Weird Experimental Stuff!

(if you got a business card from me with a random word scribbled on it, this is what it's for.)

Wait, what do you mean weird??

In addition to the more conventional work listed on my home page, I'm also an amateur student of how to set young people up to live good, meaningful, and fulfilling lives - a pursuit that has taken me into what modern society might refer to as some really weird places.

For over a decade, since a disheartening stint in the classroom, I've explored the philosophy of science, technology, artisanship, learning, and work; developmental psychology (especially through the lenses of Jungian analysis and the positive psychology movement); youth talent development (from both the traditional gifted education perspective and through the lens of sports and performance psychology); group dynamics and complex systems as they relate to young people and youth-serving organizations; how developments in technology impact kids; how young peoples' development, values, and outlooks on the future are impacting how new technologies and innovations develop; and the cultural, historical, and anthropological dimensions of growing up.

Much of my thinking is grounded in the work of pioneers across these fields. I draw from Kazimierz Dąbrowski's theories of personal development; Simon Sinek's ideas on leadership and human connection; the community-building insights of Robert Putnam and Ray Oldenburg; the social psychology of Brené Brown and Johann Hari; Native American perspectives on systems and society from Robin Wall Kimmerer; commentary on science, technology, learning, and society from Adam Mastroianni, Ed Zitron, and Visakan Veerasamy, the non-traditional educational ventures of Grace Llewellyn, Justin Skycak, Michael Strong, and Chris Balme; thoughts on gender roles from Richard Reeves and Niobe Way; and the cultural studies of rites of passage, ceremonial experiences, and the transformations of growing up of Robert Moore, Victor Turner, Mircea Eliade, and Arnold van Gennep.