This article is a list of askoshbetter.com‘s most read articles of 2019 — it’s been fascinating to see what articles have drawn people in – and what articles Google has blessed in its search algorithm.
I’m not here to chase the data. I’m here to share information I think will be helpful in some small way, to express myself creatively (poetry), and a potpourri of thinking. Whether you know me personally or just found this site on the interwebs, thank you for reading.
Stats 2019
- 10,707 pageviews
- 104 countries (Top ten: 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇬🇧🇫🇷🇦🇺🇩🇪🇧🇷🇸🇪🇨🇳🇳🇱)
- 27 articles published (90 articles have been published to date, not including this one)
- 7 of the 27 articles this year are poems.
- 3 contributors; my friend Jeff wrote an amazing op-ed, and a sleep advice company published a guest post with allergy advice.
- 1 domain name change (This site used to be called oakfive.com)
Read on to see my most read articles of 2019.
How to get started with Wim Hof Breathing
This article was published in 2018, but it has staying power. My guess is that people are hungry for knowledge about Wim Hof breathing — a popular tag on this website is Wim Hof breathing for hangover.
A goal for me as I write about Wim Hof – is to ensure that he never becomes diafied. The things he’s able to do like control his physiology and tolerate cold make him a ripe candidate for guruship. At the end of the day though — as Wim has always said, anyone is capable of what he does.
To appreciate Andrew Yang’s message, listen to a long form interview or podcast
I was politically disenfranchised before hearing 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang in podcasts. I witnessed first hand the passionate battle between the Bernie and Hillary camps moderated by the biased DNC — the cognitive dissonance of us hiring an openly celebrity president — IS THIS BACK TO THE FUTURE II or real life???
In Andrew Yang, I found a person who has thoughtfully assessed the state of the world, and applied HBO documentary and Ted Talk-esque data driven solutions. He has over a 160 policies listed on his site, almost all I agree with.
The formula of reforms is incredible: address the fourth industrial revolution; get people affordable access to healthcare; redo capitalism so it values wellness; and make government processes more efficient and robust for all americans. In terms of policy, it is an incredibly inclusive. No one is left behind. Here’s all my writings on Andrew Yang so far this year.
DIY rear rack mounted bike fender for less than $5
I’m a cheapskate. I made a bicycle fender using zip ties and a two-liter soda bottle. It actually worked pretty well, though when I shared it on the bike commuting subreddit, users said it was too much work. *shrug* I had fun though.
How I cured my eczema
I really hope this article helps people. About 10 years ago, I discovered my lifelong eczema was caused by potatoes, and to a lesser extent other nightshade family plants. The tradeoff of not eating potatoes has been worth it to not live my life itchy with oozy sores.
Meals for at or less than $5 in Portland
It’s very cool to see this article is still getting traffic. It’s an outline of cheap food in Portland. I have not yet accepted that most lunch is now $10. The list summarized a handful of ways you can get a satisfying meal for $5 or less in Portland.
The grandma vs. baby self driving car thought experiment is a farce
Have you heard of the trolley problem?
Who should you kill? Five people if you do nothing, or 1 person if you pull a lever?
This philosophical dilemma is popular in the self driving car and AI space. What instructions should we give to our robots when they’re faced with a decision like this?
The point of my article though is that – we shouldn’t get too deep into the philosophical weeds when it comes to self driving cars. Distracted and drunk driving kills 10,000s of people each ear. We need the lightning fast reflexes of robots to take the wheel from our flawed reaction times and distracted lives.
Six existential problems universal basic income is likely to solve
After hearing Andrew Yang interviewed on the Joe Rogan podcast, my political hopelessness abated — what if we literally gave people money? Could it eliminate poverty? Would it improve health outcomes? Can we afford it? I answer with a resounding yes!
My article breaks down some of the incredible ways a universal income will change our society for the better. I’d love to see something like it passed in the US, and perhaps the world by 2040 at the latest.
One benefit I don’t mention in the article, is that giving people a financial floor will help us have the financial space to tackle humanity’s biggest existential threats: climate change, asteroids, tsunami’s, earthquakes, solar storms, and more.
And there you have it! ^ These are the most read articles of 2019!
It means a lot to me that you’ve visited my blog. Over the next year I’d like to grow my followership and site visitors, while still being true to me, and sharing articles I care about. If you’re up for it, please subscribe below or the the homepage. Comment with your thoughts, like, and share.
Have a lovely 2020!
Nate