Brett & Kate McKay 255 posts 0 comments

Some of you might be thinking, “Brett, why should I learn how to pick a lock if I don’t plan on breaking into people’s homes?”Great question.There are a few good reasons why law-abiding citizens should learn how to pick a lock:Lock…
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Having a signature scent is a great way to express your personality, but no single cologne is ideal for every situation, or even every time of the year. Just as your clothing changes with the seasons, your fragrance “wardrobe” can too.…
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Note: This is a rebroadcast.It’s a tough job to manage a household. Things need to be regularly fixed, maintained, and cleaned. How do you stay on top of these tasks in order to keep your home in tip-top shape?My guest knows his way all…
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When it goes well, cultural evolution works like biological evolution: the strongest things survive, while flaws, weaknesses, and superfluities disappear.Unfortunately, the progression of culture doesn’t follow such a linear arc.…
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Casablanca. I finally got around to watching this 1943 classic. What’s funny is that it’s so embedded in our culture that I thought I’d already seen it. But while I knew the famous lines and the general story, I’d never actually watched…
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The holiday season is here, and with it comes a lineup of festive gatherings — from office parties and family dinners to New Year’s Eve celebrations. Each one calls for a little more style than your everyday jeans-and-sweater combo, but…
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Last year, I got a wood pellet smoker, and it’s really changed the game for our home cooking. I use it several times a week now; brisket, burgers, chicken, steak, veggies — you name it, and I’ve probably smoked it. But my proudest use so…
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When people think of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, they often picture tweedy Oxford professors and beloved fantasy authors. But their writing wasn’t drawn only from their bucolic days teaching at Oxford and walking in the English…
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A few months ago, we published an article on 11 personal finance goals for your 20s. Today we take a look at 7 personal finance goals for your 30s. While many of the goals you should set during this decade of your life are simply a…
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One of my goals this year has been to become a cinephile, so I’ve been working my way through some of the classics that have influenced generations of filmmakers. Recently, I finally got around to watching Seven Samurai.Akira Kurosawa’s…
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David Coggins’ No-Nonsense Guide to Embracing the Holiday Season. The holiday season is approaching, and repeat AoM podcast guest David Coggins has an article on Artful Living on how to embrace the festivities with some grace and style.…
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Long before the advent of barbells, dumbbells, and hi-tech fitness gadgets, there was the medicine ball.This simple piece of exercise equipment has been around for over 2,000 years. Ancient Greek physicians used weighted animal bladders…
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Note: This week’s episode of the podcast referenced an ancient story: “The Choice of Hercules.” If you’ve never read it, it’s really worth doing so.The story was set down by Xenophon (430–354 B.C. ), who was an ancient Greek historian…
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 In a story from ancient Greek philosophy, Hercules faces a choice between two paths: one promising pleasure and ease; the other, hardship and struggle — but also growth and greatness. According to today’s guest, this ancient parable is…
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Where Have All the Trick-or-Treaters Gone? Destination Neighborhoods. Maybe you’ve noticed fewer and fewer trick-or-treaters showing up at your door in recent years. There could be several factors contributing to this. Perhaps…
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 If you went to high school in America, you probably read Moby-Dick — or, more likely, you skimmed the CliffsNotes and wondered why this dense, whale-obsessed novel was considered a classic.That was me in 10th grade.But earlier this…
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Spend a day toiling as a knowledge worker, and you can leave the office feeling mentally fried. You may not have been that busy, nor done work that was even that cognitively challenging, and yet your brain still feels positively…
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The Age of Innocence. I recently asked ChatGPT for a random movie recommendation from the Criterion Collection (I wrote a Dying Breed article this week about what that is and how I’ve been using it in my approach to watching films). It…
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in: Advice, Character, Podcast Brett & Kate McKay • October 14, 2025 There’s been a lot of talk about morning routines in the last few years. But the idea is hardly new; famous men from Thomas Aquinas to Benjamin…
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“Woodrow,” Gus McCrae says, lying in a bed dying, “quite a party.”It’s one of my favorite lines from my favorite novel, Lonesome Dove.Why?Because it perfectly captures one of the richest portrayals of male friendship in literature: the…
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