THE COLLECTED NOTES
Business, technology, family, and the occasional detour.
Thoughts from a life that’s still very much in progress.
50 stories
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There was a period in my life when I sat beside a child I loved and had no idea what the future was going to look like. As a parent, that is a strange place to live. You stop thinking very far ahead. The things that normally fill your…
What happens when the tools finally catch up with your imagination? During the dot-com years, there was a particular kind of failure I remember almost as clearly as the excitement of what we were building. We were creating applications…
I have spent a surprising amount of my life around technology for someone who has never really known how to write software. Long before AI became something everyone talked about, I was downloading open-source projects, installing things…
Lately, I’ve caught myself doing a kind of math I never used to do. When I think about something that might take five or ten years, I find myself thinking not only about what I could build or where it might lead, but about how old I would…
I’ve always thought of myself as a solution guy. Not because I always have the answer. Most of the time I don’t. But I’ve always believed that if you give me enough time, enough books, enough conversations with smart people, and now a little AI, I’ll eventually find one. Somebody, somewhere, has already wrestled with
Over the last year and a half, I have found myself thinking a great deal about memory. It has become one of those subjects that seems to quietly work its way into my thoughts, usually when I least expect it. Our family has now experienced memory from two completely opposite directions, and I don’t think
The internet needed content. AI needs to understand why yours matters. I was fortunate enough to participate in the dot-com era, back when every company suddenly needed a website and very few of us knew exactly why. We were building things as quickly as we could, occasionally with a business
Why the first AI agent you build shouldn’t be an assistant. I’ve spent most of my life building organizations of one kind or another. Some were startups. Some were manufacturing companies. Today I split my time between running a property management company and building an AI software
There is something magical about the night before a fishing trip. I was thinking about that tonight while organizing a fly box. It doesn’t seem to matter whether I am ten years old or sixty-five years old. The feeling is exactly the same. There is this nervous excitement that starts to build as the gear
There are moments in life where something small opens a door you forgot was even there. Tonight was one of those nights. When I was a kid, I didn’t even own a motorcycle at first. I borrowed one from a neighbor kid. I can still remember it perfectly: a Honda SL70. To me, it may
I have been trying to understand why AI sometimes feels like magic and other times feels like a really confident intern who completely missed the point. That sounds sarcastic, but I mean it honestly. Some days I use these tools and feel like I am looking at the future. Other days I spend twenty minutes
Over the last few weeks I exported roughly 3,600 conversations from the AI tools I’ve been using. Ideas. Questions. Half-finished thoughts. Business strategies. Experiments. Dead ends. A few good insights buried in a lot of noise. I pushed all of it into Obsidian and visualized the connections. What came back surprised me. Not because it
Recently I came across a small open-source project from Andrej Karpathy, one of the researchers behind Tesla’s AI systems and earlier work at OpenAI. The project is called autoresearch. It’s a simple idea, almost deceptively so, but the implications are larger than they first appear. The system runs experiments automatically. It proposes a change, runs
I wrote recently about businesses gaining staff they never have to hire. Some people heard: fewer jobs. I hear something different. For a long time we’ve had a quiet inefficiency inside organizations — not a shortage of people, but a misplacement of people. Look at a normal day in almost any company. Formatting documents.Rewriting emails.Copying
Over the past few months I’ve been spending late nights experimenting with something most small and mid-sized businesses don’t yet realize is about to change their operating model: they’re about to get staff they never have to hire. Not chatbots. Operators. I’ve been working with OpenClaw — an open-source LLM agent framework — and the
Father’s Day has always made me reflective, but this year feels especially poignant. After 26 years of celebrating this day as a dad, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about the two sides of fatherhood—the joy and the worry, the pride and the fear. It’s a mix that never quite balances out but somehow feels
For the first time in a long while, I find myself just a little less afraid. Maybe it’s the changing seasons—no more ice on the roads, warm sun through the windows. Each time I drive to the club, it feels a little bit easier. A bit more normal. But every so often, something still catches
I recently had a friend ask why, with retirement looming, I wasn’t simply playing more pickleball. It’s a fair question—I certainly enjoy playing—but truthfully, I’ve never been more excited professionally than I am right now. Why? Because AI agents are set to become this year’s defining technological trend, reshaping industries and offering unprecedented opportunities….
I have lived an extraordinary life, initially blessed with a remarkable family that adopted me as a baby. They provided opportunity, comfort, and the wisdom to learn from my own mistakes. Guided into Boy Scouts and supported in all my endeavors, I discovered early on the power and freedom of earning my own money. My
In today’s world, we have numerous sources of information, from traditional news and social media to podcasts and text messages from friends. This wealth of information gives me a much better sense of the world than the limited options of the past, like just three TV stations and a newspaper—a setup I rarely engaged with,
Life has a way of reminding us about the impermanence of everything. Just when you think routines are set and some aspects of life seem unchangeable, something occurs that turns everything upside down. We once lived in Southern California, in a house that was more than just a structure; it was a symbol of personal
I was quite nervous about traveling on January 6th, as that date most significantly changed my life and my family’s. Though marking 365 days later only holds significance for us, it denotes a day that has profoundly affected us all. We decided to escape the ice and cold for a few days, trying to forget
Today feels like the right day to share this update, which I’ve been putting off for some time. The short of it is that we’ve been encountering icy mornings on our usual half-mile drive past the accident site to the pickleball club. We learned that city maintenance ends just past where the accident occurred, and
It seems my need for updates is becoming fewer and farther between, but as a couple of dear friends have reminded me, these updates aren’t just for me—they’re for my family and others who have been with us on this journey. I’ve learned that when something lingers with me—a feeling, an epiphany, or just a
It always seems to hit me at the most surprising times. I’ll be going about my day, doing almost anything, when suddenly, the accident comes rushing back, bringing with it a wave of emotions like a cold water bucket challenge I didn’t know I’d signed up for. Recently, my wife and I went out alone
It has been over a month since my last update, a period filled with subtle yet significant developments. Let me share the latest on my children’s progress and some personal reflections on this ongoing journey. Brooks’ Journey ContinuesBrooks is preparing for a new chapter at the University of Oregon, where he will continue his jazz
As I reflect on what might be meaningful to share about my kids’ recovery, I realize how much the incredible support we’ve received has impacted us. Over time, the extremes of their progress seem to moderate, becoming less pronounced from day to day. However, both Jennifer and I are sensing an underlying change within ourselves—a
I recently watched my daughter standing with her peers at an event. At first glance, the scene was picture-perfect. However, like those optical illusions drawn in chalk on a sidewalk, which a good rain can wash away, I wondered if what I was seeing was real. I’m incredibly proud of her—her dedication not only since
Just this week, I watched a little lizard attempt to navigate our kitchen floor. Typically, I’d quickly usher him outside, but this time, I paused with my morning coffee to observe. As I leaned in, he squared up to me, mouth agape in a silent challenge. Creeping closer, I saw him scramble, his tiny feet
I grew up in Kansas City near the Missouri state line, which has some mild terrain, but is nothing like the flat, mind numbing expanse stretching west towards Denver. I remember the many trips from Kansas City to Denver, departing from around 1,000 feet above sea level to the Mile High City at about 6,000
Having our family together again is a blessing I’ll cherish endlessly. Each morning brings a moment where I think to reach for FaceTime, only to remember Lauren and Jennifer are actually here. But this closeness has uncovered new challenges. People often see Lauren or Brooks and assume they’re completely recovered. Lauren’s radiant health and Brooks’s
Today’s update is a tangle of emotions for me. Firstly, I’m elated to report that Lauren and Jennifer are finally home. Their return brings a mix of joy, disbelief, and a sense of strangeness. Craig Hospital’s commitment to healing is nothing short of remarkable. Deƒspite any shortcomings, they excel at what matters most: fostering recovery
I am immensely grateful for the progress my children have made, particularly in these last few weeks. We’re in communication with their therapists—speech, occupational, and physical—and the updates on their advancements are heartening. Both Lauren and Brooks have made significant strides recently, filling me with joy. Yet, alongside this happiness, a tide of anxiety sweeps
I was raised in a religious family; my father was a minister’s son. Reflecting on my upbringing, the emphasis was on learning to do the right things, forming a conscience, and living by the golden rule. It wasn’t an overly spiritual environment, except for a few strange occurrences that unsettled my parents. As a naive
The stretch of time away from my wife and daughter has been the longest since my wife and I became engaged, with business trips previously marking the extent of our separations. While FaceTime has been a blessing, it’s a mere placeholder for their presence. There’s an undeniable void that might not be depression but feels
On this Valentine’s Day, a holiday typically awash with flowers and candy, I find myself cherishing the ‘funny’ tucked within the festivities. Today, it’s not just about romance; it’s a celebration of the returning sense of humor in Brooks and Lauren, a glimmering sign of their recovery over the past weeks. Brooks, even amid the
Lately, there’s a twinge of guilt each morning as I wake in my own bed, knowing Jennifer’s day begins on an air mattress that might be leaking. Plans are in place for my trip to Colorado as soon as Brooks’ team of therapists gives the nod. Yet Jennifer couldn’t possibly be anywhere but with Lauren,
Every day brings a new fragment for Lauren to fit into the mosaic of her memories. As she reassembles what feels like a mirror reflecting her life up to the accident, the process is delicate and gradual. Her recollection of the accident comes from the stories we share, not her own experience, and with each
In the days following the accident, the world outside seemed so disconnected. As I moved between the hospital and the outside world, stopping for coffee or filling up the car, it felt surreal—how could life just carry on? How could people laugh and chat so freely, drive carelessly on icy roads, when our own world
I remember the days when our children were small, exploring the expanse of our land under the watchful eyes of their mother while I was often away at work—perhaps too much. They were lucky, those days filled with Jennifer’s presence, never knowing the sting of separation anxiety. Jennifer, our pillar, not only homeschooled them in
In these moments, as we stand before the vastness of the journey ahead, the ‘what ifs’ and ‘will it ever be’s’ echo loudly in our hearts. Facing the steep slopes of recovery, the excitement of college and the independence that dances on the horizon of a 17-year-old’s life have been paused. Tennis dreams are shelved,
In the sudden stillness that follows upheaval, there’s a voice that pierces through—a mother’s intuition. On that fateful day, as my wife neared the accident site and saw the flashing lights, her call to me was more than just an exchange of words; it was a revelation. She knew, with a certainty that defies logic,
It’s late on the 28th, and tomorrow brings what we’ve been hoping for—Lauren’s transfer to Craig Hospital in Colorado. Twenty-two days ago, our world changed. Now, we mark time as BC, Before Crash. Despite the stress, worries, and roller coaster of emotions, it’s remarkable how quickly we’ve adapted. The shift from BC to AC is
In the relentless rhythm of hospital corridors, amongst the beeps and whispers of medical machinery, there are angels working 12 hour shifts—the nurses. It is to these unsung heroes that our family owes an immeasurable debt of gratitude. Your work goes beyond the scope of job descriptions or duty hours. In your hands, care is
When you’re intently focused on anything—be it a business, a fitness goal, or any specific objective, like the health and welfare of your kids —it’s hard not to feel disappointment when faced with setbacks, whether they’re minor or even imagined. Most people who know me are aware that I generally lean towards optimism. From January
Today was another remarkable day. Lauren had some extraordinary visitors in her room. I won’t name names, but among them was the ER Trauma doctor who first treated our children and managed those crucial early hours, guiding them towards the ICU. Words fall short in expressing how phenomenal she is. Her presence helped ground us
I have often been reminded by numerous health professionals that dealing with traumatic brain injuries, and the ensuing recovery process, is akin to a marathon—not a sprint. Progress is gradual, and patience is paramount. The anxiety we feel comes from our belief that providing the best possible support for our kids requires a series of
I must confess, despite regularly seeing friends on Instagram and Facebook speak of living with a perspective of gratitude, it always seemed pleasant, and I’ve certainly been thankful for my fortunate life, incredible family, and friends. Yet, it is only now, as I sit here today, that I truly comprehend its depth. For me, gratitude,
Dear friends, family and friends we have not met, I have often been reminded by numerous health professionals that dealing with traumatic brain injuries, and the ensuing recovery process, is akin to a marathon—not a sprint. Progress is gradual, and patience is paramount. The anxiety we feel comes from our belief that providing the best
We have no words to describe our gratitude to friends, family, and community members who have reached out to us. We have been receiving unbelievable support, from helping with meals, taking care of the dogs, and just receiving texts of love, prayers, and healing thoughts. Time disappears in this situation, and you live moment to
