The Thinking Bench

Welcome, the bench is... under construction!

There is no shortage of fodder or inspiration for contemplation!

Topics I think about often

Creating and repairing things- cooking, guitar, small circuits, visual art
Learning about things, metacognition
Games- video, board, tabletop, you name it
Healthcare- from experience, I know there is a lot to talk about, lots of opportunity for improvement
Consumer Rights- challenges with letting contemporary economic principles run wild
Worker Rights- other challenges with letting contemporary economic principles run wild
Philosophy- trying to make sense of the world
Well-being and general psychology
Parenting, mentoring, coaching

Possible uses for the site

What do I think? Exploration of a topic with no real expertise or predestined conclusion
Here's what I think Assertion of a hypothesis, preferably supported by evidence
What do you think? Question to visitors, a genuine call for a civil sharing of ideas. I post the question, but this page may have a section entitled "Here's what you think" linking to submissions from visitors
Your mileage may vary... Sharing an idea, solution, or recommendation- not an opinion so much as "this worked for me"/"you should try this"
Story time a personal story, ideally one with a clear message or very deliberate reason for sharing
Brain-storming Just start sharing something stuck in my head and figure out where it fits later
Things Made Sharing things I've created. Perhaps I could allow a section for things made by visitors
Fresh off the Bench Links to the most recent posts

What guides my thoughts and actions

The platinum rule
A desire to help others and fix things
A lifelong learning orientation
A strong sense of justice
A willingness to understand nuance and to contemplate prior to taking action
A frustration with the greed and economic principles that have resulted in such an unnatural way of living

Next Steps

Learn more about displaying content, CSS, and making static page content- look good
Figure out 'posting' methods, likely involving learning Java

Reminder: don't let perfection get in the way of momentum. Use the site as much as possible using known methods, developing other skills and methods over time!