Published in The Startup·PinnedMember-onlyWhy You Should Write With a Fountain PenI used to write with Onyx brand rollerball pens. Not only was I a total addict but I also had this OCD thing about needing to have a fresh one on hand at all times. I liked to take notes with these pens, writing on eye-ease paper in neat, block…Fountain Pens10 min readFountain Pens10 min read
Published in Democracy Guardian·Dec 22, 2022Member-onlyIs Being an Asshole Requisite to Being a Social Media CEO?I’m not as big a social media user as perhaps I should be, especially since I work in entertainment as both a writer and a performer. The way I see it, I’ve got shit to do. I’m not an expert on things like how to maximize clicks or any of…Social Media7 min readSocial Media7 min read
Dec 18, 2022Member-onlyI Fixed Up My Dad’s Old Lighter. Here’s What I Learned.I called an old friend the other day. We hadn’t spoken in months. I didn’t call for any particular reason, other than that I missed talking to him. I missed the sound of his voice, even over the phone. Sure, we’re both magicians and any conversation I have with a…Technology4 min readTechnology4 min read
Sep 6, 2022Member-onlyShould We Make Fun of a Man Who May Have Dementia?We shouldn’t make light of Alzheimer’s Disease. I’m not joking. — If there’s one thing my readers likely know about me, it’s that I love to make fun of Donald Trump. America is a place that prides itself on the freedom to make fun of the powerful, especially our most powerful people. I have my lines though. I believe that good…Dementia4 min readDementia4 min read
Jul 22, 2022Member-onlyWhy Can’t I Enjoy Woody Allen Movies?Authorship and art are inextricably tied, so what can we do when we love the art and loathe the artist? — Manhattan is objectively one of the greatest films ever made. It’s well written, well acted, well directed, well shot and well edited. There’s just one problem with it. I feel dirty watching it. Why? Because the film’s author is a credibly accused pedophile and, even if that’s somehow not true…Woody Allen4 min readWoody Allen4 min read
Jul 11, 2022Member-onlyI Craved Tragedy. I Received Comedy.On the comic masterpiece that is ‘Crimes of The Future’ — I love Videodrome. No. No. You don’t understand. I love Videodrome. I saw it as a student and it transformed what I considered narratively possible. Videodrome was prescient, yet it remains destined to come up within the context of any conversation about media. If you haven’t seen Videodrome, do yourself…Cronenberg7 min readCronenberg7 min read
Published in Democracy Guardian·Apr 20, 2022Member-onlyGet The Steel ChairMy orders for The USA and NATO — In the first half of the last century, the world reinvented itself. World War One threw off the shackles of empire. World War Two confronted what would come after. In the ashes of war, the world decided what it wanted to become and plotted a course. …Ukraine5 min readUkraine5 min read
Mar 30, 2022Member-onlyTrolling on InstascamNever try to con a conman — Being a magician is usually a pretty square job, in the sense that magicians aren’t usually doing anything remotely illegal. That said, there are occasions when you have to walk over to the wrong side of the tracks to learn something. This exposure to methods often brings with it exposure…Security4 min readSecurity4 min read
Published in Democracy Guardian·Mar 3, 2022Member-onlyPutin, Judo & ChessHe’s not a chess player. He’s a wrestler. — When the western media discusses Vladimir Putin, it often relies on tired tropes about Russia in order to characterize his manner of “leadership”. This is in keeping with the western media’s habit of waxing cinematic about any subject on which it can conjecture. As Russia has a long association with…Putin5 min readPutin5 min read
Published in The Haven·Feb 17, 2022Member-onlyStory Structure Isn’t Paint by Numbers; It’s a HUDAnd there’s more than one way to skin the cat you saved. — Here’s a question I can’t answer: Is it “Story Structures” or “Stories Structure”? I fell into writing when I least expected it. I was studying to be a director. I took a course on screenwriting because I felt a director who doesn’t understand writing is like a race car driver…Writing5 min readWriting5 min read
