillis on SNL: An Orwellian Perspective?
When did Saturday Night Live stop being remotely funny? I haven’t watched it in years, but John and I watched some clips of the show yesterday because Shane Gillis—a comedian who has been consistently funny in just about everything else he’s ever done—made an appearance.
This one, a refutation to the idea that “movies were so much better back in the day”:
Movies Have Always Sucked
Yesterday, John and I watched An American Werewolf in London. It was good. A fun, solid film. And it got me thinking. I tried to imagine if the movie were made today, and the intricate, carefully-done makeup was replaced by lazy CGI, and the whole thing was filmed in that ultra-high-definition soulless way that modern movies so often are. I couldn’t ima…
This one, in which I lament the downfall of the modern scholarship (and talk a little bit about ancient philosophers):
Bring Back the Renaissance Man
Modern society has aged out of the Socratic dialogue. They’re much too thoughtful, much too humble. But back in ancient Greece, they were a whole literary genre. Plato wrote a ton of them. So did Xenophon, Aristotle. A whole bunch of Greek philosophers.
A fun one about etymology:
'That's Hot,' and Other Ways to Say Cool
How many of you use slang terms without even realizing it? I’m not talking about obvious ones like ‘bet’ or ‘bussin’ or ‘cap’ or any of the numerous very obvious slang terms that I feel out of place just typing. I’m talking about the everyday ones, which are arguably not even ‘slang’ anymore at all—‘cool,’ for example, or ‘awesome.’
A musing on why people think the way they do:
Does Anyone Really Want to Learn?
Why do people read fiction? Or nonfiction? Why do people read anything? Or write anything? Why do people think about anything? Turns out this rabbit hole can be followed very far, so let’s dial it back a little bit. Why do people read? There could be a few reasons. To
Thoughts from Book 1 of Plato’s Republic (another book I haven’t finished):
Excellence of the Soul
I’d like to start this post off with the disclaimer that I know absolutely nothing. I started reading Plato’s Republic a few weeks ago, curious to find Plato’s idea of an ‘ideal commonwealth.’ I abandoned it after Book 1 entirely accidentally, and so far, I haven’t gotten to any of the actual politics yet. This post is intended as a refresher for me; if…
Another absolute favorite, about Orwell and Ancient Greece and how history repeats:
The Shape of History
We like to think of propaganda and media manipulation as an invention of the modern world—something that came about with the advent of newspapers and radio. Although some people still live in the dark, most people today are acutely aware of the fact that the mainstream news distorts events. Most people who accept this would probably concede that this ha…
A post about prisons and how we deal with deviants/punishment:
Do We Really Need Prisons?
‘Progressives’ have always hated prisons. Always. There’s a very simple reason for this, which is that prisons are ugly. They address a difficult problem that we wish didn’t exist: what do we do with bad people? I know, I know. I’m simplifying here. Criminals aren’t ‘bad’ people—they’re people who do bad th…
A post on academia (one of the first to spark a genuine, large-scale discussion on here)
What Happened to Academia?
There’s been a lot of talk lately about the downfall of academia. Universities are becoming neo-liberal brainwashing institutions; affirmative action policies have undermined their rigor. You’ve heard all the claims, and you probably have your own conception as to how true they are.
As you can see, these have changed a lot. The old ones were shorter, the ideas were ‘smaller.’ Practice makes perfect, after all. After a hundred of these things, I’d hope to have gotten a little better at it.
If you like the older style, go back and read some of them. None really ‘stand out’ much, but for what they are, they’re pretty fun.
Anyway, I’ll leave you with an older one. I think it’s pretty fun, and it captures the ‘spirit’ of what I’ve been trying to do here with this Think Tank series:
Dumb Discoveries
Sometimes, obvious truths are so obvious that you never realize them at all. For example, I only recently learned the purpose of a sponge. Really. I was doing the dishes using one of these sponges, as I always do: You know the ones. Regular soft sponge on one side, rough scrubber on the other side.
As always, thank you for reading (and for sticking with me through all of these things). I hope you enjoy some of these old favorites.
If you think I’ve missed one (John, I’m looking at you) feel free to comment and I’ll add it to the list.
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