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John Calvin Morris, Architect : The Redneck Sophisticate c.1988
JCM — aka John Calvin Morris — was a true genius. He was called, lovingly, the “Redneck Sophisticate.” I first met Mr. Morris in the fall of 1987, when I was just 17 years old. I had run away from home and moved to Blairsville, Georgia. It was my dream to become an architect, a…
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I’m Back!! Where I’ve Been, & Where I’m Going.
Greetings, Fellow Humans! There are three reasons for this post: to come clean with you about my criminal past, to announce the publication of my memoir and podcast, and to set the stage for what comes next. “Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” — Mark Twain PART 1: CRIME & PUNISHMENT Let’s start…
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BCI 101 : the Brain Computer Interface
If you haven’t noticed, across the years, tech is getting closer to the bone. Enter BCI. In the ancient days of the twentieth century, you travelled to an office to use a PC; at the dawn of the 21st you carried a laptop with you; today you merely keep a smartphone in your pocket… now…
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the Physical Culture Podcast is LIVE! Listen Now to e001!
We are delighted to announce the inaugural episode of our new podcast: the Physical Culture Podcast. Our first episode explores a wide range of topics from physical health to the purpose of life to what a future with UBI might look like for our civilization, with hosts Gregory Roberts and Abram Hodgens. Listen now to…
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The Robots are Coming: Here’s the Plan, Humans!
The wonks call it “AI job displacement”… but let’s just call a spade a spade: With the coming wave of autonomous AI software agents, combined with humanoid robot workers, there will be a massive leap in human unemployment. Translation: massive job loss as robots (both software and hardware) replace humans in almost every viable occupation.…
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Why the 2023 Altman Coup Failed? The Ugly Truth : MONEY, HONEY
It was widely reported that within 72 hours of CEO Sam Altman being summarily executed and kicked out of the company he founded, that more than 95% of OpenAI employees signed a letter threatening to quit if he was not reinstated. And that this was why the Altman Coup Failed. In the popular and mainstream…
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Why do we Climb Mountains? Part 2
This is my attempt to articulate my personal reasons that answer the question: “Why do we climb mountains?” I forewarn you: I am a total master of rationalization — finding possibly logical (and sometimes magical) reasons to develop passionate motivation to do the things that I really want to do, but that might be seen…
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The Myth of Gear: Its not the Weapon, its the Warrior
a meditation on the Myth of Gear in modern climbing culture: over-reliance on equipment (especially by novice climbers) in the twin worlds of mountaineering & rock-climbing. You might have heard of the debate on big mountains about “expedition-style” vs. “alpine-style” ascents. In short, the first is how they did it in the olden days —…
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Why do We Risk Our Lives to Climb Mountains?
My recent adventures on the slopes of Mount Whitney (see 1 the initial summit & 2 the redemption mission), and the dancing with death that were a result of both, has me deeply thinking about the why of mountaineering. And not just for me — for Alex Honnold, for Scott Fischer — for anyone who chooses…
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Redemption: Whitney Gear Retrieval Mission : Doing it Right
I returned home from my Whitney Adventure in a state of almost total and complete shock. I had lost five pounds in 48 hours; I’d also lost my phone, and abandoned all my gear — my entire base camp setup — at 11,000 feet. I knew I had to get back — and soon —…
