Writing

Essays on the universe, startups and venture capital, privacy, books, and whatever else, since 2013. New writing is on Substack.

Nov 17, 2024Hard-earned truths I’ve learned about the universe5 min Nov 28, 2020The dream high school curriculum to unfuck 20203 min Nov 17, 2020You keep using the word “liberal:” it doesn’t mean what you think it means4 min Jun 29, 2020This politically-correct witch-hunt is killing free speech, and we have to fight it27 min Feb 3, 2020Startup trek, episode 38: Elementary, Dear Data4 min Feb 3, 2020I’m an Accomplice for life (but part-time as of January)5 min Jan 23, 2020Fundraising? Don’t say these things to investors7 min Dec 31, 2019Startup trek, episode 27: Where Silence Has Lease3 min Dec 30, 2019Startup Trek, episode 26: The Child3 min Dec 22, 2019Voicemail template for people who hate talking on the phone2 min Dec 2, 2019Startup trek, episode 25: The Neutral Zone5 min Oct 24, 20195 years of Rev Boston (and introducing the new cohort)3 min Oct 17, 2019Startup trek episode 24, Conspiracy4 min Sep 26, 2019VC University (VCU) Review5 min Jul 1, 2019Founders Should Never Pay to Pitch3 min May 20, 2019Startup trek episode 23: We'll Always Have Paris5 min May 16, 2019Startup trek, episode 22: Skin of Evil4 min May 14, 2019Startup trek episode 21: Symbiosis3 min Apr 15, 2019Startup trek episode 20: The Arsenal of Freedom2 min Apr 15, 2019Startup trek episode 19: Heart of Glory4 min Mar 8, 2019Startup trek, episode 18: Coming of Age4 min Mar 3, 2019Startup trek, episode 17: Home Soil3 min Feb 14, 2019Startup trek, episode 16: When The Bough Breaks3 min Feb 13, 2019Startup trek, episode 15: Too Short a Season4 min Feb 2, 2019Startup trek, episode 14: 110010013 min Jan 28, 2019Startup trek, episode 13: Angel One3 min Jan 7, 2019Startup trek, episode 12: Datalore5 min Dec 31, 2018Startup trek episode 11: The Big Goodbye3 min Dec 31, 201817 tips to crush your 2019 reading goal (which I used to read 100+ books this year)10 min Dec 29, 2018Startup trek, episode 10: Haven2 min Dec 19, 2018Startup trek, episode 9: Hide and Q5 min Dec 10, 2018Startup trek, episode 8: The Battle3 min Dec 8, 2018Startup trek episode 7: Justice3 min Dec 6, 2018Startup trek episode 6: Lonely Among Us3 min Dec 3, 2018Startup trek, episode 5: Where No One Has Gone Before3 min Dec 2, 2018Startup trek, episode 4: The Last Outpost3 min Nov 25, 2018Startup trek, episode 3: Code of Honor4 min Nov 25, 2018Startup trek episode 2: The Naked Now3 min Nov 18, 2018Startup trek episode 1: Encounter at Farpoint3 min Nov 14, 2018Startup Trek: to boldly go where no VC has gone before2 min Sep 11, 2018The real reasons why a VC passed on your startup21 min Sep 10, 2018The real reasons why a VC passed on your startup20 min Aug 15, 2018My user guide in 9 tips4 min Jun 20, 2018Is a law degree useful in VC?5 min May 4, 2018How to angel invest, part 9: example exit scenarios, glossary, and further reading7 min May 3, 2018How to angel invest, part 8: exits (AKA making money)3 min Apr 24, 2018Time-saving tips from busy VCs5 min Apr 23, 2018How to angel invest, part 7: your filter, day-to-day, and syndicates3 min Apr 20, 2018How to angel invest, part 6: the market opportunity and due diligence4 min Apr 19, 2018How to angel invest, part 5: good founder qualities (and red flags)7 min Apr 18, 2018How to angel invest, part 4: deal flow4 min Apr 17, 2018How to angel invest, part 3: company stages3 min Apr 13, 2018How to angel invest, part 2: debt, equity, and terms6 min Apr 12, 2018How to angel invest, part 1: the high-level3 min Jan 16, 2018How do you get a job in VC?9 min Dec 16, 2017My full-time job is VC: a little clarification and a little sexism3 min Oct 31, 2017The Enneagram in startups: finding your type4 min Jul 27, 2017Reading list: 50 books featuring AR and VR technology11 min Feb 7, 2017Life update: sabbatical + Vesper + angel investing3 min Nov 22, 2016VR and AR could revolutionize construction, but there are still big challenges5 min Oct 28, 2016How Niantic should roll out Gen II in Pokémon Go13 min Oct 25, 2016The gigantic list of augmented reality use cases14 min Aug 16, 2016The high-end VR room of the future looks like this7 min Apr 11, 2016Bots as a service4 min Sep 3, 2015I tried Google Cardboard and it's awesome4 min Aug 7, 2015How to cold email pitch a VC3 min Mar 1, 2015The story of my life1 min Jan 22, 2015My personal heroes1 min Dec 8, 2014An officiating script for my best friend's wedding6 min Nov 16, 20147 reasons why "Dumb and Dumber To" was horrible, from a die-hard fan13 min Oct 29, 2014The difference between "work out" and "workout"1 min Oct 2, 2014For two guys who hate advertising, Tim and Eric make great ads3 min Sep 15, 2014The bathrooms on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu11 min Jun 22, 2014The polarizing brilliance of Tim and Eric5 min Feb 19, 2014RuPaul's Drag Race vocabulary guide3 min Feb 19, 2014How to find a journalist's email address in 8 steps3 min Feb 10, 2014Quotes about writing from Stephen King's "On Writing"3 min Dec 20, 2013Punctate Inner Choroidopathy, the fun retinal disease that's killing my vision5 min Dec 9, 2013My rant in the 2002 Conard High School paper about the tardy policy5 min Nov 7, 2013Heinlein on being a talented generalist1 min Oct 23, 2013The 7 deadly sins of bad press releases5 min Sep 20, 2013How to use 23andMe without violating your genetic privacy7 min Aug 23, 2013Exclamation points are the worst punctuation2 min Aug 20, 2013Why privacy matters1 min Jul 18, 2013Google Glass cons: how the camera-embedded eyeglasses could shatter privacy2 min