Welcome to my website.
Who am I?
Just a man.
And a husband.
And a father of 3.
Also a writer.
And a podcaster.
Sometimes a web designer.
But always a seeker of riches.
And the richness of life.
Explore what I do or have done in the menu above. (CV)
Contact me if you please.
My Latest Content 
- On Airplane Reclining Seats
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
The one thing that makes flying just a tiny bit more comfortable is the reclining seat. If I were perusing airlines and prices and saw the offering of a ticket without a reclining seat, I would refuse to purchase that ticket! The fact that the airline offers and that I expect a reclining seat means that you can be damn sure I am going to use it. I will not ask permission from any other customer to use my product as I see fit. If you don’t like it, then you may offer to pay me a sum of money to stop using it. I always entertain such offers. What you may not due is attack me or my contracted property for doing so. And that’s today’s two cents.
- On Good Government
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Here is the beginning and then end of so-called good government: the adjudication of disputes (torts and contracts) and keeping the peace. If that’s all government was and did, I’d probably have no complaints. The problem arises when government moves beyond dispute adjudication and peacekeeping because doing so necessarily entails the creation of conflict and an end to peace. Nothankyou, and that’s today’s two cents.
- On Business
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Just as companies accept their employees labor in exchange for money, they also accept their customers money in exchange for goods and services cooperatively produced by their employees. Companies do not and may not take their customers money. We must never forget these salient facts. Companies accept, they do not take. Conversely, governments do precisely the opposite: they take our money in the form of taxation, and they take our labor in the form of conscription. (They also take our property in whole or in part in many other ways.) It breaks my heart that my fellow human beings can be so bamboozled into believing that the institutions who plunder and pilfer them must be used (and has their best interests in mind) to save them from the institutions who do not. It’s tragic, and that’s today’s two cents.
- On Wages
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
It’s a common cry across social and popular media to deride one business or another for the way they model their wage structure. Most of my current income is earned by delivering food for companies like DoorDash and GrubHub. I do pretty well, but I’ve also spent a year and half learning how to do pretty well in my particular market. When these companies offer deliveries for amounts and distances below my professional standard, I simply reject them. What I don’t do is write articles decrying “predatory pay models” or other such signaling buzz words. It’s nonsense, and this is why: businesses do not and may not take our labor. Rather, they accept our labor in exchange for their money. We do the job at the wage agreed upon up-front, we get paid (at least) that amount. If we don’t agree, we don’t do it. If someone else does, good for them. If they can’t find anyone to agree, they increase the offer until they do, or cancel it. So long as it’s accepted willingly, everyone benefits. Third party opinions about it are totally irrelevant. If these companies are no longer profitable for you in your market, find a new company. Nobody’s forcing you to work for them. And that’s today’s two cents.
- Salt Lake City Corporation vs. Skyler J. Collins
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Back in April of this year, SLC Corp. made the allegation against me that I have violated their code, specifically the bit about prohibiting short term rentals (Airbnb, HomeAway) in my neck of the woods. Since then, I have defended myself on the grounds that they lack evidence that their code applies to me, giving them jurisdiction. I’ve questioned their witness and her supervisor both in writing and on the telephone. Here are those recordings:
Likewise an allegation about where I parked my car while retrieving food for delivery.
They maintain both frivolous allegations, and as I am committed to defending myself and challenging their lack of evidence, both have court dates (October and November). I’ve submitted dismissal motions to the judge and await his or her probable denials. We’ll see. Fun times.
(If you’re curious, here’s the PDF of the motion for the short term rental case.)
I’ll be sure to give a full account of both adventures in legal-land as soon as they are concluded.
- Irrelevant Conclusion Fallacy, Availability Bias, & Power of Reaction (23m) – Episode 006
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 006 looks at the Irrelevant Conclusion (ignoratio elenchi) fallacy, Availability Bias, our power to control our reaction to the seeming offenses of other people, and powering down your microwave for more even heating.
Listen to Episode 006 (23m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “thinking and doing”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc or PayPal.me/everythingvoluntary.
- School System, Corporate Power, Boundaries, Charity, & Sweatshops (18m) – Episode 292
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 292 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: abolishing the school system; the limitations of corporate power; the importance of agitating against political and cultural boundaries; why he doesn’t engage in charitable giving; the goodness of sweatshops; and more.
Listen to Episode 292 (18m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “everything voluntary”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc.
- Star Trek: Kirk, McCoy, Spock, & Stoicism (16m) – Episode 005
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 005 is a look at Star Trek characters Captain Kirk, Doctor McCoy, and Commander Spock as they relate to Stoicism, as written about by Jen Farren in February 2014.
Listen to Episode 005 (16m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “thinking and doing”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc or PayPal.me/everythingvoluntary.
- Rich and Poor & Free Migration is My Jam! (17m) – Episode 291
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 291 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: an essay he wrote in August 2010 on loving or hating the rich and loving or hating the poor as a libertarian; an essay he wrote in July 2017 on why free migration by peaceful people is the libertarian position; and more.
Listen to Episode 291 (17m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “everything voluntary”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc.
- Moving the Goalposts, the Problem of Averages, & Good For the Hive (23m) – Episode 004
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 004 looks at the fallacy called Moving the Goalposts, the Problem of Averages, if what is good for the hive is always good for the individual, and the importance of chatting with customer support instead of calling.
Listen to Episode 004 (23m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “thinking and doing”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc or PayPal.me/everythingvoluntary.
- Legalizing Blackmail, Goals for Our Children, & The Duty of Children (16m) – Episode 290
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 290 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: why blackmail should be legalized according to libertarian principles, but also, why maybe some blackmail should not be legalized; the goals he has for his children; the duty that children have toward their parents, toward society, and toward all of humanity; and more.
Listen to Episode 290 (16m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “everything voluntary”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc.
- Why Logic is Important (18m) – Episode 003
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 003 looks at why logic is important utilizing an article written by JW Gray in 2013 at the blog “Ethical Realism“.
Listen to Episode 003 (18m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “thinking and doing”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc or PayPal.me/everythingvoluntary.
- Why Logic is Important (18m) – Episode 003
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 003 looks at why logic is important utilizing an article written by JW Gray in 2013 at the blog “Ethical Realism“.
Listen to Episode 003 (18m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “thinking and doing”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc or PayPal.me/everythingvoluntary.
- Economics 101: Relative Prices & Wizard’s Sixth Rule: Ruled by Reason (16m) – Episode 289
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 289 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: continuation of the Economics 101 mini-series on relative versus absolute prices; continuation of the Wizard’s Rules mini-series, Wizard’s Sixth Rule: “The only sovereign you can allow to rule you is reason”; and more.
Listen to Episode 289 (16m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “everything voluntary”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc.
- Exclusive Premises Fallacy, Social Loafing Effect, & Emotional Freakouts (26m) – Episode 002
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 002 looks at the syllogistic Fallacy of Exclusive Premises, the Social Loafing effect, whether big emotional meltdowns relieve suffering; and the best way to rebook a cancelled flight at the airport.
Listen to Episode 002 (26m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “thinking and doing”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc or PayPal.me/everythingvoluntary.