Field Notes

Field notes & updates

Short, practical writing on resilience: what matters, what does not, and what to actually do. The full library is below; new pieces also go out on Substack.

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A climber committing to a hard move at duskFN-001

The Crux of the Matter

A welcome: why I'm writing this, what to expect, and the rules of the road.

Start here5 min
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Nothing is free — a VC and an influencer flank a crate carried by AI robotsFN-010

Betwixt and Between

The likeliest AI calamity isn't robots taking over. It's the public paying to build it, then getting priced out of using it. Who pays, and what you can do about your exposure.

Essay8 min
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Split image: solitary takeout versus a shared home-cooked dinnerFN-009

Empty Calories

AI built my app in a week because I'd spent 25 years learning to build it by hand. What happens to capability when the slow version disappears?

Essay7 min
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A non-renewal insurance notice on a doormat in front of a houseFN-008

When Insurance Disappears

A non-renewal notice looks like a billing problem. It's the first move in a sequence that can end with the house no longer financeable, and the wealth it held moving elsewhere.

Essay7 min
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Wildfire smoke over the Rogue Valley, Medford, OregonFN-007

When Everything Burns at Once

Record-low snowpack, a million acres of dead timber, contested water, and a stretched firefighting force. What happens to the mutual-aid model when too much burns at the same time.

Essay8 min
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Cartoon: riding an AI-MAXXING rocket off a cliffFN-006

We're Having a Wile E. Moment

Index concentration, Social Security's own actuarial math, and a federal debt load with no post-war precedent. What happens when the systems your wealth depends on stop working as promised?

Essay6 min
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Light plane at the staging field, ODART Whale RunFN-005

Cascadia Drill: A Tenuous Small Plane Supply Line

A weekend flying earthquake-airlift drills over the Oregon coast, and what a distributed, low-tech supply line says about being ready for the first two weeks.

Field log6 min
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FN-004

What I'm Doing: June 2026

We took our own advice and completed the eight weekend projects. Here's our mixed report card, and upcoming plans.

Field log5 min
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FN-003

Eight Weekend Projects

A weekend's worth of small, achievable projects that leave you more secure, and motivated to do more.

Do this7 min
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FN-002

A Convergence of Unraveling

Systemic failure rarely arrives as one dramatic event. It's the slow convergence of strained systems, and what that means for you.

Essay4 min
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