In the online feminist world, there's a concept dubbed "mansplaining". It's where a woman will share something which happened to her, and someone else (canonically a man) will "explain" the experience for her. For example, if dozens of men scarily harass a woman on the street, and she complains about it, someone pops up and "explains" that it wasn't scary or harassment, it was just people being friendly! Mansplaining, or "X-splaining" to keep it gender neutral, is not the passing on of information, it is the condescending denial of personal experience. ...

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Over the years you've blended into your community, in part by taking on the beliefs and behaviors of those around you, and in part by influencing others in your community with your beliefs and behaviors. In your little community, you fit in. You're quietly living your life. You understand the beliefs in your community. You all proudly, if quietly, stand for A and B! ...

Ever search for a product on Google, only to have that product later advertised to you on Facebook? Weird, and a little creepy. The explanation is simple, but it's hard to avoid. Here's how I try. ...

Ever wonder what things have gender? Well… ...

Can you believe those irresponsible parents? Letting their children walk around the neighborhood unsupervised!? That's a recipe for abduction, that is. Every year in the United States, somewhere between 100 and 200 children are abducted by strangers. That's, on average, about 1 every 3 days or so. So I never let my child out without me watching. You can never be too careful. ...

A few years ago I thought of making a list of euphemisms that made no sense. Here are a few. I ended these with "if you know what I mean", but "that what she said" would work as well. ...

Hi anti-vaccination friends! How are you? Didn't we have fun chatting the other day? I liked those cookies too. Great. But, there is something I didn't mention. I went quiet for a bit when a few topics came up, and later I didn't respond to your related Facebook post, either. That's what I want to talk about. ...

A few months ago I went on a little walk. I popped in my earbuds, pressed play, and started out of our apartment complex. Up ahead, I noticed someone had left a bit of trash in the greenspace between the building and the parking lot. A slightly crushed can: Monster Energy drink. ...

By now you've probably seen this video of the harassment faced by women on the streets in New York: ...

Every once in a while, something odd happens. Ok, I guess odd things happen all the time, but this is a particular odd thing. I'll be in a discussion with someone, and they'll absolutely insist I'm not an atheist. They are positive the term I should call myself is "agnostic". This usually happens right after I explain that I obviously can't be 100% certain and could hypothetically change my mind, given the right evidence. ...

I propose a new law. This law would come into effect when a person began a weight loss plan. Consider it a consumer-protection law to curb false advertising. ...

My wife is pregnant and due in December. This will be our second child, and everything is going fine so far. With our first child, she didn't have many of the standard pregnancy problems. This time she has swollen feet and ankles, and pregnancy-related carpal tunnel syndrome, and is generally more tired and out of breath. Because I'm a stay-at-home homeschooling dad, it means I hang out with many pregnant women and hear all the intimate and graphic details moms share with each other, and so I know my wife's symptoms fall into the "stuff 99% of pregnant women have" category. ...

Almost everyone thinks they're a good driver. Ask them, they'll tell you. Here's a survey which did just that. Most Americans (and, I presume, most people in other countries as well) believe themselves to be "excellent" or "very good" drivers. ...

• Watch as you almost certainly don't win!
• Be amazed as your losses accumulate!
• Marvel as you maintain false hope! ...

I decided I'm going to occasionally repost some of my older stuff that I still like quite a lot. First up: Participation trophies. Enjoy! ...

"English is great: learn a few rules and you can misspell 99% of words pretty easily." -me ...

Suppose you're on Facebook, minding your own business, when somebody posts a link to an article. This article is about a study, or, more accurately, the article uses the study to support its argument. ...

Down on your luck? ...