In 1921, Lewis Fry Richardson wasn’t satisfied with the current state of weather forecasting. His criticism of the paradigm was fundamental: it relied on pattern-matching instead of modeling the physics of the atmosphere. In the preface of his book Weather Prediction By Numerical Process), which would go on to revolutionize how meteorologists forecast the weather,...

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It was halftime in a close tournament finals. My basketball players gulped water and breathed heavily. It was our fourth game in two days. But we were here, vying for a championship just a week after a disappointing early tournament exit. We were so close, yet there was still work to do. I spoke before...

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There are experiences, commitments, environments, people, and roles which will grow your identity. There are also those that will shrink it. You won’t know which you will get in advance, but here are a few points to consider: First, the larger your identity’s radius, the more resilient you will be in the face of setbacks....

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I was almost seventeen, not an arts and crafts kind of guy, and wasn’t looking to repair anything. So you can imagine my surprise when I unwrapped a bottle of glue as a gift. This also wasn’t from some kind but clueless family member; it was from my two soccer coaches at the end of...

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What does progress mean to you? In November 2023, I met with my cohort for The Roots of Progress Fellowship in sunny San Francisco to tackle this question. We filled a wall with sticky notes of ideas, examples, and concepts. Certain categories of progress showed up: material, cultural, scientific, and health. We debated and discussed...

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We might have lost the basketball game, but as a coach, it was one of the most inspiring performances I’ve seen from my team. We had no business winning. Though we were good, this team was undefeated despite playing some of the other top teams in our league. As I watched our opponents move like...

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As a runner, I could tell you things about my town that few others would know. I could describe the best homes for glorious views of the sunrise. I could tell you about our street lights based on the bubbles of light I see on dark mornings. I could show you the terrible (and sometimes...

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Seamen hurry near the harbour, making final preparations for their vessel. They crunch through a blanket of red, orange, and yellow leaves. Their destination: Europe. A cool wind reminds them to keep working, anything to keep warm against the falling temperatures of autumn. It’s October 15th, 1657, and it’s departure day for the ship docked...

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Each winter, I set a goal of not slipping on ice during my runs. Each winter, I’ve failed. Bruised hips and scraped knees tell those tales. Darkness is the primary factor. A typical run begins long before there’s even a hint of morning light. My steps are never fully confident, the snow concealing potential danger...

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Amidst the deluge of useless emails came a gem that made my day. It was December 30, 2020, in that liminal week where everything seems to stand still as we transition from one year to the next. I was in my own transition period. After completing an unorthodox master’s degree in theoretical physics, I was...

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