Nate Shivar - Hmm. No Taglines Here.

The indie web has never had more options than it does now. Short form video & big platforms might be dominant, but I absolutely love all the options now.

6+ Favorite Books on Hiking and Outdoor Adventures (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Hiking and Outdoor Adventures…so far.

A Happy Death by Albert Camus

A Happy Death by Albert Camus is essentially a prequel to The Stranger — and it’s best understood that way.

6+ Favorite Books on Pakistani and Indian Life (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Pakistani and Indian Life…so far.

Use it up, Make it do, Wear it out

As seen in the National Museum of American History in the World War II exhibit. But also as heard many a time from my Grandma.

6+ Favorite Lawrence Osborne’s Asian Fiction (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Lawrence Osbornes Asian Fiction…so far.

Courage To Be by Paul Tillich

Sometimes a name shows up everywhere in the same week. That happened to me with Paul Tillich. His name popped…

Dynamics of Faith by Paul Tillich

I picked up Dynamics of Faith at a used bookstore along with The Courage to Be — same author, same…

6+ Favorite Crime Fiction Set in Scandinavia (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Crime Fiction Set in Scandinavia…so far.

Testing Post Formats

So WordPress has post formats. But I have no idea how they interact with the Kadence theme (much less the ActivityPub plugin). So I’m testing this out!

Canyons at Crater Lake National Park

On my visit to Crater Lake National Park, I got to explore some of the Park outside of the rim & the eponymous Lake. It had never really occurred to me that…the water in Crater Lake goes somewhere. Like, it never fills up and it also never sinks down. However, it maintains its level via rain / snowfall, evaporation and some seepage into the porous rock at the top.

However, even though no water leaves the caldera, the rim is incredibly steep, incredibly high, and incredibly snowbound. So it’s the source for a lot of creeks. And these creeks all run through volcanic soil, which creates some beautiful, complex canyons all around the Park.

Creek at Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen Volcanic National Park is a park of colors. Blue water cuts through layers of red, orange, and yellow volcanic rock, coursing through green pines under a blue sky.

Ancient Rock Formation in the Cohutta Wilderness

The Cohutta Wilderness protects some of the oldest land in North America as part of the Ocoee Supergroup.

Flowers on the Beltline

The Beltline arborteum is an underrated, but seriously appreciated part of the project. In the Spring, I love seeing all the native plants and flowers blooming along the trail. The Westside, with its larger easements, has especially large plantings.

6+ Favorite Books on Sustainable Living and Environmentalism (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Sustainable Living and Environmentalism…so far.

The Myth of Sisyphus & Other Essays by Albert Camus

The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays by Albert Camus is one of those books I’ve read a couple of times and finally just decided to own. I picked up the Vintage Books edition specifically because it includes bonus essays — particularly “Summer in Algiers” — that I think represent some of Camus’s best work.

Antimemetics by Nadia Asparouhova

The core premise of antimemetics is deceptively simple: we live in an age where ideas spread faster than ever, and yet some ideas don’t spread at all. Not because they’re obscure or unimportant — but because of something specific about their nature.

Asparouhova calls these antimemes.

Camping Georgia by Jimmy Jacobs

Camping Georgia by Jimmy Jacobs is a Falcon Guide focused on finding good tent camping spots at established campgrounds throughout Georgia.

Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss

I picked up Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss after getting so much value from The 4-Hour Work Week. That book did an excellent job helping me reframe and understand the world of business and productivity, so I figured this would be another solid read.

6+ Favorite Books on The American West (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on The American West…so far.

Mountain Laurel Flowering

This mountain laurel was growing on a overlook with a perfect dotted pattern on its white petals.

Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman

I picked up Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman after a weekend that included visiting the Martin Luther King…

6+ Favorite Books on Global Economics (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Global Economics…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Asian Culture and History (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Asian Culture and History…so far.

Crater Lake

Crater Lake has to be one of America’s most photographed landscapes. But seeing it in person still exceeded the expectations. It has a depth of blue that I couldn’t quite capture – and I don’t think anyone can. It’s also so photogenic that I don’t think it’s possible to take a bad picture of it.

Catawba Rhododendron Flowering

I get a lot of the rhododendrons mixed up but one easier(?) way for me to just to note when it’s flowering. This guy was a particularly hot pink along the trail.

Roses Blooming

Roses in the neighborhood are the absolute best. Kudos to anyone who plants them along the sidewalk, just far enough to prevent thorns interactions, but close enough to appreciate the color and varietal.

Bend on the Conasauga River

Georgia’s Conasauga River is one of the loveliest rivers I’ve ever seen.

I Am A Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter

I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter is possibly one of the best science books I’ve ever read — even though I’m not entirely sure I understood half of it.

The Beach at Mistletoe State Park

Mistletoe State Park is a underrated little Georgia State Park near Augusta On Clark Hill Lake. It has a nice set of walking trails, walk-in campsites, and a pretty big beach for a State Park.

Human Condition by Hannah Arendt

I picked up The Human Condition because I thought Hannah Arendt might have something useful to say about living in…

6+ Favorite Books on Self-Experimentation (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Self-Experimentation…so far.

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

I picked up Oedipus Rex as part of reading through the Theban trilogy. I was browsing Standard Ebooks and the collection caught my eye. I hadn’t read it since a required literature class in college, so I figured it was time to revisit and see how it held up.

6+ Favorite Books on Entrepreneurship and Business Strategy (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Entrepreneurship and Business Strategy…so far.

The First Man by Albert Camus

The First Man is the manuscript that was found at Albert Camus’s side after his death in a car accident in 1960. It sat unpublished for decades — held back by his estate, his daughter and granddaughter — before finally being released to the public.

6+ Favorite Books on Media Criticism (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Media Criticism…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Family Dynamics (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Family Dynamics…so far.

A Saddle on The Conasauga River Trail

The Conasauga River Trail is wholly within Georgia’s Cohutta Wilderness. Even though it’s mostly along the river, it also goes up onto saddles between ridgetops, especially at the end.

Mount Shasta

Mount Shasta is a potentially active stratovolcano in Northern California. I got to see it on the drive from Crater Lake National Park to Lassen Volcanic National Park.

American Chestnut Tree Growing at Atlanta History Center

Efforts to bring back the American Chestnut have been slow but steady. And I was surprised to find a planting at none other than the Atlanta History Center! It’s not as old or as established as the ones at Allatoona Dam, but they seem healthy and strong. They are a fun little Easter Egg tucked inconspicuously in the very back of the Center’s property near The Wood Cabin.

A Lake in Acadia National Park

It’s always astonishing to me to see fresh water that is coming off granite in forest with no real runoff. Almost all the lakes in Acadia National Park are glacier melt and are shockingly clear.

6+ Favorite Books on Behavioral Economics (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Behavioral Economics…so far.

Antigone by Sophocles

I read Antigone by Sophocles after finishing Oedipus Rex. Both are part of the Theban Trilogy, which I grabbed from Standard Ebooks.

Network State by Balaji Srinavasen

The Network State by Balaji Srinivasan is a book I picked up mainly because my work is tech-adjacent, and for a while this book was everywhere among the tech elite. Even though it seemed ridiculous on the cover, I wanted to understand what my peers were paying attention to.

Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles

I picked up Oedipus at Colonus from Standard Ebooks as part of the Theban Trilogy, along with Antigone and Oedipus Rex.

6+ Favorite Books on Global Travel Adventures (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Global Travel Adventures…so far.

6+ Favorite Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian Fiction (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian Fiction…so far.

Behave by Robert Sapolsky

I picked up Behave out of frustration. The popular discourse around brain chemistry had gotten to be too much. Dopamine…

6+ Favorite Books on Personal Finance Strategies (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Personal Finance Strategies…so far.

Adorable Little DeKay Brown Snake

There are several little DeKay’s Brown Snakes in my backyard that get all huffy after I cut the grass. They have a serious Napoleon Complex like tiny dogs that get wayyy more angry than their size belies.

Dogwood Tree Growing on The Ground

This dogwood was pushed to the ground by a larger tree, but it stayed rooted and healthy. Now it looks like Dogwood flowers are blooming on the trail.

The Woman Behind The New Deal by Kirstin Downey

Perkins may have had more direct impact on the everyday lives of ordinary Americans than almost anyone else in the 20th century. The 40-hour work week. The minimum wage. Social Security. Child labor laws. Unemployment insurance. These aren’t abstractions — they are the literal architecture of how Americans work, save, retire, and survive hard times. Frances Perkins built most of that architecture.

That was a serious underestimate.

Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle

I’ve read the entire Sherlock Holmes canon. He’s my favorite mystery character, and I’ve worked my way through every story…

Red Creek at Fort McAllister State Park

I absolutely love the marshes along the Georgia coast. It’s amazing how many small creeks and estuaries kind of feed with each other. This one ends up feeding into the Ogeechee River before heading into the Atlantic. Fort McAllister State Park is very underrated. It’s a lovely park with a great campground and lovely cabins.

6+ Favorite Books on Internet Economics (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Internet Economics…so far.

Superbloom by Nicholas Carr

Superbloom by Nicholas Carr is the latest book from the author of The Shallows and The Glass Cage. It’s about how technologies of connection tear us apart—or more precisely, how they scale up both the best and worst of human nature to unprecedented heights.

6+ Favorite Books on Sports Business (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Sports Business…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Real Estate and Housing (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Real Estate and Housing…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Faith Perspectives (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Faith Perspectives…so far.

Clouds Moving Across Georgia’s Blue Ridge

I absolutely love the Appalachians mountains. They are not soaring, rocky, or iconic. But they are ancient, diverse, and complex. They see a lot of humid air coming off the Gulf of Mexico – but also from their own green, humid forests. This view is from an overlook off the Cohutta mountains with clouds drifting up over the ridges.

Luna Moth Chillin’ in Georgia’s Cohutta Wilderness

Luna moths are so striking, especially when they contrast against an oak tree.

A Swamp Cove in the Okefenokee Swamp.

The Okefenokee Swamp is one of the most underestimated landscapes that I’ve ever been to. One part that that is not captured by a photograph is how quiet it can be. On one hand, it can be creepy, but on the other hand, it’s enchanting.

6+ Favorite Books on Historical Conflicts (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Historical Conflicts…so far.

Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

A Study in Scarlet is really two completely separate stories. One takes place in Victorian London with Holmes and Watson investigating a murder. The other takes place in the American West—Utah, specifically—decades earlier.

Ultimate Hiker’s Guide by Andrew Skurka

The Ultimate Hiker’s Guide by Andrew Skurka is the best backpacking book I’ve ever purchased. Not the most inspiring. Not the most beautiful. The best.

6+ Favorite Books on Global Economic History (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Global Economic History…so far.

How To Have Impossible Conversations by Peter Boghossian

How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide by Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay is a book I picked…

6+ Favorite Books on Northern Europe and Scandinavia (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Northern Europe and Scandinavia…so far.

American Philosophy: A Love Story by John Kaag

I picked up American Philosophy, A Love Story after reading Kaag’s earlier book Hiking with Nietzsche and coming across several of his essays in The Atlantic. John Kaag is, in my opinion, one of the most talented working writers who also happens to be an actual practicing professor of philosophy. That combination — the rigor of the academic and the accessibility of a great essayist — makes him worth following closely.

Hiking with Nietzsche by John Kaag

I picked up Hiking with Nietzsche after reading John Kaag’s book on American philosophy. He’s a fabulous writer who uses personal anecdotes to weave deeper, more modern, and more personal connections to big philosophical ideas.

6+ Favorite Books on Human Rights and Justice (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Human Rights and Justice…so far.

Trail through Mountain Laurel in the Southern Appalachians

Bridge at Tallulah Falls State Park in Georgia

Tallulah Falls State Park is one of Georgia’s best State Parks. The Tallulah Gorge is that deep & that epic. And the bridge across the Gorge is a brilliant & beautiful feature.

Dwarf Violet Iris Showing Out in the Chattahoochee National Forest

I love the pop of purple color that Irises’ bring to the Southern Appalachians.

Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell

Tobacco Road follows the desperate lives of the Lester family, poor white sharecroppers struggling to survive in Depression-era Georgia. The novel’s unflinching portrayal of poverty and moral degradation shocked readers when it was published in 1932, sparking controversy while highlighting the harsh realities of rural Southern life.

DeKay’s brown snake

Little snakes are so hilarious. They all have a Napoleon complex – acting much more aggressively than their venomous cousins. This guy’s head is the size of my fingernail, but he’s not happy about me disturbing his crabgrass habitat. Hopefully, he’ll still be able to eat up cockroaches and flies.

6+ Favorite Books on Maritime and River Exploration (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Maritime and River Exploration…so far.

Basic Writings of John Stuart Mill by John Stuart Mill

The Basic Writings of John Stuart Mill is a Modern Library compendium of Mill’s most famous works—On Liberty, The Subjugation of Women, Utilitarianism, and more. I bought it years ago for a college philosophy class and ended up keeping it, not because I reference it constantly, but because rereading essays like On Liberty reminded me of something important.

Field Guide To The Cohutta Wilderness by Javier Velazquez

A Field Guide to the Cohutta Wilderness by Javier Velazquez is a book I have wanted to exist in the world for so long that a couple years ago, I started sketching out whether I could write it myself. I am deeply grateful to the author for putting in the time and effort to create a proper field guide to the natural and environmental history of the Cohutta Mountains.

6+ Favorite Books on Transportation (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Transportation…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Human Evolution and Psychology (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Human Evolution and Psychology…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Apocalyptic Scenarios (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Apocalyptic Scenarios…so far.

Southern Appalachian Stream

Upper Jacks River Falls in Georgia’s Cohutta Wilderness

Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke

The book argues that our brains weren’t designed for the modern world. We evolved in an environment of scarcity, where pleasure was rare and hard to come by. Now we live in what Lembke calls a “dopamine tsunami” – unlimited access to anything that feels good, all the time, right at our fingertips.

Farm at General Coffee State Park

General Coffee State Park is a very underrated state park in rural southeast Georgia.

6+ Favorite Books on Georgia History and Culture (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Georgia History and Culture…so far.

Ultimate Companion To Meat by Anthony Puharich

I picked up this massive meat cookbook as part of a work project for a cooking website. I had no idea that the world of meat and meat cooking would be this in-depth and thorough. It was like going down a rabbit hole about a very specific culinary segment.

6+ Favorite Books on Time Management (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Time Management…so far.

A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horwitz

A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horwitz is a history travelogue that focuses on the nearly 300 years between Columbus’s discovery of America and the Declaration of Independence.

6+ Favorite Books on Energy and Power Systems (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Energy and Power Systems…so far.

6+ Favorite Classic Fantasy and Science Fiction Books (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Classic Fantasy and Science Fiction Books…so far.

Honeybees Working Hard

Bees are such a win-win-win. These hives are in a clearing in Smithgall Woods State Park. They are maintained by Ally Bees Honey (who I highly recommend for local Georgia honey). They pollinate the wildflowers, native plants, and wildlife food plots…all while creating so much extra honey.

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