Brad Rourke

Category: daily life

  • Vibram Five Fingers Shoes — My Review

    Many of my friends (both in-person and on Facebook) know that a couple of months ago I bought the strangest looking shoes you can imagine: shoes with toes. They’re called Vibram Five Fingers. Before I told you what I thought of them, I wanted to wear them for a goodly period of time, to be…

  • People Care About What Touches Them

    Yesterday Michael Jackson was buried. I have a terrible confession to make: the hoopla around dead celebrities has always left me cold. Perhaps it is my cranky and contrarian nature, I don’t know. But I find myself muttering inwardly, “What did he ever do, really?” Even the great icons – I’ve always thought that, when…

  • Staying Neutral

    I was talking to a friend the other day about a family event he had to attend. For him, such events are not positive. His family is filled with bickering, infighting, recriminations. At group events, he dreads the point that always comes, when one family members starts talking trash about another one, and demands some…

  • How To Evaluate Online Obligations

    We seem constantly pulled away from reality to tend to online business. For many, this can be vexing. For volunteers intent on helping those around them, it can be even more of a dilemma.

  • What’s Your Rhythm?

    I recently had an exchange with a friend during which I recalled that at different periods, his energy level on certain issues seemed to go up and down. That got me to thinking about my own energy and attention levels. I have long been aware that my effectiveness and energy follow a pretty strong sine…

  • The NFL’s Panopticon

    The NFL has built a perfect version of the Panopticon. What is that, you ask? I have long been fascinated with the Panopticon. In an essay about four years ago I described it: In 1787, one of the great thinkers of English history, Jeremy Bentham, proposed a new design for a prison. He called the…

  • Thieves: Don’t Take My Phone!

    My wallet got stolen yesterday. I fell victim to a rash of thievery at my gym: at least four other guys got hit. I had locked my locker like I always do; when I returned after my workout and started turning the knob, something felt funny. The knob turned harder than usual. Then the combo…