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When you hang out with the same person, you tend to borrow language patterns from each other. What my girlfriend and I discovered is that there’s actually a certain leader-follower interaction going on. In a relationship where both partners have the same first language and dialect, the difference between the languages is so small that [...]

“Let not light see my black and deep desires.” -MacBeth, Act 1, Scene 4 Human desires are deep and profound. Much more deep and profound than the surface desires we often claim. Usually, a surface desire is a symptom of some deeper desire. When we desire something on the surface, we should figure out what [...]

In a relationship, it’s important that someone take leadership and initiative. Without leadership or initiative, the relationship is in danger of stagnating or becoming boring. It takes some leadership to keep a relationship fresh and new. Leadership to move the relationship in new directions, so that it increases in depth and dimension. The Dating Dilemma [...]

Looking for something to make your relationship more interesting? Why not study a language together? Here are some reasons to study a language together with that special someone in your life. A SECRET CODE NOBODY ELSE CAN UNDERSTAND Imagine being able to sweet talk (or naughty talk) each other while waiting in line somewhere, or [...]

I was 23 years old and had never had a real girlfriend or really even kissed a girl. Everything else in my life was all sewn up. I was wealthy, I was in a PhD program following my dreams, I even had a little bit of a social life. But I had absolutely no clue [...]

A few years ago I was oblivious to fashion, I would buy clothes randomly and pick clothes randomly to wear for the day. Now, although I’m still no expert on fashion, I’ve come to appreciate how fashion works, and I make some effort to understand fashion and to dress fashionably. My theory of how fashion [...]

Here’s something I’ve noticed. I’ll be doing work at my desk, scribbling arcane math or just making a lesson plan. I’ll wad up a piece of paper, turn around, launch if toward the trash… and then sit there, watching it fly through the air, all other productivity stopped until it lands. Just on the basis [...]

Going to Japan, I noticed a stark difference between how the Asian Idols presented themselves, versus how it’s done in the West. At the same time, at a deeper level, they both do the same thing. Of course I’ll say in advance, there are exceptions to both rules, I’m speaking in broad generalities, etc. etc. [...]

You know how it feels when everything’s going your way, when you’re “in the zone” or “in state”? A friend and I have been sharing an ongoing dialog about how to feel that all the time. The web is full of exercises for getting in state. Like pumping your fist and shouting “YES!” or “LEVEL [...]

Remember Indiana Jones, and how he always got all the girls he wanted? In honor of the new Indiana Jones movie that just came out, let’s analyze what Doctor Jones does right, how he gets the Indiana Jones girls, and what we can learn from him. There are a number of fictional characters that men [...]