I admire what Fred Wilson has been doing for what must be 20 years or so. He blogs nearly every day. I like to check in on his posts because they are sometimes insightful about investing or startups, and sometimes just a peek into his humanity. But mostly, it is spontaneous and relevant to what is going on with him and the world.
I don’t know if I can keep up that kind of pace, but I aspire to it.
Writing is also a way to think. I like to think about things. It makes me feel more relevant to the this massive existence of earth and humanity. Yeah, that is weighty. But writing is also a way to dig into myself. It’s yet a different way from talking with friends, meditation, therapy, yoga, reflection, and all the other ways we have a conversation with ourselves. So yeah, it is also a way to feel and a way to connect with who I am as a person. And while I like to think, I have more trouble with the intimate feeling conversations. So I hope I can expose the emotional side of myself too.
I write because I remember wondering when I as a kid, “All this history is cool, but what about all those things that happened that did not get recorded? What civilizations rose and fell with only their stones and metals left behind for us to try to understand them?” No writing. No history (to speak of). Writing is magic. It allows me to more-or-less inject ideas into your head. It allows you to more-or-less read my mind. It can do that in a way that is more powerful than video and virtual reality. So writing is a way of saying, “I was here. I existed. I thought. I felt. I loved. I hated.”
What do I want to write about here? What is my world of thoughts and feelings that I want to inject into your head?
Family life. I’m a father and that occupies most of my time and attention. My kids are twins and teenagers. I made a conscious choice to be able to spend these final years at home before they go off to college. I was just married at the age of 52 for the second time. I would like to write more about the deeper life of emotion and it starts with my most important relationships.
The habits of the good life. I’m curious about the nature of the good life, something ancient philosophers and religious leaders have learned a lot about. I’m not an expert and certainly not a philosopher or religious leader, but I kind of feel like I’m trying to unlock those mysteries.
Startup life. I’ve started or seeded or been on the board of dozens of startups (I wonder if I can say “hundreds” yet?). I’ve learned somethings and have feelings about the way it should work.
New ideas. I love ideas. I love innovation. There are several categories of new ideas that drive my curiosity and, in some cases, my investments. Here are some:
- New Mobility – including the “three revolutions” and new ideas like scooters, hyperloop, space transport, and flight.
- “Happy Tech” – my term for the application of technology to enhance human well being. This ranges from apps that make you feel better to hardware to read and write directly to your brain.
- Consciousness, intelligence, and social interaction – related to the Happytech category but these are the idea categories that inform the technology solutions
- Climate solutions – Bold technology solutions and policy ideas are needed to avert the worst of climate change.
- Social coordination, governance – We have new technology that could change these things, including blockchain. Blockchain technologies are powerful new ways to coordinate human and could end up being a bigger deal than the internet itself.
- Democracy, Capitalism and the fate of our Republic – the 2008 collapse set in motion a questioning of our world unlike any since World War II. That is both exciting and scary as hell.
- Technology and design and society – I’ve been fascinated by the interplay since I observed how powerfully Congress influenced the design of Space Station in the late 20th century. I continue to pay attention and want to dig into this topic. I wonder if I have a theory of technology that is coherent and I’d like to try to explore my ideas.
Oh, and my hobbies. I like to climb and read. I like space and nature and so expect to see things like that too.