I was recently interviewed by the Talk Beliefs YouTube channel about growing up in a Jewish family, becoming Orthodox in high school, and maintaining a orthodox Jewish life through a move to Israel, a return to America, and eventual enlistment in the US Army. The first part of the interview can be watched on YouTube here ...

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” ― Isaac Asimov This problem certainly hasn't gotten any better. The people who now pride themselves even more on their ignorance. ...

When a man you like switches from what he said a year ago, or four years ago, he is a broad-minded person who has courage enough to change his mind with changing conditions. When a man you don't like does it, he is a liar who has broken his promise. FRANKLIN P. ADAMS It is sad in our society that people get judged for changing their opinions. As long as you are open and honest about why you did it, it should be looked at as a positive. Many of my views have changed over the years and I co...

He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak. MICHEL de MONTAIGNE This is from someone who never even encountered social media. This is an accurate statement and one that we should always keep in mind. When people are making noise about how right they are it is a good time to tune them out. ...

There is a lot of noise about the future of Twitter and I have been tuning most of it out. One thing I have seen though is the potential danger to democracy if Twitter was to go away. This may be a controversial take but personally I think the fall of Twitter could be a step forward for our republic. I will certainly acknowledge that many grassroots efforts have been able to get attention because of the virality of social media. But we also have stories of democratic uprisings being muted and s...

I posted today over at Rob's Random Writing about where I am taking that project going forward and some other housekeeping item. You can see that post here. I have been playing around with Mastadon again as it seems to be what I originally liked about Twitter. I have tried it before a couple of times as I do like open source and platforms that aren't all about your data. If you wish to connect with me there @rob@social.lol is my name. I will be back tomorrow with more thoughts. ...

One should never rely on someone else’s platform. I have written on this numerous times over the years as have many others. But we see in the latest panic about Twitter how weak the influence of so called influencers really is. If you really have built up a loyal following you should be able to move to another platform without an issue. If you have the 1000 True Fans then you should be able to take those fans to a new platform. Sure we get comfortable where we are but whenever you are on som...

These last few weeks I have been working on putting more care into the information that I am intaking so I can put more focus on creative output. This week it expanded to a lot of email list unsubscribing and removing some of the RSS feeds I was subscribed to. I think I am going to institute at least quarterly going through and deciding what I really need to be subscribed to. We all sign up to a lot of lists and as we grow some things may no longer fit our needs. It is good to take some time a...

There is this trend towards people sharing conversations, that clearly took place only in their own minds, as something they overheard out in public. It usually goes like this, "I was in a coffee shop in a majorly [insert demographic here] and these two [insert people that wouldn't typically match the comment about to be said] and they were talking about [insert the pretend conversation]. It is just ridiculous as most of the time the conversations aren't things that people would actually say. ...

We must respect the other fellow’s religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart. H. L. MENCKEN This quote sums up quite well how religion should be treated in the public sphere. People are free to have their beliefs that others should be respectful of. But those with religious beliefs don't have the right to try to impose those beliefs on others. When people talk these days of the dangers to freedom of religion...

There are a lot of social issues out there and I see people who have good intentions causing more damage to their cause with their online behavior. There are many issues in the world, we have ones that are important to us because they impact us and others because we feel it is best for society. The most ridiculous thing I see is lists of demand for those that want to be allies. You can tell a person an issue doesn't impact them and that may be true, but that means they have no obligation when v...

The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is Reason. I have never used any other, and I trust I never shall. —THOMAS PAINE We would all do better to use more reason and less emotion. ...

I'm known as the Godfather of internet marketing I'm known as the X of [insert location here] I'm a real leader If you need to declare yourself something then you probably aren't really known for it. I see on social media profiles all the time crap like that and all it tells me is you are trying to be known as something. If one is really known as the "Godfather of internet marketing" then there would be no need to put that into the bio as people already know that. Those that don't either won't...

Better to actually get a few things done instead of multiple half-assed attempts. I have decided to streamline and combine some of my projects. I need to be realistic as to what I can do and where I want to put my efforts out. As I mentioned the other day I realized I don't want to put crap out into the world. Along those lines I realized that I shouldn't force myself to something that doesn't feel right to me. I had some plans for a couple of newsletters to publish my more formalized writing...

So today in the United States, November 11th is Veteran's Day. I had started writing some detailed posts about my feelings on this day and just didn't have it in me to actually do it. I am proud of my service but have questions on what it really means when freedom is under threat. That people can't separate someone's politics from their service. That is really one of the things that bothers me the most. We can disagree politically but whether someone put their life on the line to defend this c...

Today I am going to talk about a couple of the other writing projects I have going on. I am currently working on a memoir of my experience joining the Army in my thirties as an Orthodox Jew and my experiences in Afghanistan. I am also working on a play that takes place in a hilltop outpost in Afghanistan. I never thought that writing for theater would be an interest but last December I heard about a Playwriting for Veterans course being offered through Indiana University. You can learn a bit m...

I am thinking this page will be the central hub of my creative projects. It will be the place I will cross post the articles and such that I am sharing on some of the other sites that are more specialized. I will be continue to move away from social media for a variety of reasons that will be covered in future posts but the bottom line is that it isn't good for my mental health. Based on many recent world events I wonder the benefit it provides. I think that it has helped people connect which ...

"He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak." Michel de Montaigne That quote is from someone who lived centuries before social media platforms. Another great example of how the methods of communication have changed but humans haven't. ...

"Fanatics fear liberty more than they fear persecution." Ernest Renan We are seeing this in America and in other countries right now. There are people who are clearly scared of liberty. They don't realize it and they accuse the other side but that is why they are fanatics. ...

Little minds are deeply offended by little things; great minds see comprehensively, and do not take offense at trifles François de La Rochefoucauld This is excellent advice especially in our hypersensitive world. It would be better if people didn't get offended by minor things. There are enough things in our world to cause offense, we should set aside the little things and look past. ...

Every mob, in its ignorance and blindness and bewilderment, is a League of Frightened Men that seeks reassurance in collective action. Max Lerner Something to keep in mind when dealing with mobs whether online or in real life. ...

It is common in online or real life conversations for people to tell someone to wake up. Whenever you hear that you should be alerted that the person saying it is probably in a trance themselves. Hitler, Goebbels, and other authoritarians in history have told the people to wake up to what is around them while at the same time putting them into a waking trance. Question yourself. Look at all the evidence. But don't listen to someone telling you to wake up. ...

Rules are inflexible; no book of instructions will ever compete with the randomness of human activity; and any “habit” or pattern of behavior makes us predictable and therefore vulnerable to others. Baltasar Gracián Beware of anyone trying to tell you rules you must follow. Our world is changing at a rapid rate but the human mind doesn't evolve as quickly. For every guru who is preaching one thing there is another on the other side with a contrary message. Focus on what is right for you and w...

"The deepest sin against the human mind is to believe things without evidence." Thomas Huxley Science and Education – Essays, 1897 I fully agree with Huxley on this. It is scary to see what people will believe and accept not only in the absence of evidence, in many cases contrary to evidence. We need to rely on facts and evidence and not rely on the imagination. ...

It has been a while since I posted here but plan to post daily from now until the end of the year. I will revisit in January the route I will take. This isn’t the only place I will be writing but the main purpose here is to write in public. These posts may be my thoughts, a quote I came across, or some other things. The posts here will not be heavily edited and some will be thoughts on progress. I am taking a break from social media to focus on my writing which also includes fiction and pla...

I am working on a couple of books right now. One is an update of something I wrote in the past and the other is something new. It took me a long time to realize that the writing process is really about rewriting. The posts I share here I consider first drafts. They aren't as developed and refined as published work should be. It was only recently that I acknowledged that the first attempt isn't going to be perfect. That the ideas will develop. I spent too much time focused on system as opposed...

A lot of people believe that they have been appointed the official spokesperson for a group. Even better, sometimes they aren't even part of that group that the are trying to speak on behalf of. We see this a lot with talking heads about the military and veterans. There is no one opinion in the military. As most people who have served will tell you a tremendous amount of time is spent discussing and debating opinions. While there are some common factors there are also a lot of differences. I ...

I appreciate when people put little clues into their Twitter bios. Things like Red X marks, references to Q, declaring themselves a patriot and more let me know that they aren't someone really worth listening to. However, the one that makes most clear to me that they are just a blind follower and have no idea what being a free or independent thinker really means. If you are really a free thinker it will be shown in your tweets instead of needing to declare it. ...

I started a Substack that I wrote daily on for the month of January. It was the first time I completed a full month of writing and sharing thoughts. I have been having an internal debate as to whether I should continue the practice. I think for now I will continue it but be posting daily here on Listed. I will use the Substack for more detailed posts but be writing here on a daily basis for now. Why two places? Becuase I want a place to be able to write in public but also don't want to stress ...

The task of the totalitarian propagandist is to build special pictures in the minds of the citizenry so that finally they will no longer see and hear with their own eyes and ears but will look at the world through the fog of official catchwords and will develop the automatic responses appropriate to totalitarian mythology. - A.M. Merloo, The Rape of the Mind This is what many are trying to do with words like "deep state" and "dossier" Politicians and other propagandists do this with phr...

Do you remember that in classical times when Cicero had finished speaking, the people said, "How well he spoke" but when Demosthenes had finished speaking, they said, "Let us march." -Adlai Stevenson If you spend enough time online you will see that people are more concerned about being told how well they tweet. It is less about getting others to take action and actually solve problems than it is about having the most likes or retweets. If your message stops at likes then has it...

Veteran's Day is a wonderful way to thank veterans and it is great to see appreciation for the sacrifices made. But there are a lot of things that happen throughout the year that actually disrespect the sacrifice made. If you want to show your thanks and appreciation here are some things to do. Don't speak for Veterans.  We see people who have never served talking about what disrespects veterans. No veteran is in a place to speak for all others and if someone hasn't served they are in no plac...

The laws of logic have no action on crowds. -Gustav Le Bon Just look at the rallies that take place on a regular basis and you see that there is no logic being used. Those gathered just follow along with whatever is being said even when it makes no sense. Think like an individual and don't get dragged into the crowd. ...

Video and audio should not autoplay on your site. While I am not one for absolutes but along with never using Comic Sans, I would say autoplay does not have a place in a website. People may visit your site in a situation where they need to be discreet. Or maybe they have a sleeping child and are finally sitting down to look some things up and they get greeted by a loud sound. Your website content should be able to stand on its own without sound or video, remember that people will be visiting y...

They live, we are likely to say, in different worlds . More accurately, they live in the same world, but they think and feel in different ones. -Walter Lippman This was true when it was written and even more so today. We see many people who are looking at the same issues in the world but the perspective is totally different. ...

He who dictates and formulates the words and phrases we use, he who is master of the press and radio, is master of the mind. A.M. Merloo, The Rape of the Mind We have allowed words such as Deep State, collusion, and more enter our vocabularies and they are taking on their own existence. We now see it with Quid Pro Quo and people being stuck on the term as opposed to the actual crimes. If we let someone, in particular and authoritarian define terms we are giving them power. ...

A common theme that is coming up among government officials and law enforcement is the idea of encryption backdoors to allow law enforcement to access your data. These are extremely dangerous and citizens should do all they can to prevent government from requiring these. Yes, there will be information that the government may not be able to access in an investigation, on the other hand there is no way to guarantee that any backdoor will not be abused. In addition, due to how encryption works an...

If you are looking for a simple way to store some private notes check out Protected Text. It is a web-based app that is free and secure. The great thing about it is there is no registration so nothing can be linked to you. It is a relatively simple application so more for some quick notes and thoughts and not a full note taking tool but very useful and they have no way to read your notes or even know what belongs to you. ...

You know you need to think about the prospect when creating a website or sales copy and what is important to them but are you really thinking about the action you need them to take? Before you start any new project the first thing you must define is the goal you need to achieve. The finest prose or most advanced website will do nothing if it isn't driving the reader to action. So before you start any project, define what success is to you. ...

That is a simple question you can ask yourself when you come across any news story these days or when you hear someone's political arguments. Instead of jumping to reaction take a moment and think for yourself. Yes, it is easier to have others do the thinking for us, but there is a lot to be gained by taking a few moments and really looking at the source and applying logic to the idea. While you may not be first to share something at least what you share will be accurate. ...

A few months ago I stopped wearing my FitBit as it was causing wrist pain. With the news that Google is buying the company I am relieved that I am no longer sharing the data. Google isn't buying the company for technology, staff, or other reasons they are buying it for the data. Another example of how we are paying companies for the privilege to be their product. While there are a lot of great tools and conveniences out there it is important to consider the privacy tradeoff in deciding to us...

Just like we should go through our house and clean things up and get rid of things we don't use, it is important to do this for our digital lives as well. Most of use have opened numerous accounts on websites that we never use but they still hold our data, go ahead and delete those. Do a reset on your phone and computer and then only reinstall the apps that you actually are using. Even though it doesn't take up physical space it is important to also get rid of our digital garbage. ...

The email you use sends a message about you. If all you are doing is personal correspondence between friends then you probably don't have much to worry about. But, if you are running a business you want to make sure that your email communicates the right message. By using a Gmail, Yahoo, or similar type of address you are reducing the credibility of your business. In addition, you are likely paying to print that email address on business cards and brochures. You are spending money to advert...

The mechanization of modern life has already influenced man to become more passive and to adjust himself to ready-made conformity -A.M. Merloo To think that those words were written in 1953, this is a situation that has only gotten worse. While technology has enabled more places to achieve democracy and other freedoms it has also been weaponized against the same. We simply click away, retweet, and post without really thinking about what message we are sharing. This happens...

It is often disturbing to see how even intelligent people do not have straight thinking minds of their own. The pattern of the mind, whether toward conformity and compliance or otherwise, is conditioned rather early in life. -A.M. Merloo, The Rape of the Mind No matter what side of the issues one is on politically it should be a matter of concern the lack of emphasis these days on people actually thinking for themselves. We should not simply follow pundits or supposed experts but learn t...

Social media platforms are stating they don't want to be in a position to arbitrate on speech and in theory that seems like the right move, but they are already blatantly doing so with their verification system, so it is time for them to open verification to anyone who is willing to prove their identity. One of the mysteries of Twitter, Facebook, and others is what qualifies one to receive their checkmark and have a verified account. All of the platforms claim that verification is not an endor...

I follow a lot of blogs, probably too many. One subject that seems to pop up a lot is the X number of items you need to have to run your online business. Some of these lists are quite extensive such at 57 things your website must have or 31 tools every blogger should use. I have fallen into the trap at times thinking that all these things were needed but it isn't true. There are probably about five tools you need to run an online business. If you have a website and a way to capture email ad...

Can we stop with the hypocrisy arguments? If you believe that nobody should be censored for their views and you get upset when someone is boycotted for something they say the response when it happens on the other side should be to just ignore it or not do anything. When you start demanding that things need to be fair then you become a hypocrite. Hypocrisy is not going to solve any of the issues. If we want to mock safe spaces and say that people need thicker skins maybe you shouldn't get all...

We have entered a time of meta misinformation. Not only are we constantly being exposed to misinformation, whether intentional or accidental, but we now have people giving false information on how to identify what is true or not. This relates to a previous post we can't outsource thinking. This also is important with how we look at disinformation. When learning to understand misinformation you need to be willing to put in the time to understand how these messages are spread. For example, ...

It is well known that if you don't pay for a service you are the product. I hope the recent news about Facebook is bringing this to more people's attention. I would love to say goodbye to Facebook but it does have two main purposes that keep me around. First, is that it is a great way to get in touch with people I may not maintain regular contact with but do want to reach out to. Second reason is for groups. Too many organizations rely on Facebook as the way to communicate with members. I a...

Stop hoping some individual, group, or particular issue will be the savior. First it was Special Counsel Mueller, then Michael Avenatti was going to bring down Trump, then the kids from Parkland and gun control would save everything, then we had the new group of Congresswomen that things would surely change, finally Nancy Pelosi would come in to save us all. There never was and will never be a Savior. People need to stop with elevating these public figures and hoping they will solve everything...

The internet allows for being an individual and for doing business the way you want to do it. That is the great thing. There are a lot of people who talk about this. The importance of having your market and doing your thing. But then they just copy what someone else goes and does. There was someone who decided to put out a new style of email. The following week I had five people copying them in my inbox. Some were even labeling the email the same exact thing. One person says that everyone sho...

When in times of uncertainty anyone who has the definitive answer is full of shit. If you are certain about what the government must do, how the primary should be handled, or what to do about impeachment you are full of shit. I don't care what three letter agency you worked for, what your PhD is in, or how many followers you have. When looking for guidance from "experts" learn for those that provide the route to look at, the tools to use, and other ways of empowering people to make their own ...

When social media sites first started things were pretty equal and content was distributed pretty evenly. But then the companies needed to try to actually turn a profit so they started selling ads. Once ads were introduced the companies became ruled by the advertisers. When Twitter, Facebook, etc... decide to show someone's content over another person the actual decisions are being made based on an algorithm. These platforms are private entities that are running a business. If they desi...

“Always enter the conversation already taking place in the customer’s mind.” -Robert Collier When you are writing to customers are you positioning it from what matters to them or what is important to you? As Robert Collier stated, you need to enter the conversation taking place in their head already. When you write what is important to you it may not address the reader's concerns. When writing to customers make sure that the words you use and the perspective you...

We live in fucked up times. There are excellent lawyers, historians, former law enforcement, and others providing analysis and ideas for what is going on. There are also actors and random cows and horses on Twitter that seem to have all the answers. Bottom line is that nobody has all of the answers or even knows all of the questions that should be asked. While we want to be able to turn to someone to tell us what to think the world just doesn't work that way. Just because someone has credi...

"The press may not be successful much of the time in telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to think about." -Bernard Cohen Agenda setting theory talks about how the media influences the topics that we talk about on a given day. The information provided in the news has a tremendous impact in what people think about. We saw this in the 2016 election with the emphasis on the Clinton email server...

I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too... -Queen Elizabeth I Is there something about your product or service that your customers and prospects may have doubts about? As we see from Queen Elizabeth I, it is best to just get it out in the open and counter it. When you try to hide something and then it is later revealed it looks bad. When you are proactive you have the opportunity to s...

Business letter writing is not a study of form and usages. It is rather a study of human nature and "how to use words so as to make people do things." -Sherwin Cody When writing to customers while it is important to have the core grammar elements and to appear professional it is important that your words are driving people to take action. With the fast pace of communication we see people trying to go viral but while their message may be shared it is quickly forgotten and no true benefit com...

There seems to be a trend towards people supporting issues or causes due to some connection or benefit. An example is the guy who says, "as a husband, brother, or father I support this women's issue." Or as I saw pointed out recently in a tweet people supporting LGBTQ inclusion because it is good for business. We should be supporting people and causes because it is the right thing to do, not because we see some benefit in it. As a human being it should be how we think of and treat other huma...

We must learn to treat the demagogue and aspirant dictator in our midst just as we should treat our external enemies in a cold war - with the weapon of ridicule. The demagogue himself is almost incapable of humour of any sort, and if we treat him with humour, he will begin to collapse. Humour is, after all, related to a sense of perspective. A.M. Merloo, M.D., The Rape of The Mind, 1953 Every so often on Twitter when a politician does something stupid and everyone is mocking them someone wil...

"In many persons the weight of authority is more important than the quality of the authority." A.M. Merloo, The Rape of the Mind, 1953 This statement was true and the time it was first written and continues to be true. We see this on social media that people are following and assuming that just because someone has a checkmark next to their name or have a huge following they should be considered an authority on a topic. There are a lot of people providing great analysis and information onl...

Steve Bannon said that the sky is actually going to be purple Brad Parscale says that Trump will become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as well as the Trump family ruling America for the next 100 years. Media do us all a favor, stop making this shit into something. Just because Steve Bannon says something it doesn't need to be reported. Brad Parscale can make whatever predictions he wants doesn't mean it needs to be taken seriously. Why the fuck would anyone do an article about Don J...

It seems a common way many small businesses like to market is by signs on their vehicles with a name and a phone number. The problem is people are seeing these when they are driving so even though they could take a picture of the number many never will and you will be forgotten about. A memorable domain name with a website explaining your services is the solution to this problem. A website it easier to memorize and search engines will help people to find it even if they can't remember the exa...

There is a cost to free apps. While it is great to have free email, online storage, note taking, and more we need to remember that we are giving up privacy. Without even realizing it think of how much information can be contained in your email. Items such as bank balances, past dues, and medical information. In many cases it is worth it to actually pay a small amount for a service where you can support a small company instead of handing your data over for mining by corporate giants. Before...

Do you really wonder what Friends character you are similar to? Does posting your rapper or porn star name on Twitter to participate in a hashtag something that will bring more value to your life? Don't think I am judging as I do plenty of things online that are a waste of time. The issue with many of these challenges is the information you are giving out. Many of the components of these trends and challenges are information that is used as security questions at many websites. While some ...

One of the attacks that I commonly hear about people who have changed their views politically is that they are just trying to profit with the changes in environment. While there is some truth to it, there is also truth that even those you agree with have something they are trying to sell. While I am not questioning whether these people believe or are genuine most of them on any side are doing this in part for some other motivation. Look at the online bios or their social media feeds, in there...

Mitt Romney and Ben Sasse are starting to speak out. Did it take too long, yes. Are there statements on the weaker side, yes. Should they do more, yes. Should we be criticizing them for those things? The answer is a strong no. They are likely testing reactions. They know they are going to get attacked from one person and his followers they need to make sure it is worth it. While the statements may not be as strong as we want we need to encourage people to speak out and not attack them when...

Nobody is even talking about this. Nothing matters anymore. It seems that there is a large amount of twitter that feels that pointing something out and adding that phrase to it somehow makes them more intelligent or superior to the rest of us. You don't really know what the fuck most of us are talking about do you really? There is a world outside of social media. Also, yes, there are things that get overlooked because they all go back to one core problem and that is the source of all this...

While people are entitled to free speech there is no guarantee for them to be heard. I have been more liberal in my use of the block and mute buttons on social media and I think my life is better for it. It isn't being a snowflake or needing a safe space it is just I don't want to give oxygen to trolls and conspiracy theorists. When you share something even to mock it or reply back to attack you are increasing the chances of the algorithm making that more popular. Why give them the satisfa...

Not everything that someone does is for a reason. There is a person on Twitter who calls themselves a Master Persuader but can't seem to convince anyone but the group of sheep that follows him. One of the things he likes to do is take what someone says and then reverse engineer that into some brilliant persuasion strategy. Most of the time people are slinging shit and seeing what sticks. There isn't a grand strategy behind everything. These days especially if you spend time on Twitter every...

It is hard to keep up with everything going on but it is critical that we do not try to outsource our thinking. People want to give up and let the media and assorted pundits explain everything to them. It is important to actually look at sources. See if the information makes sense to you. Everyone can be fooled. Better to take a moment and see if it makes sense before clicking share. ...

Well here we are at the last day of September. Only three months left to the year and I haven't acomplished what I had hoped to but it is never too late to start. My goal is going to be to publish something everyday on this site. Most things won't be any great masterpieces but I need to start somewhere and this is the place to do it. I write on a wide range of topics including technology, cybersecurity, privacy, information warfare, and persuasion. I hope you find some value in this and lear...

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