by Benno | Feb 21, 2026 | Essays
Pain led me on a spiritual journey. Before it, I assumed everything followed clear causation — like a billiard ball striking another into the corner pocket. But pain troubled my logical mind and drove it into a frenzy. Every method I tried failed, leaving me not with...
by Benno | Jan 1, 2026 | Essays
When I first played Dragon Quest III as a kid, I fought one random encounter after the next until I had the stats, gold, and resources to overcome the next area. This simple yet satisfying loop has earned the game a reputation for monotonous grinding. But I’ve...
by Benno | Nov 30, 2025 | Essays
YouTube’s algorithm dug out a video for me the other day about the funky jazz-rock fusion soundtrack to Marvel vs. Capcom 2. I’m not a fighting-game aficionado—although I am familiar with Street Fighter II for the SNES, so much that I still remember how to perform...
by Benno | Oct 30, 2025 | Essays
“Around 1960, a young psychologist named Sarnoff Mednick thought he had identified the essence of creativity. His idea was as simple as it was powerful: creativity is associative memory that works exceptionally well.” Improv quiets my mind, frees my intuition, and...
by Benno | Sep 26, 2025 | Essays
Steely Dan is ironic, sardonic, polished, and sophisticated (yet oddly dark underneath it all). Spotify recommends yacht rock bands alongside The Dan, something like Kenny Loggins (that smoooth rock). It might go further and say “you’d like Michael McDonald.” It makes...