The Jason Wright Show

I’m currently finishing up Daniel Pink’s book, “The Power of Regret.” It had been an eye opener. As someone who wants to eliminate as much regret as possible, the book has proven very useful. We have multiple selves. The two I focus on in this episode are the ‘actual self’ and the ‘ideal self.’ When we are focused on trying to reach our ideal self, we need to get rid of as many ‘oughta’s’ as we can so they don’t become irreconcilable ‘shoulda’s’ when we are older. It turns out the happiest people are those who have relationships. I go into detail about how this has personally impacted me. I have always been a guy who craved solitude and devalued relationships. That was until I met Mrs. Wright. Now that has all changed. I hope this helps you have your best Friday ever. Thank you for tuning into the Jason Wright Show! The Ice Barrell I mentioned

The Ants & the Grasshopper One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants were bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat. “What!” cried the Ants in surprise, “haven’t you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?” “I didn’t have time to store up any food,” whined the Grasshopper; “I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone.” The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust. “Making music, were you?” they cried. “Very well; now dance!” And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work. There’s a time for work and a time for play.

Reality Will Punch You In The Face So I received an email from Flow Genome Collective CEO Jamie Wheal. It was excellent. Granted, Jamie and I have differing world views on a lot of the content of the email, but there was some great nuggets of wisdom for sure. The most profound was how so many people are caught up in theorizing and talking about all the problems we face without actually doing any real work or problem solving. He describes a retreat he attended in Austin with a bunch of “do gooders” who could define in a hundred different ways all the problems we face without giving one real practical action item. It got me to thinking about how in this rush to build utopia people are completely denying reality in many cases. This is a bad thing. Reality is indifferent. It can’t be made to suit your whims and fancies. It will punch you right in the face. Here’s Jamie’s email and the podcast that it inspired. The Revolution Will NOT Be Spotified! BY JAMIE WHEAL | READ AND SHARE ONLINE I repeat:The Revolution will not be SpotifiedOr YoutubedNor even Substacked(though I suspect that low-fi blogging platform may persist for a bit longer than most)As the old song goes…“You will not be able to stay home, brotherYou will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop outYou will not be able to lose yourself on skag (aka: Oxycontin)And skip out for beer during commercials, becauseThe revolution will not be televised Spotified.”Everybody’s got a plan, until… Just wrapped a three day conference here in Austin that was ostensibly focused on existential risk, systems theory, and human development. A bunch of well-meaning folks convened from all around the world, to try and save it.And boy howdy! I’ve never experienced a bigger disconnect from the actual stakes and the conversations to be had, in my entire life.It reminded me of those cringe Youtube videos, titled in all caps: “Tai Chi master gets ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED by MMA fighter!!!”Click on the link and said master, whose students have attested to his ability to send people through walls without even touching them, gets summarily dismantled by the scrappy MMA guy.It’s never even close.One journalist who was at the existential risk event asked me, “Why do you think these academics and theoreticians are so disconnected from realities on the ground?Why are they so focused on re-diagnosing the problems and debating their pet theories, rather than actually standing up real projects in the real world to do something about it?”Existential Scholasticism. Trying to outdo each other counting Angels of Death on the heads of a pin.Tai Chi masters, the lot of ’em.Waving their hands around in beautiful circles. Visualizing Whirled Peas, but wholly unacquainted with the laws of physics.#everyonesgotaplanuntilyougethitIn some instances at that Austin event (lookin’ at you, Millennials), we weren’t even dealing with real Tai Chi masters. More like Call of Duty/Grand Theft Auto/MortalKombat masters.“I’m not a real badass, but I play one in the metaverse!”Or Tulum.It’s not that these folks were withholding their most precious insights as to what do we do now??? It was increasingly, startlingly, tragically clear they had no. fucking. idea.And that’s what I mean about the Revolution not being Spotified.If you’re aching to keep your finger on the pulse of the Long Disaster, the ones to watch are going to be broadcasting less and less (if they ever were at all).They sure as shit won’t be caring about subscribers on their podcast.They will have unplugged from their screens and started digging in the dirt. Doing real things in the real world, with a degree of urgency and clarity utterly lacking in the poindexters-on-the-spectrum lot.Remember that old Lefty bumper sticker “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention?”  We might revise it to read “If you’re not gardening, you’re not paying attention.”Welcome to the Beginning of the End.(the End of the Middle just happened)Snakes and Ladders (and Maslow)That old Abe Maslow Hierarchy of Needs that Boomers loved so much because it placed their own preferred “Self Actualization” at the tippy top also has a reverse gear.We can slipslide back down to Food, Clothing and Shelter at the bottom of the stack just as easily as we can levitate to the higher reaches of spiritual bypassing.(to be fair, Abe knew this too, and his unpublished papers put “self transcendence” above “self-actualization”––so after we become someone, we’re supposed to become no one and be helpful again)But here’s Three Signs the hour’s getting increasingly late (aka: the Beginning of the End)Thing One: Clean Up Set on the Horizon Smart folks with their eyes on the horizon are warning of some serious cleanup sets heading our way. If we just sit around lollygagging on our boards, we’re going to get creamed. (a “cleanup set” is when, out in the ocean a giant wave comes and breaks further out than the ones you’re trying to surf, so if you don’t paddle your arse off to get further out to sea, it will come down on your head–just watch the video from Jaws, you’ll get it)Ray Dalio’s most recent book The Changing World Order has all sorts of wonky charts and graphs, but one that doesn’t show up online, (but is in the hardback), is a map of mortality across the last 500 years or so of history––European Wars, Spanish Flu, World Wars etc.And for each spike in deaths due to epidemics or battles, there’s an even higher spike for starvation. For everyone clipped by the first two horsemen of the Apocalypse (Pestilence and War) as many again get hosed by the third pony boy, Famine. (weirdly, we almost always ignore starvation stories in our history books and obsess on war and diseases, so we end up massively underestimating their role to play).Hence, the gardening. Worst case, you have some fresh basil and oregano for your salads. Best case, you’re thriving on your own zucchini bread instead of moldy government cheese.***Peter Zeihan, a global strategy guy who advises the CIA, DoD, and like minded folks, just came out with his new book The End of the World Is Just the Beginning, and in a nutshell, his thesis is this:We’ve enjoyed the last 75 years of the American Peace and it’s never coming back. For the rest of our lifetimes, life will never be cheaper, richer, more abundant or more peaceful than it has been so far in ours. Ever again.Read that a few times.It took me the first third of Recapture the Rapture to gently make this case in 2020––that if you’re a Boomer, GenXer, or Millennial, we grew up in a Post-War bubble that is 100% going to pop (but we can’t tell because it’s all we’ve ever known).Just two short years later, Zeihan has boiled it down to the first page of his introduction.He follows that bracing opener with 350 pages of methodical detail on precisely all the ways this is gonna unwind, with the sliver of hope (if you live in North America) that the US of A is still uniquely positioned (food and energy surpluses plus favorable transportation systems and demographics) to prevail for a Round Two of the shining City on a Hill experiment. It might not look pretty in the transition, but in the Settlers of Catan: MadMax Edition  we’re still holding some amazing cards.Two bites at the Apple of Empire!How’s that for privilege? (or dumb luck)Civil war and climate collapse are about the only two things that could thwart that triumphant second act, and I mean, what are the odds???#manifestdestinyonlyworksifwebelieveinitThing Two: Back to the Future (speaking now to the End of the Middle)Unless you have been under a rock, you’ve probably heard of the overturning of Roe v Wade. Super pivotal with wide ranging impacts, from women’s lives to midterm elections to our next president. But what you might have missed was the overturning last week of the EPA’s ability to regulate pollution.That’s gonna kneecap global climate coordination at a time when we need to be making leaps of faith (on aforementioned bad knees).As goes America, so goes the world.No politician in their right mind is going to hold their own less rich, less populous, less culpable citizens to tougher standards than ‘Merica’s. We’ll always have Paris (Accords), I guess.That means we’re increasingly likely to take the full impact of climate collapse right on the chin. No buffers, no last minute if-only-we-act-now changes of course to soften the blow.Go back and reread those IPCC reports and instead of instinctively looking at the Best Case and Second Best Case charts (cause we’re not suicidal maniacs, right?), take a peek at the Third Best and Worst Cases. They’re not nearly so rosy. (the smart money to ride out the storm’s on the Great Lakes and New England)But as all stats professors love to tell us, “it takes three points to make a trend!” And the third judicial sleight of hand that might truly mark the End of the Middle and the Beginning of the End is the winding back of voting rights across America. The quiet part, that some citizens deserve to vote more than others, is now out loud and proud (boy!).The Civil Rights Acts of ’64 and ’65, EPA creation in ’70, Roe v Wade in ’73––were all watershed legislation/rulings that set the terms and conditions for modern, secular, progressive society. They all happened within a decade of each other.And they’re all getting unwound by a deceptively activist “Originalist” bench who are happy to contradict past precedents and their own testimonies under oath to rewind the clock.Welcome back to the 1950’s.And they’re just getting started.And they all have life terms.(while Progressives were eating each other alive reacting to Trump’s Twitter and busy virtue signaling on Instagram, McConnel packed more court appointments into Trump’s first three years than Obama placed in eight! And we wonder why the Evangelical Right was so, so happy to overlook the moral turpitude of their Wrecker-in-Chief! #kingcyrusFTW)***So if you ask me, what should we be worried about? (and why I’ve been fairly relentless taking the piss out of more elaborate and misguided conspiracy thinking by otherwise well-meaning folks)That would be the Scylla and Charybdis double whammy of unmitigated ecological crisis plus a looming White Identity Christian fascist takeover of the American Republic that’s already in the seventh inning. (and lest that sound unusually assertive, consider this backstory of the war for the soul of the Evangelical Church)Coming soon to a school board near you.Which brings us to…Thing Three: Doing The Right Thing for the Wrong Reasons is Better Than Thinking Thinky Thoughts (and Doing Nothing) Because it’s only fair to note that those existential risk and policy wonks who had gathered in Austin were good-hearted people. They want the best for everyone, and are willing to have earnest conversations to try and help bring it about. Almost to a person, they’re do-gooder humanists.And yet, with only a few visible exceptions, they were clueless about what needs to happen as we enter the Beginning of the End.But you know who’s 100% getting after it?Duck Dynasty preppers and survivalists.Anti-Vax, sovereign citizen communities.Great Reset “fight the Man!” resistors.(The Bored Ape crypto bros are experiencing a temporary interruption in services but they’ll be back just as soon as their bitcoin comes up for air and Balaji shows them how to buy land in the Third World for their Digital Nations)#itsnotcolonialismifwepayincryptoAnd that’s the weird part about Thing Three:Fitness is beating the snot out of Truth. (check out the newsletter we wrote about this for further unpacking)People all over, with completely distorted whack-ass ideas about “What’s Really Going On?” are nevertheless making more practical, self-sufficient and community based decisions than some of the smartest folks on the planet whose career is mapping those very things.So what might that mean?It means that the Great Afterwards that comes will be populated by survivors and their offspring. And those most likely to survive?The Fit ones getting off Spotify and buying land with wells and ponds (never mind how

The company was founded by Mr. Frank LLosa, a serial entrepreneur who has an incredible track record of success in a number of fields from real estate, to highly technical photography for National Geographic, to one of the first cloud-based storage systems available to the public. Mr. LLosa was also an elite Division I track athlete who currently incorporates biohacking to stay competitive in all his endeavors, including a vegan ketogenic diet, hitting levels over 8.0mm on diet alone (as mentioned in a podcast with Dave Asprey, CEO of Bulletproof, where Frank made a cameo at the end). Frank has a unique ability to find a path where others have failed. He knew this could be the perfect challenge for his unique skill set. The first roadblock to bringing the product to market was finding a commercial laboratory able to actually make the Ketone Ester at scale and under $100 a serving (Dave Asprey spent $25k for one serving in 2015!). Frank and his team were warned in advance that multiple huge public companies over the last ten years had tried and failed to deliver the Ketone Ester at an acceptable purity level and price. Within six months Frank’s team contacted hundreds of labs to find the perfect partner. Ultimately having to buy all the necessary equipment three separate times to scale from bench to pilot and ultimately to full scale production. Working together as a team, they succeeded in making small batches of the purest Ketone Ester ever tested. KetoneAid is relentless in continuing their R&D. Continuously identifying new techniques to further reduce costs to make a viable consumer product. Significant breakthroughs in production methods and costs reduction techniques have been identified. In late 2017 we launched a  successful INDIEGOGO campaign and hit $150,000, which was 5x our goal. And we shipped on time (albeit barely).In 2019 they were featured in the print edition of Inc Magazine, all without a PR person.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Our ability to pay attention is collapsing. From the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections comes a groundbreaking examination of why this is happening—and how to get our attention back.“The book the world needs in order to win the war on distraction.”—Adam Grant, author of Think Again“Read this book to save your mind.”—Susan Cain, author of Quiet In the United States, teenagers can focus on one task for only sixty-five seconds at a time, and office workers average only three minutes. Like so many of us, Johann Hari was finding that constantly switching from device to device and tab to tab was a diminishing and depressing way to live. He tried all sorts of self-help solutions—even abandoning his phone for three months—but nothing seemed to work. So Hari went on an epic journey across the world to interview the leading experts on human attention—and he discovered that everything we think we know about this crisis is wrong. We think our inability to focus is a personal failure to exert enough willpower over our devices. The truth is even more disturbing: our focus has been stolen by powerful external forces that have left us uniquely vulnerable to corporations determined to raid our attention for profit. Hari found that there are twelve deep causes of this crisis, from the decline of mind-wandering to rising pollution, all of which have robbed some of our attention. In Stolen Focus, he introduces readers to Silicon Valley dissidents who learned to hack human attention, and veterinarians who diagnose dogs with ADHD. He explores a favela in Rio de Janeiro where everyone lost their attention in a particularly surreal way, and an office in New Zealand that discovered a remarkable technique to restore workers’ productivity. Crucially, Hari learned how we can reclaim our focus—as individuals, and as a society—if we are determined to fight for it. Stolen Focus will transform the debate about attention and finally show us how to get it back.

About Lori Shemek, PhD, CNC, CLC Lori Shemek is well known as a pioneer in creating global awareness of low-level inflammation and how it is the underlying cause of most illness, disease, faster aging and weight gain. She has been sending out the message about inflammation long before it was a buzz word. Dr. Lori has uncovered the pathway to the core cause of weight: inflamed fat cells that not only promote unwanted excess weight gain and belly fat, but poor health as well. Lori Shemek is a Nutrition and Weight Loss expert, a best-selling author and specializes in weight loss resistance. She has helped many people to once and for all.. lose the weight and feel better fast. She shows people how to spot sneaky foods that create weight gain, to kick sugar addiction to the curb, and shift from eating the wrong foods to the exact foods that burn fat. Dr. Shemek is an award-winning, bestselling author of How To Fight FATflammation!; The Ketogenic Key; Beginner’s Guide to Intermittent Fasting and Fire-Up Your Fat Burn!  She is a leading health and weight loss expert and also known as “The Inflammation Terminator.”  She has made it her mission to help clients lose weight and educate the public on the toxic effects of certain foods and lifestyle choices and how they create inflammation in the body resulting in weight gain. She is a leading authority on inflammation and its role in weight loss, preventing disease and optimizing health. The Huffington Post has recognized Dr. Shemek twice as one of the Top 16 Health and Fitness Experts, alongside such names as Dr. Oz and David Zinczenko, author of Eat This, Not That. The Huffington Post has also recognized her as one of the Top 35 Diet and Nutrition Experts. GlobalData has also recognized Dr. Lori Shemek as the #1 Top 10 Health & Wellness Global Influencer in 2020! Dr. Lori Shemek has been featured in or on CBS The Doctors TV, ABC TV show Good Morning Texas health expert, has been featured on CNN, Time, NPR and Fox News, The Ricki Lake Show, Oprah.com, Dr. Oz’s Good Life Magazine, NBC Today, Health, Shape, Woman’s Day, Prevention, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, Men’s Health, The Huffington Post, Closer Magazine, Yahoo.com, Fitness Magazine, EveryDay Health, Eat This, Not That!, Bustle, Consumer Health Digest and numerous others, including national syndicated radio such as Fox News Radio. Keynote Speaker: U.S. Army 2019, 2020; Joel Osteen/Lakewood Church 2017, 2018; Kaufmann Symphony Hall – Health Conference; Global Health Summit – 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016; Osteoporosis Society; Weekly Fitness Challenge – Multi-State Tour – 2015, 2016, 2017; Chicago School Districts, Dallas Nutrition Org., including many others. Dr. Shemek holds a Doctorate in Psychology; she is a Certified Nutritional Consultant and a Certified Life Coach.

Fixed vs. Growth Mindset Do you have a fixed or a growth mindset? It can have a huge impact on your life. As someone who suffered from a fixed mindset for years I’ve since learned to develop a growth mindset. Thanks to the work of Dr. Carol Dweck many people can now change the trajectory of their entire future by adopting a growth mindset in their work, their relationships and their overall interaction with their world. Checkout the Vitruvian Lab Training in the Apple iTunes Store. I will soon be launching an entire course on developing a growth mindset. #caroldweck #growthmindset #improvealwaysinallways

Derek Sivers Derek Sivers is a modern sage. He’s been wildly successful by all the typical measures, but that’s not why I like him and his work. Nope. It’s because Derek seems to have beaten the game of life. He lives on his terms. Just because everyone thinks you should sell your company and make millions and then live the FU money life, Derek does not. He keeps things simple. He doesn’t waste time, words or seemingly any aspect of life. He appears to live one of the most contented and thoughtful lives of anyone I’ve witnessed. So naturally when read his book, “Anything You Want,” and saw his invitation to email him I jumped at the opportunity. Where one of my other virtual mentors and close friend of Derek’s Tim Ferriss erects walls and fortresses to keep everyone not in his inner circle out (and I don’t blame him) Derek says, come on in. I’ll talk to you. So I emailed him. Eventually, he responded and then multiple emails back and forth later we had some digital dialogue. I’m grateful to say the least. I like that this episode stretched me a little. I had to find a way to make it worthy of an episode, and I think I pulled it off. I hope you enjoy learning more about Derek. One day, I hope to have him on for a lengthier conversation. Until then, I’m truly honored to have at least got a personal touch for the Jason Wright Show. Here’s one of my favorite Derek TED Talks on goals. I’ve adopted this discipline. I actually learned if from Steven Kotler, but Derek drove home the point for me. More About Derek: I always write for my audience, not for myself, so this feels indulgent. When I think of expressing this kind of “about me” stuff in an article, I stop myself because it’s not directly useful to you. So this is just one big page where I can write all about myself, without feeling the need for it to be useful. And some day this site will be all that’s left of me, so I might as well write my own mini autobiography. Time line for context: 1969: born in California1976: started playing piano, viola, and clarinet1979: got a TRS-80 computer and dove deep into programming in BASIC1983: started playing guitar, decided I wanted to be a successful musician1987: started Berklee College of Music in Boston1988: joined a circus, as ringleader/MC musician1990: graduated college, moved to New York City, got a job at Warner/Chappell Music1992: quit my job, and toured Japan as Ryuichi Sakamoto’s guitarist1993: lived alone on the Oregon coast for 7 months, writing and recording music full-time, in a town with a population of 21994: played around New York and universities with my band “Hit Me”, and the Professional Pests1995: started a record label, booking agency, and recording studio1996: recorded and released my album1997: started CD Baby1998: quit the circus, after 10 years and about 1000 shows1999: started HostBaby2000: moved to Portland, Oregon2002: moved to Santa Monica, California2007: rough year, moved to London, decided to quit my company2008: moved to San Francisco, sold CD Baby and HostBaby2009: moved to New York City, started writing and speaking more2010: spoke at TED three times in a year, moved to Singapore2011: published “Anything You Want” book about my CD Baby days, started Wood Egg2012: had a baby2013: moved to New Zealand to raise him in nature and be a mostly-full-time dad2014 to 2018: sabbatical, but answered 92,354 emails from 33,776 people2017: started writing “How to Live”2019: moved to Oxford, England2020: moved back New Zealand, released “Your Music and People” and “Hell Yeah or No”2021: finished and released the best thing I’ve ever written: “How to Live” About me: I’m ambitiously focused on creating More than anything, I want to make lots of stuff. I want to make articles, books, websites, music, companies, systems, apps, and especially new ideas. This shapes most of my life decisions. Saying no to almost everything, so I can have lots of time for making. At the age of 14, I decided I wanted to be a successful musician. Knowing it’s something that millions want, but only one-in-a-million achieve, I knew I’d have to be fiercely focused, persistent, savvy, and work like an Olympic athlete in training. In other words, not casual. I was single-focused obsessed with being a successful musician from age 14 to 29 — crucial years when many of my friends were feeling lost. It had me waking up early to practice, staying up late to write, saying no to all distractions, and reading whatever I could to improve. Then, at age 29, I accidentally started a company, so I was narrow-focused on creating that for 10 years, through the age of 39. I also want to learn lots of stuff, especially different approaches to thinking and living. That’s why I read so much non-fiction, and want to keep moving around the world. I connect with those who stretch, strive, and grow. I can’t relate to those who chill, hang out, watch TV, party, etc. I’ve optimized my life for creating and learning. I’ve cut out most things from my life that most normal people do — (like hanging out or media consumption) — in pursuit of my bigger goal. My life philosophy I’ve always had an uncommon approach to life, mostly shaped by my ambition. But when I read a book on Stoicism I realized I wasn’t so unique. My own self-created philosophy lined up almost exactly with this ancient philosophy. So, if you want to know my approach to life, go read these book notes. Especially the biggest point about strengthening yourself for a more difficult future. But I’m also very skeptical, and was surprised to find that’s also a philosophy. Meaning: for almost anything on this page, the opposite may also be true. I don’t trust what I tell myself. It’s not a lie — it’s my truth at the time. But an opposite point of view can replace it when I shift my perspective. (I sometimes do this intentionally: do the opposite of my beliefs, just for a different perspective.) I don’t work for money Some might say I’m retired, because I haven’t earned (hardly) any money since 2008. And in some sense it’s true: I don’t want any more money than I’ve already got. And I don’t want more fame, recognition, or anything external. So in that sense, I’m done. Retired. No longer working for money. Now my ambitions are entirely intrinsic and intellectual. I work as hard as ever, but just for my own learning, creating, and giving. I love to work alone 12 hours a day I use the term “work”, because it’s more understood, but really it’s “me time” — doing what I love. Writing, learning, improving, and creating. Whether it’s creating music, websites, books, or companies, it’s all just creating. The word “workaholic” would apply, except it’s play, not work. It’s completely intrinsic — just following my own interests. I’ve found what I love, and do it as much as possible. I prefer this as a solo pursuit. Being around other people drains me, and I don’t want to compromise this side of my life. It’s a very personal pursuit. It’s not business — it’s more like art. The rewards are internal. Nobody gives a novelist shit for writing alone. But an entrepreneur, programmer, or musician is expected to collaborate. I disagree, for me. I prefer the life of a novelist, whether I’m writing code, music, or systems. 12 hours a day works best for me, about 6 days a week. It’s good to break the gravity one day a week, and force myself to do something else. I resist it at first, but appreciate it afterwards. Besides my “work”, I write in my journal up to three hours a day. Reflecting, daydreaming, planning. Asking myself questions, and trying different answers. It feels like all my learning happens here. I’m American I didn’t realize, until I left America at age 40, that in the big spectrum of cultural norms, I’m very stereotypical American. Well, west-coast American. Meaning: very individualistlive-to-worknomadic with weak family tiesaverse to traditionsmy meals usually last just a few minutesquick to open up emotionallyseeking new ideas and peoplealways smiling and finding the bright side I’m an expat / world citizen The first six years of my life, we moved to a new distant place every year. (It was for my dad’s work.) This felt normal to me, so I remember how sad it was when it stopped. When I was six, we moved to Chicago, and I asked my mom how long we would stay. She said, “Maybe 5-10 years. Maybe the rest of your life.” I started sobbing. That was the saddest thought to me: to stop moving. Still is. I bounced around America for my first 40 years, moving every year or two. Berkeley, Chicago, Boston, New York, Woodstock, Portland, Santa Monica, San Francisco. Then I realized I was like a fly in a jar. It was time to open the lid, and explore the rest of the world. I had spent the first 40 years of my life in America, so I wanted to spend the next 40 out. My original mission was to live all around the world, everywhere for 6-12 months each, for the next 40 years. I wanted to get embedded into each place until it felt like home, then move and do it again. But as soon as it began, I had a kid with someone who didn’t like that plan, so plans changed. Instead, I’ve been spending a few years in places — becoming a legal resident or citizen of Singapore, India, Belgium, New Zealand, England, and Portugal. Each one feels like home, in a way. I’d love to slowly expand my sense of home until it covers the corners of all continents. My kid feels this is normal, as I did. All that said, no place has got as deeply into my soul as New Zealand did. That’s my real or ultimate home. I prefer talking on the phone to hanging in person I might sound like a total recluse by now, but I’m not. Most people who meet me think I’m a total extrovert, because I’m a real conversationalist, and absolutely love talking one-on-one. But I have a social window of about 2-3 hours. After that I’m drained, and want to be alone again. Because of this, I’m not into hanging out all day or night, just passing time. Phone calls seem to be more focused. More ideas per hour. A better use of time. You’re undistracted by surroundings, and focus on the quality of the conversation. And when the conversation dwindles, you say goodbye and talk again another day. Also, I love voices. Some people need to look into someone’s eyes to know them well. Not me. For me, it’s all about the voice. Two of my best friends right now, I’ve never seen in-person. One lives in Hong Kong. One lives in Lithuania. We’ve been talking on the phone for years, but never met in-person. We don’t even video-chat. Just voice. That’s all I need. (Because of this, I loved the movie “Her”.) As usual, my kid is the exception to this rule. He and I hang out about 30 hours a week, and will putter in one place for six hours at a time. But that’s a different thing. I’m a minimalist I hate waste. I don’t like the feeling of having more than I need. It feels like clutter. Yes this means I only own one pair of pants, have only two plates in my little apartment, and my computer is a 7-year-old clunky laptop that works fine. But it also applies to tech: removing every line of website code that isn’t necessary, and hand-writing a site with no framework or libraries. And it applies to my writing: spending 12 hours writing an article, saying everything on my mind, then editing it down to the few words that are really needed. I’m tech-independent I got online in 1994, so I watched many companies — companies that people were completely dependent on — go out of business, and watched everyone’s uploaded stuff just disappear. So I don’t trust companies, I avoid the cloud, and run everything myself on my own server. I don’t depend on tech that’s not truly open source and non-profit, because otherwise I don’t trust that their long-term incentives are aligned with mine. My main tools are the Vim text editor, OpenBSD operating system, PostgreSQL database, Ruby language, and Firefox browser. I don’t use any apps on my phone, for this same reason. I don’t want to depend on apps for productivity. Actually I tend to avoid my phone, in general. I just use it for calling friends, or for GPS. No email. No social media. It sits in airplane mode much of the time, then I completely power it off an hour before bed, and turn it back on after I’m done writing in the morning. All of my current creative and learning goals can be achieved with these existing tools, so I avoid that time-sinking habit of looking for new ones. I’m not into family Man, I catch a lot of shit for this. I don’t hate but don’t love my family. They’re fine. I just never felt that close to them, even as a little kid. I don’t subscribe to that “blood is thicker than water” metaphor. I feel pretty equally connected to everyone. (We’re all cousins, anyway.) I don’t feel more bound or obligated to my immediate family than I do to strangers. In fact, because of my ambitious exploring nature, I’d rather focus on the unknown, and push further out into the world. All of my relatives, every single one of them, live basically right next to each other in Portland Oregon. I’m the black sheep. I make friends easily. They come and go based on life circumstances. Proximity and interests spark friendships, but proximity and interests change. Best friends become old distant friends. New friends become best friends. Some people get married and stop calling. Some people get divorced and re-appear. I still love them all, whether we talk or not. I’m very attached to my kid, but I don’t expect him to be attached to me. I don’t want him to feel more tied to some people than others. I hope he ventures out into the world, makes new bonds, and feels no obligation to me. He doesn’t owe me anything. His life is his own. He didn’t ask to be born, and has no debts. Music I don’t like live music. (I know that is a very despicable opinion.) I love great recordings. Like my preference for one-on-one conversations, my relationship to a piece of music is personal — it’s between me and the music. I don’t want to have a bunch of other people around, and don’t want to be distracted with other things when listening. Ideally, instead of a one-to-one relationship between listener and musician, it would be one-to-zero, where I can’t even know who the musician is. Then I could focus just on the music itself, and not be distracted by any personal information about the musician. Most of my interest in music has been as a music-maker. I’m fluent in that language. I graduated from Berklee College of Music. I know almost too much music theory. I ran a recording studio for 12 years, and produced and engineered hundreds of recordings, often playing all the instruments myself. When listening to a piece of music, I’m usually too analytical. If you play something for me and ask, “What do you think?”, I’m almost always thinking about what I would have done differently if I had written it. I’m not bragging about this. It kinda sucks. It makes me incompatible with most music situations. So what do I like? Innovative arrangements. I love a unique combination and intersection of instruments. New sounds I’ve never heard before. It’s hard to listen to yet another guitar-bass-drums rock band. I need more creativity than that.Song craft. I admire it like a carpenter admires a well-made table. I worked hard for 15 years to write the best songs I could, trying to learn everything about that craft, and so appreciate a good one.Great recordings, for the same reason. After years recording music, I so appreciate something well-produced and...

The Jason Wright Show Happy Father’s Day! My buddy John Landes just became a father for the first time. So I sat down with him and discussed how it was going. Also, my long-time friend Jason Smith was kind enough to send some thoughts on what fatherhood meant to him. As always he delivered great wisdom. To all the Dads out there Happy Father’s Day!!

Josh Tomlin has spent over a decade in the Major Leagues. He’s a fellow East Texan, father and dude obsessed with being the absolute best he can be. I love Josh. I’m so honored to call him friend. Well, now I get to call him co-host of Texas Titan Media’s latest show. Although we have no idea what we’re going to call the show yet, we are thrilled nonetheless. Hey this is podcasting not network T.V. If we want to go out half baked so be it! Here’s a little about Josh Tomlin was coached by his father until he began playing high school baseball.[1] Tomlin attended Whitehouse High School,[2] Angelina College, and Texas Tech University.[3] He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 11th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign.[4][5] Cleveland Indians[edit] Tomlin with the Cleveland Indians Tomlin was drafted again by the Cleveland Indians in the 19th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft, and did sign. Since 2006, he has played with various minor league baseball teams including the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, Lake County Captains, Kinston Indians, Buffalo Bisons, and Columbus Clippers. At Columbus, Tomlin went 8–4 with a 2.68 ERA in 20 appearances, including 17 starts. He has an overall minor-league record of 51–24 with a 3.20 ERA. Tomlin was promoted to the Indians to make his major league debut against the New York Yankees on July 27, 2010,[6] where he outpitched the Yankees’ CC Sabathia, earning a 4–1 win. In 12 starts for the Indians, Tomlin went 6-4 with a 4.56 ERA in 73 innings. In 2011, Tomlin pitched most of the season in the Indians rotation, finishing with a record of 12-7 in 26 starts. On May 7, 2012, Tomlin pitched a no-decision with a career-high eight strikeouts in a win versus the White Sox.[7] The following day Tomlin reported soreness in his wrist and was placed on the 15-day disabled list after undergoing an MRI which revealed inflammation to soft tissue.[8] In July, holding a 5-5 record and 5.45 ERA and recording at least six innings in just 7 of 13 starts (compared to 23 of 26 in all of 2011), Tomlin stated, “Last year, they could count on me to save the bullpen. It’s bothered me that I’ve been like that. It’s frustrating.”[9] On August 21, 2012, Tomlin underwent Tommy John surgery and was eliminated for the rest of the 2012 season and was expected to miss the entire 2013 season.[10][11] However, he did pitch in one game on September 12, 2013, when he pitched two shutout innings against the Chicago White Sox in a relief appearance. Tomlin was called up from AAA Columbus on May 5, 2014, and placed on the Cleveland Indians starting rotation, replacing Carlos Carrasco.[12] On June 28, Tomlin pitched a near perfect game against the Seattle Mariners, striking out 11, walking none, and giving up one hit. The only player to reach base was Kyle Seager, getting a lead off single in the fifth. Tomlin went on to get a complete game shutout, leading the Indians to a 5-0 victory.[13][14] He finished the 2014 season appearing in 25 games, 16 of them starts, with a record of 6-9 in 104 innings. The following season, Tomlin underwent shoulder surgery in April 2015,[15] and started just 10 games for the Indians. On January 15, 2016, he and the Indians agreed to a one-year deal for the 2016 season worth $2.5 million. Negotiations continued, and 11 days later, another year was added to the contract, for the same $2.5 million base salary. A team option, worth $3 million, was available for the 2018 season.[16] The Indians exercised Tomlin’s 2018 option on November 3, 2017.[17] He finished the regular season starting 29 games for the Indians, establishing career highs in every statistical pitching category. He had a very low walk rate, leading the majors with only 1.03 bases on balls per 9 innings pitched.[18] He also started 4 games for the Indians in their postseason route to the World Series, going 2–1 with a 4.58 ERA. In 2017, he had a record of 10-9 with a 4.98 ERA in 26 starts. In 2018, Tomlin began the season as the Indians fourth starter, but after struggling through six starts, he was moved to the bullpen.[19] Tomlin finished with a career-worst 6.14 ERA in 32 appearances, 9 starts. He elected free agency on October 29, 2018. Atlanta Braves[edit] In January 2019, Tomlin trained at Driveline Baseball to improve his pitching delivery.[20][21] On February 7, Tomlin signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers that included an invitation to spring training.[22][23] Tomlin signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves on March 21,[24] a day after the Brewers released him.[25] Tomlin served mainly as a multi-inning reliever for the Braves, going 2–1 with a 3.74 ERA over 79.1 innings (51G, 1GS). His 0.79 BB/9 was the lowest in MLB (min. 30 IP). Tomlin pitched in two games in the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals. Tomlin retired 10 of the 12 batters he faced, not allowing a run over 2+2⁄3 innings. Tomlin signed a minor league deal to return to the organization on February 12, 2020.[26] Tomlin had his contract selected to the 40-man roster on July 18. In 2020, he was 2-2 with a 4.76 ERA, in 39.2 innings that included five starts.[27] On November 11, 2020, Tomlin and the Braves agreed on a one-year contract worth $1 million that included a team option for the following season.[28][29] Tomlin struggled to a 6.57 ERA in 35 appearances for Atlanta in 2021, but won his first ever World Series ring when the Braves defeated the Houston Astros in 2021 World Series. On November 6, 2021, the Braves declined the option on Tomlin’s contract for the 2022 season, and became a free agent.[30] Pitching style[edit] Tomlin throws five pitches. He has a four-seam fastball (87–91 mph), a two-seam fastball (86–90), a cut fastball (83–88), a curveball (74–77), and a changeup (low 80s). The changeup is used against left-handed hitters, and Tomlin uses his curveball often in two-strike counts.[31] Tomlin walks very few hitters, averaging only 1.6 walks per 9 innings through his first 333 innings. He had the lowest walk rate, 1.1 per 9 innings, in the Major Leagues in 2011. Since 2013 through September 8, 2017, Tomlin has the lowest walk rate among all major league pitchers, walking only 1.07 batters per 9 innings.[32] Personal life[edit] Josh Tomlin’s mother Elana owned a barbershop.[33] His father Jerry was a plumber and later worked at power plants.[34][35] Jerry was diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation in August 2016.[36][37][38] Tomlin and his wife Carlie married in January 2014. The couple has two daughters.[39] They reside in Tyler, Texas.[40] Here’s a little about me. Jason Wright graduated from Travis Elementary and pitched the winning game of the Pony League City Championship game circa 1988. He got the save for the game. The Jason Wright Show remains where the motto is and will always be to ‘Improve always in ALL ways!’ However, as a means of debuting mine and Josh’s new show, I thought I’d share the JWS platform. We sincerely hope you enjoy the new show!