On Solid Ground – Latest Blog Posts
1960: Pop Hits in Review
We’re diving into our musical detective work, examining the pop hits of history to find “the day the music died.” In this episode, we look at the Billboard Top 10 for 1960.
‘We Have to Protect Our Geniuses’: Reflections on President Trump’s 2024 Victory Speech
Over the course of the past decades, Democrats have become increasingly vocal in demanding that rich people (be forced to) redistribute their wealth.
A Notemaking System for Compounding Knowledge
Investing in a tool that maximizes your greatest asset—reason—is one of the smartest choices you can make.
ITEC: Objective Standards for Nonfiction Writing
If you want to write powerfully, embrace objective standards. Over my thirty years of writing and editing, I’ve developed a set I call ITEC.
Politics and Living Your Best Life
Too much politics is bad for your mental health. But if we want to live lives based on rational values, we must engage in politics—in a certain way.
“Speaker for the Dead” by Orson Scott Card
Speaker for the Dead uses some bizarre sci-fi concepts to explore important moral issues—hitting the nail on the head on some, but muddying the waters on others.
Why I Used to Skip School Every Day
A podcast episode has helped me finally understand why I used to skip class every day and go exploring instead.
LevelUp 2025 Is for You!
“First, think. Second, dream. Third, believe. And finally, dare.”
This was Walt Disney’s advice. And he took it—which is why his dreams became reality.
Mark Knopfler: Sultan of Song
“The thing is,” Mark Knopfler says of his craft, “if you’ve energized somebody . . . or you’ve sensitized somebody, you’ve made a difference.”