Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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The minimalist sound system
Inside my tiny backpack, space is precious. Every little thing takes up space that something more vital could be using. So why am I about to tell you about a speaker? Because it’s just the most amazing speaker I’ve discovered, and it deserves that space. The way I discovered this little powerhouse was at South […]
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How to get eating superpowers
You may have heard that drinking the water in Mexico or China will make you sick, or that eating fresh fruit from a street vendor will lock you in the bathroom for a week. Yet all of the locals do it, and they seem fine. Personally, street food is one of the greatest joys on […]
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How to save huge amounts of time and frustration while traveling
Hopping from place to place around the world means constantly being caught in situations unprepared. You will forget whether it’s bad manners to clean your plate or to leave some food behind. Flights will be delayed, and horrible weather will sweep all of your plans away. One bit of preparation that will make a lot […]
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1up Philosophy: The key to better travel
When planning travel, people tend to be predictable. “Oh, you backpacked across Europe before college, then did a trip to Thailand? Me too!” I completely understand this when you haven’t traveled before. You think the world is a big scary place and you want to take your first steps somewhere that is well-trodden and safe. After […]
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The most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have
“A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea […]
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The George Carlin School of Minimalism
“If you didn’t have so much stuff, you could just walk around all the time. That’s all your house is. It’s a pile of stuff with a cover on it.” – George Carlin George Carlin, the genius comic known for pointing out huge flaws in the way people think, has predicted many things that would […]
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The secret to sleeping like a baby anytime, anywhere
You just finished the longest gauntlet of travel in your life. Ridiculous traffic. Running to catch your flight. Overnight buses with people constantly bumping into you. Finally arriving in a new city exhausted in the middle of the night wanting nothing more than a night of rest so you can be ready for the next […]
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Don’t forget to pack this one easily-forgotten tool
When you first start traveling longer-term, there are a lot of things you tend to forget about. The things you use every day, like your toothbrush and clothes, you have no problem remembering. You pack all of this stuff when you go on vacation anyway. But what about the things that you use infrequently, but […]
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How to trick your brain into being more interesting
You know that person who always has amazing stories every time you talk to them? The person you always look forward to talking to, because it seems like they manage to find excitement in every minute of the day to the point where you wonder if they sleep. That one. Now, think about that person […]
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The one thing I always have on me (Don’t tell the TSA!)
In a recent interview, I was asked what the thing I carry that’s most likely to get me questioned by TSA was. As there is only one thing that has ever gotten me questioned by airport security, I easily answered the SwissTech Multitool, which I have carried with me for 12 years now on hundreds […]
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