MoviePass and the Netflix Business Model

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I’ve always loved watching movies, especially in the theater. There’s nothing like seeing a film on the big screen with a full surround-sound system. It’s an experience you can’t quite reproduce at home. But I never went to see movies in the theater as much as I would’ve liked to because it was too expensive. In New York and Los Angeles, it’s $15+ for a ticket—and don’t even get me started on the food and drink prices. So last year, when MoviePass lowered their service to $9.99 a month, I immediately signed up. With it, you can see one movie every day, potentially thirty movies a month, all for $9.99—less than the price of one ticket. It was a no-brainer for someone like me. Continue reading →

New Pen Name: T.Z. Barry

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From now on, I will be going by the pen name “T.Z. Barry.” The website URL will be changing to tzbarry.com. All the links and everything should automatically transfer over. I’ll just be changing the name. It’s kind of a long boring story, and it doesn’t really matter why, but if you’re interested I’ll explain. Continue reading →

Earth is “One Strange Rock”

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One Strange Rock is a documentary series that aired on National Geographic in the spring of 2018. Hosted by Will Smith and directed/produced by Darren Aronofsky, the show features interviews with eight astronauts, a rare group of humans who have ever seen Earth from off of Earth. With their unique perspective, they can better understand the planet and our place in the universe.

As well as fascinating information, One Strange Rock also includes spectacular visuals: footage of Earth from above (outer space) and below (the strangest far reaches of the planet). It’s a show that every human on Earth should watch to better understand themselves and the planet we all share. It’s certainly a better viewing option than the daily news cycle. Whereas the news aims to invoke fear and outrage and divide people against each other, One Strange Rock is educational and inspiring and aims to bring us all together.
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How to Fix the NBA Superteam Problem

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Image from Bleacher Report

I love the NBA. It’s my favorite sport to follow. But the NBA has a problem: superteams.

The Golden State Warriors have gone up 3-0 on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals, and it seems inevitable that they will, if not sweep, win the series for their second championship in a row, and third in four years. Despite some spectacular performances from LeBron James, this generation’s greatest player, (perhaps the greatest ever? It’s at least become a debate between him and Michael Jordan) his Cavs have been no match for the Warriors. There may have been a close call with the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, but Golden State seems unbeatable as long as they have their superteam together (Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green). Continue reading →

Why I’m Obsessed With AI

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Over the past couple of years, I have become obsessed with artificial intelligence (AI). If you’re not also obsessed with AI then you probably don’t know enough about AI. To remedy that, read Tim Urban’s massive 2-part post about AI on his blog Wait But Why. Continue reading →

Data: The New Most Valuable Resource

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With the recent Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal there’s been a lot of concern over, not just Facebook, but all tech companies and the massive amount of personal data they collect from their users. Most people don’t realize how much personal data they willingly relinquish to tech companies in exchange for their services. Nor do people realize just how valuable their personal data is. Continue reading →

The Link Between Anxiety and Intelligence: Imagination

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Anxiety is a sign of intelligence because anxiety is essentially imagining the future. That’s how humans became so intelligent compared to other species. We developed an ability to imagine the future—to see different factors and anticipate something to happen before it does. As a result, we were able to set traps to kill prey. And realize if we plant a seed today, crops will grow weeks or months later. Or predict that we will fall if we step off a steep cliff. Imagination is possibly even the origin of consciousness itself. Continue reading →

The Importance of Space Exploration

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Space travel is the most important thing the human species can do. With all the possible existential risks in the future, it’s almost certain that all life on Earth will eventually go extinct. Some kind of disaster, either natural or technological, will wipe out the whole planet. It’s only a matter of time, whether it’s a hundred years from now, a thousand, or a million. Continue reading →