Hiya stranger. Nice to be talking to you again after a ridiculously long break of nearly eight weeks. And I’d like to assure you that a gap of this length between shows on a podcast that appeared to be weekly, is in no way the norm. Rest assured that during every one of those eight weeks I was thinking about the show, but just not doing anything about it. The reason for this is as boring as it is true: too much work – the paying kind – and too little time. I know, it sucks to lose sight of what really matters while trying to make a buck, but hey, it’s the same shit we all have to deal with. Or is it?

This week I’d like to talk about the difference between need and want, specifically as it applies to how human beings relate to each other. As it’s a distinction that most people never make, it’s certainly worth looking at for that reason alone, but I’d also like to talk about it because understanding this difference it is key to how I live my life. Now, in case you hadn’t noticed, clueing you in to how I think is what this podcast is all about, and the reason I do this is, of course, completely selfish. You see, I’m hoping that by selling you my unconventional personality, I can later sell you something else that you might otherwise not want to buy. The whole thing is a huge plot to swindle you, that I gleefully undertake because, (a) I NEED to feel superior to other people in order to feel good about myself, and (b) I WANT the large piles of cash that this podcast and its conceptual offspring will undoubtedly net.

Let’s talk about time. Don’t worry, I’m not planning a physics lesson here. I don’t want to talk about the fourth dimension as a thing, or for that matter, any of the other 10 dimensions either. What I want to talk about is the good old fashioned time that we deal with in the every day world. You know, the one where only four of those dimensions seem to work. In that world time is sometimes on our side and sometimes working against us. It allows us to waste, kill, and even use it constructively. We do all sorts of stuff with time, but no matter what else we’re doing with it, we’re always spending it. And like any currency, there isn’t an endless supply.

The modern world is dominated by statistics. This will surely come as a surprise to no one. Statistics control countless aspects of our modern lives, and are applied as a matter of course to almost everything we do online. They are the backbone of many aspects of 21st century life, without us necessarily being aware of it. Stats can answer many questions when applied and interpreted with care, and many aspects of society would simply break down without them. But is statistical analysis always the best way to answer every question it is applied to? I’m not so sure.