Below was originally published on OEMHuman.com. Though OEM was a short-lived project, I am keeping the content alive here for the sake of posterity.
The seeds for OEM Human were planted a long time ago. And like any idea, OEM Human continues to evolve. Below is a bit of the history behind the evolution thus far. It’s an evolution of my own perspective — my personal goal to understand “how things work.” Human beings are social beings that create economic and political structures, we’re animals with biological needs and requirements, and we have organic, dynamic, living minds. These characteristics (and others, as well) go towards defining our existence in fundamental ways.
I hope you will join me in striving to understand and improve our human existence.
I am a social animal.
OEM Human is the result of an insatiable itch to comprehend the complexities of human social constructs — the human element driving economics, politics, and social structures. This led me to create sites like the (somewhat busted and defunct) autoDogmatic.com, which focused heavily on individualist, anarchistic inspired political views, and ultimately resulted in spending a few years breaking news at the “ground zero” of the 2008 credit crisis through the “Implode-O-Meter” media franchise.
I suppose it was only a matter of time before this work felt like little more than “Folk activism” — preaching to the choir with no clear goal in mind.
I am a biological organism.
I took interest in the world of health and nutrition. Rather than simply being an academic, theoretical study, learnings in health and nutrition were immediately applicable and testable. Soon, I was “self-experimenting.” My experiments began with intermittent fasting (“IF”) and a “paleo” diet, which included a heavy dose of (perhaps misguided) low-carb eating. My health improved markedly and I was quickly hooked on the notion of applying lifestyle “hacks” to feel better, look better, and be measurably healthier. It didn’t (hasn’t) stop there.
Most recently I’ve experimented with IF and weight training cast against a time-sensitive macronutrient composition (LeanGains). Even more recently I’ve honed in on “flavor associations” as they drive a settling point through brain-food associations. The recent series by Stephan Guyenet and the lucid analysis by Todd Becker on flavor control and conditioning have been particularly helpful.
Beyond nutrition, what of the bone and brawn that make me strong? I’ve experimented with movements like CrossFit and being an iron-swinging, kettlebell snatching “comrade.” I’m indebted to the works of Erwan LeCorre of MovNat and Frank Forencich of Exuberant Animal. Mark Sisson of the Primal Blueprint is an ongoing source of information on both fitness and nutrition — and the individual who turned me onto toe shoes, which led to connect to the growing community of those who believe less (shoe) is more — our feet function fine on their own, thank you very much!
The things I’ve learned along the way could fill volumes and I’ve forgotten much. There’s just so much to know and understand. So much still to learn!
I have a mind.
Along the way I’ve learned about the human psyche and how we “stumble” on happiness, how we advance more by doing than thinking, and the empowering human capacity for reprogramming how we think and do. I’ve learned of the fallibility of the human narrative and the tendency to overstate control and misunderstand even our most private desires.
The more I learn the more I realize I don’t know.
I am human.
I’m not alone.
Along the way I’ve met many like-minded folk. I’ve learned much from these fellow travelers and as I’ve taken my fill of knowledge, I’ve found a growing desire to give back through sharing and spreading the things I’ve learned.
Because the discussion lives in the individuals around the world who are actively making changes in their own lives, what if I created a place where these stories could be shared? What if by aggregating these stories and advocating on behalf of the core ideas that bind us together as human, I could create something that would inspire others to rethink their own nature, and how that nature fits with a modern life?