The Ironist
Differing Perspectives
Reborn
What does it mean to be reborn when the world thinks you're fading? For those unfamiliar, Benares is one of India’s holiest cities—a place where the spiritual and temporal intermingle... I At nigh on three score and ten, My gloaming lingers, Standing here upon...
How the Renaissance Invented the Creator Economy
Call them creatorpreneurs. Call it the new Renaissance. Either way, the frame has changed but the hustle hasn't. In 1482, Leonardo da Vinci sent the Duke of Milan a letter. It was 11 bullet points long and boasted of his ability to build bridges, design weapons, and...
Nerd in a Fishbowl
In this quietly funny and poignant short story by Peter Scotchmer, a fledgling teacher learns that the classroom isn’t just a place of learning but a spotlight, a stage, and sometimes, a fishbowl. The bell rang, and the class quickly settled. The teacher...
Running to Catch the Bus
Are you on the proverbial bus yet? Whether it’s the AI bus or just a good old TTC ride across Toronto, we all keep running to catch something. But the real question is: where are we headed? More than fifty years ago, I held a record for running fast in the City of...
Two Tales from India
Peter Scotchmer dives into two great reads- Saroo Brierley's contemporary true story 'Lion' and Rudyard Kipling's classic novel 'Kim' during his own travels through the Indian subcontinent. While in India on family business, I picked up two outstanding books about the...
The Jar with a Face in It
On Homunculi, Algorithms, and the Small Souls We Make Jonathan Bennett follows a thread from alchemy to algorithmic avatars in a reflection on our age-old desire to imitate creation—and the uncanny reflections we’ve unleashed. 19th century engraving of Homunculus from...
Unique Places #2 – The Olive Tree and the Oracle
The writer recently returned from Greece sunburnt, overfed, and spiritually re-aligned by the hum of ancient stones and overly affectionate cats.
Northern Lights and Low Expectations
A humorous reflection on life’s lowered expectations, fine dining dreams gone cold, and existential musings from an Arctic kitchen. There comes a point in every man’s life when he realizes that all the years of carefully curated knowledge, refined tastes, and grand...
Rules and Unwritten Rules
Indifference is not a response in unsettled times Love, not indifference, protects. Here is a Downy woodpecker by Maria Corcacas. This morning, as the ‘dim temple of the Dawn1’ paled the sky, our red-headed male downy woodpecker announced his return with his staccato...