The internet is a dangerous place for a curious person. How a curious person survives the internet is not always a straight line Understanding How a Curious Person Survives the Internet Not dangerous in the “someone hacked my fridge” sense — harmful in the “I was trying to look up a soup recipe and somehow … Read more
Author: Robertdeveau
Celebrating the Joy of Carol Burnett’s Legacy
The Enduring Impact of Carol Burnett When I was a kid, Carol Burnett would turn to the camera and take questions from the audience. Somehow, even through a screen, she made it feel like she was talking directly to me. I wasn’t in the studio. I didn’t understand most of the jokes. But I … Read more
Survivor Contestant: The Spirit Wanted What the Body Couldn’t Provide
For the last year or so, I’d been building my life around a single, strange idea — I was going to be a Survivor contestant. I wasn’t just appying for fun, I was ready for the whole drawn-out process — the audition videos, the psychological screening, the video call with Jeff Probst. I’d mapped it … Read more
Why I Just Can’t Be Entertained
For some reason, it just seems that I can’t be entertained. Most people watch TV, movies, or sports to relax. They want a laugh, a distraction, a bit of escape. I’ve learned something about myself: I don’t get that luxury. When I sit down to watch a show, a movie, or even a cartoon, … Read more
The Rich, the Beautiful, and Their Free Pools: Why Home Improvement Shows Make Me Sick
I was at the gym, doing my thing, minding my own business when it came again, my deep anger at yet another injustice. Not from the weights. Not from the sweat. From the wall-mounted television, casually streaming yet another episode of one of those home improvement shows where a family already living in a … Read more
The Smell of Freedom: A Family Story From East Berlin to Canada
When my mother-in-law told me, “When I landed in Canada, I could smell the freedom,” I wasn’t prepared for how hard that sentence would hit me. It wasn’t part of a long, emotional story. She just said it, almost in passing, like it was a memory she’d never fully unpacked. But I’ve carried those words … Read more
Why “Acme” Is the Perfect Company Name (Again)
From falling anvils to startup gold, the unexpected power of a cartoon cliché. I grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons, and if you did, too, the acme company name probably triggers instant memories: Wile E. Coyote flipping through a mail-order catalogue, ordering rocket skates or a giant slingshot in yet another doomed attempt to catch … Read more
Why Boxing Gives Out Two Bronze Medals—And Why It’s the Right Call
If you’ve ever glanced at an Olympic boxing medal count and thought, “Wait, why are two bronze medalists in every weight class?” you’re not alone. Most sports have a clear-cut podium: gold, silver, and bronze. But boxing—and other combat sports like judo, taekwondo, and wrestling—do things differently. They award two bronze medals, and they’ve been … Read more
Failure Was My Side Hustle—Now It’s My Superpower
I’m better at failing at side hustles than you are. That almost sounded like something I’m proud of. I say it like someone reading off a war record. Some people have hobbies, and some collect stamps. I collected failed side hustles. At one point, I had so many “ventures” on the go failure started to … Read more
Critical Reasoning and Race
You’re Not Supposed to Admit It: Why We Need Critical Reasoning More Than Ever People act like racism is something you have to confess to be guilty of. As if unless someone screams a slur or waves a Nazi flag, they’re innocent by default. But that’s not how it works. No one admits to being … Read more