Hi my name’s Luke. I'm a musician and I write articles on a wide range of topics- economics, moral philosophy, technology, history, politics, science- with a general focus on critical thinking and how it influences the way we live our lives.
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My 23andMe Results

February 22, 2017 · by Luke Lindsley

Last Christmas my parents bought me a 23andme DNA test. As I unwrapped the gift my step father, in classic dad joke fashion, looked me square in the eye and said “Luke, I’m not your father.” He then proceeded to laugh hysterically. I never particularly minded the bombardment of star wars jokes growing up, but if there ever was an appropriated time he definitely nailed it.

Anyways, I just received my results and thought it would be fun to share them here. 23andMe breaks their reports down into 3 major categories: Ancestry,Traits and Wellness. I won’t go through every detail they provided, but I’ll highlight the parts I found most interesting.

Ancestry

More than 80% of my ancestry is British & Irish (56.5%) and Broadly Northwestern European (24.7%) which are descendants from countries like Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway and Iceland. The next biggest chunk is French & German (14.2%) and finally Native American (1.1%). Other European ancestry fell under (1%) and everything else was less than .1%

One of my grandfathers had kept a pretty thorough record of his families genealogy so it was cool to see the DNA test reflect that very accurately. And it just so happened that it was one of his grandmothers or one of my great-great grandmothers that was Native American. He often shared stories about her growing up in the 1800’s which were always fascinating to listen to.

Perhaps the most interesting discovery was the amount of Neanderthal DNA variants I had. Most people with European ancestry have between 1 – 4% in their DNA and I seemed to fall on the higher end of that scale. In addition, I inherited the specific Neanderthal trait of having less back hair (can’t complain about this hehe). For those interested in how they determined the Neanderthal trait: marker rs4849721 near the EIN gene showed a change from a G to a T. It was a lot of fun looking at the raw data despite having an elementary understanding of genetics.

The ancestry reports also provided information about Haplogroups. In simplest terms, Haplogroups are maternal or paternal lineages that descend from a single common ancestor. Haplogroups help shed light on the origins of some of our ancient ancestors and on their migrations over tens of thousands of years.

My maternal line belongs to the Haplogroup K2a3.

Origin: K2a3 is a subgroup of K. K split off the more ancient haplogroup U8 about 35,000 years ago. Since then, haplogroup K has been involved in migrations from the Near East into Europe. Notably, particular branches of haplogroup K are part of the founding and expansion of the majority of Ashkenazi Jewish populations. K is found in 6% of Europeans.

My paternal line belongs to the Haplogroup R-M412

Origin: R-M412 is a subgroup of R-M269. R-M269 is the most common haplogroup in western Europe, where its branches are clustered in various national populations, including in the Basque, in Ireland, and on the fringes of the North Sea. R-M269 is found in more than 50% of men in western Europe.

Wellness

The wellness reports show how your DNA may influence how you respond to certain lifestyle and environmental factors. I laughed out loud when I read I was “Likely consumes more caffeine” and “less likely a deep sleeper.” Extremely accurate, but at least I know why I’m a tea/coffee addict and don’t sleep very well now. Curse you DNA!

The rest of the report was pinpoint accurate as well with the only questionable one being my muscle composition being “likely sprinter.” I always felt I was better at endurance running, but that could just be my long distant running bias speaking. Athleticism in the form of diet, training, and other genetic factors can also play a major role in muscle performance.

Traits

The Traits Reports are a fun way to learn about how your DNA influences your physical appearance, preferences, and physical responses. The predictions are based on current knowledge of how genetic factors influence our traits. The list is really long so I just posted a portion of some of the traits they covered.

No big surprises here, but there’s certainly a lot of interesting statistics. My paternal lineage (father, fathers father, grandfathers father) all share blue eyes and my mom has hazel eyes, so it was interesting to see these percentages. I have blue eyes (or maybe greenish blue) and my sister has hazel eyes. As far as I can tell I inherited all of the majority percentage traits with the one exception being the coin flip for earlobe type. Attached earlobes are clearly better 😉

Well that about wraps it up! Each report goes into a lot detail and there’s still several reports I’m eager in dissecting further. Overall it was a really fun experience and I definitely recommend it!

An Adventure: Seattle to Maui

May 4, 2016 · by Luke Lindsley

Photo via Vincent Lock

Aloha from Maui, Hawaii! This last week I’ve been lounging on beaches, drinking Pina Coladas and catching up on some much needed novel reading. While I was here I also got to do a bit of sight seeing: driving the Road to Hana, a helicopter ride over Molokai, and hiking through the dense forests of Maui. And of course- doing some writing and rejuvenating my creative juices.

I brought two books along with me for the trip: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut and The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle. Both novels were recommended by a long time friend and fellow science fiction nerd. Unfortunately I haven’t read much Sci-Fi lately (last one was Partials by Dan Wells) so both books were a good fix to a long time craving.

Slaughterhouse-Five is a classic novel that follows the life of Billy Pilgrim- a war veteran, optometrist, and time traveler- who gets abducted by aliens. Throughout the novel, he tackles the philosophical problems of war, death and free will. I loved this book not only for the topics it covers, but for the absurd characters and mix of tragedy and humor. I give it a 4/5. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

“Why you? Why us for that matter? Why anything? Because this moment simply is.”

“That’s one thing Earthlings might learn to do, if they tried hard enough: Ignore the awful times and concentrate on the good ones.”

And of course, the simple… “So it goes.”

The second novel I read, The Atlantis Gene, dives into the mystery of human origins and evolution. This novel really digs into accurate details for both genetics and biology which really made the otherwise crazy conspiracies come to life in a very realistic way. The pacing was a bit wild at times, but I loved the plot and action making it a thrilling page turner. I give it a 4/5 as well. Apparently this book is the first of a trilogy and is currently being made into a major Motion picture. I’ll definitely be seeing it in theaters.

Outside of reading I also did a lot of writing for the philosophy portion of my blog on the topics of boredom and overpopulation. Once I get these thoughts a little more organized and coherent I’ll upload them to my blog- most likely within the next week or two. Of course that’s assuming I can read my own handwriting (I tend to write terribly sloppy when free writing ha).

Finally I’ll leave you with some pictures. My Android camera and amateur photography doesn’t do these sights any justice, but alas I did what I could. So it goes…

A Word of Advice For The New Year

January 2, 2016 · by Luke Lindsley

Happy New Year to my fellow bloggers and readers! I hope 2015 treated you well 😛 This year I spent new years eve in downtown Seattle drinking beer and eating cinnamon rolls with some of my closest friends. We huddled next to a fireplace on a rooftop and got to witness some surreal fireworks dancing above the space needle. It was definitely one of my favorite new years experiences so far!

Like every new year, 2016 represents a time of reflection for our future aspirations. It’s also a time we should remind ourselves of our values because they are so often forgotten in the routine of our everyday lives. Here are 10 humanist ideas to follow for the upcoming year- thanks to one of my intellectual heroes, Bertrand Russell, for inspiring many of these.

1- Read incessantly. Read fiction to enrich your imagination and nonfiction to expand your knowledge of the world.
2- Always doubt and never stop questioning. Never feel absolutely certain of anything.
3- Tell the people you love that you love them. Hatred is foolish, let it go.
4- Be truthful even if it’s inconvenient. Lying is the royal road to chaos.
5- Be open to eccentric opinions. Something that is considered absurd today may become common sense tomorrow.
6- Take chances. Don’t regret avoiding the new and unfamiliar.
7- Don’t be afraid to suffer through discipline. Sacrificing short term pleasures is often a road to happiness.
8- Enjoy the ordinary days. You can only have one worst day of your life.
9- Listen carefully. Overcome disagreement by thinking slowly and controlling your emotions.
10- Never stop creating. Give yourself the experience of discovery and imagination. And then when you’re ready, share it with the world.

3 Classic Novels Everyone Should Read

December 20, 2015 · by Luke Lindsley

“A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.”

Whenever I go to my local library, I always seem to hover around the nonfiction section- books on religion, philosophy, morality, politics and happiness. These topics are at the peak of my interests and are incredibly valuable to me in expanding my knowledge. Occasionally, however, my mind will lust for adventure and seek something more than stone cold facts and information presented through nonfiction. What I need is a classic novel.

What is a classic novel? A classic novel is a book that has stood the test of time. It is a book that is masterful at creating controversy and discussion. It is a book that challenges the readers point of view in a profound way. A classic novel is a book that can make the reader feel emotional distraught, yet great empathy for its characters. It is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.

I’m certainly not the most avid fiction reader, but I have read my fair share of classic novels growing up. This includes the incredibly popular The Catcher In The Rye, To Kill A Mockingbird and A Tale of Two Cities. In the last few years of my life I’ve added several to that list and I’m positive that I’ll enjoy the roller coaster of many more of them over the course of my lifetime.

Here are 3 classic novels I recommend everyone should read:

A Tale of Memories

October 7, 2015 · by Luke Lindsley

“When it’s all said and done, memories are all we have.”

I remember when I was very young I watched a spider crawl across the floor. I don’t remember any details, just a spider, crawling. I don’t know why I have this memory, I can only imagine I was struck in awe at the creature. I have no memories before this moment in my life.

I remember in kindergarten there was a kid who forgot his lunch and was crying, so I went over and shared my lunch with him. I remember the smile he had on his face afterwards vividly. He moved away at the end of the year and I never saw him again.

I remember being asked out by a girl in 2nd grade. I remember rejecting her because she didn’t like Pokemon. I remember never getting along with her after that.

I remember waking up in 4th grade, going out to the living room and saying good morning to my parents. I remember them not responding, their eyes glued to the TV. I remember the blank look on their faces. I remember the morning of September 11, 2001.

I remember in 6th grade crossing the finish line at one of my track meets. I remember coming in 2nd many times before that moment. I remember them announcing my name on the intercom the next day for getting 1st. I remember trying extremely hard not to smile.

I remember doing a group project in middle school with my friend Carly Stowell. I remember her writing a goofy song about a fictional town called Springsville. I remember singing that song to the melody of Meet the Flintstones to the entire class. I remember the laughter in that classroom. I remember Carly passing away a year later.

I remember in my freshmen year in a basketball game making a shot to put us ahead with 5 seconds left. I remember the other team getting the ball back and scoring a buzzer beater. I remember that massive high of pure bliss. I remember the agony I felt when I realized we lost.

I remember asking out a girl for the first time in 10th grade. I remember being extremely nervous and stuttering my sentence. I remember the instant relief I felt when she said yes.

I remember being rushed to the hospital my senior year of high school. I remember getting pushed to the front of the line and thinking how insane this situation was. I remember having a collapsed lung. I remember thinking about death seriously for the first time in my life.

I remember buying a guitar and learning how to play on my own. I remember the incredible frustration of not getting my hands to do what I wanted them to do. I remember the feeling when they finally did.

I remember playing a show for the first time in front of hundreds of people. I remember being on that stage thinking I had no idea what I was doing. I remember falling in love with music.

…

From purely goofy to profoundly meaningful, these are some of the richest memories I have at this moment in my life. I encourage everyone to write down their own memories and share them with the world. Our memories are fleeting, you never know when we may forget them all.

Fall Update 2015

September 23, 2015 · by Luke Lindsley

Autumn is officially here and I couldn’t be happier. The cold and gloomy days give me plenty of reasons to stay home, drink a hot cup of coffee or tea, and work on writing new songs and blog ideas. It also gives me an excuse to wear my favorite sweater daily. Everything about this time of year really blends well with my life style.

My university graduation is getting close. Next April I’ll be in possession of a Bachelors Degree and jumping into the next phase of my life. I plan on staying in the greater Seattle area because I love it so much here, perhaps get a 1 bedroom apartment or a house with a couple friends, but life is so spontaneous sometimes- we’ll have to wait and see.

My music has been coming along slowly but surely. It’s been difficult with my busy schedule, so I’ve begun to commit Sundays purely to my music with the caveat of a couple hours for the Seahawk’s games. I’ll have 2 new acoustic songs I’m really proud of released before the end of the year. In addition, I have a new project on the horizon. Imagine a combination of Jack Johnson and Nujabes. Our first practice is this Sunday.

Work has been fine, but a bit uninteresting lately. Last week I sent out my first resume in over a year. I have my A+ Certification examine next month which I’ve been studying for rigorously. I’m feeling pretty confident that I’ll pass. After that I have my sights set on a couple of other advance certifications. I think these will definitely help out my job prospects in advancing my career, but I figure I should try my luck before hand. You never know what opportunities await.

I’ve started dating again and its been exciting. I’m always amazed by the variety of colorful personalities and characters out there. I’ve made a couple new friends and several embarrassingly funny stories. I’ve seemed to open up a bit more in the last year or so and I think it’s definitely a positive change.

Some other goals I have for the fall:

-Take professional photos for my blog

-Create a consistent workout schedule

-Begin outlining business ideas

The next several months should be interesting. Can’t wait to see what they have in store.

A Letter To My 18-Year-Old Self

April 25, 2015 · by Luke Lindsley

Dear Luke,

You’re probably in a game of Halo 3, but put the controller down for a second. This is you 5 years in the future. I just wanted to let you know some things that I wish I knew at your age. Getting real world advice is probably the last thing on your mind, but if you’re going to accept it from anyone what better person could there be than yourself?

This next year is going to be insane. First off, when you start to feel pain in your chest DON’T WAIT TO GET IT CHECKED OUT. You aren’t weak for going to the doctor’s office. You aren’t superman. I promise that you’ll end up saving yourself a hospital trip and a lot of pain. A collapsed lung isn’t very fun. Also when you get 20 missed calls from your neighbor, don’t ignore them. They might be trying to tell you your house is on fire.

Second, c’mon dude. Are you really not going to ask Lauren to prom? You’ve had a crush on this girl for like 6 months! Do something! You’ll see her once after high school, and it’ll be in a yogurt shop with her new boyfriend. Do you really want that to happen? Your dating life is going to continue to suck until you start taking chances. Grow some balls.

Third, don’t stop playing music. You’ll want to stop at 20 because you realize you suck at guitar and can’t sing worth shit but DON’T. Keep practicing. Keep singing in the shower even if your sister tells you to shut up. Keep playing shitty originals and shows for crowds less than 10 people. Keep writing what you feel. You may not realize it now, but music is your passion.

Fourth, once you enter college your entire worldview is going to change dramatically. Everything from politics, religion and morality. You’ll be introduced to new ideas that have never occurred to you before. Embrace them, question them, and always keep an open mind to even the most dangerous and eccentric. It’s the most liberating thing in the world to understand life from multiple perspectives. Always keep your third eye open.

Finally, don’t let school get to you. You’ll take a year off from college trying to figure out what to do, but don’t sweat it. Life isn’t that simple and to be honest, no one truly knows what the hell they’re doing most of the time. I graduated only to realize just how little I know about the world.

Well you can get back to your game of Halo 3. Don’t get too cocky though, you’re going to need a bit more practice if you’re going to win that $25,000 prize. 2nd place isn’t good enough.

Best of luck,

From a slightly wiser you.

3 Books That Changed My Life Perspective

April 11, 2015 · by Luke Lindsley

Reading anything non-fiction was terribly boring growing up. Given the choice between reading the history of World War II and The Magic Tree House series, the ladder always got my vote. I assume most kids were the same. Even in high school non-fiction books couldn’t spark my interest. Something about 400 page colorless textbooks on generic subjects was unappealing. Even the biggest of bookworms had trouble staying focused.

However, my perception of non-fiction changed when I entered college. For the first time in my life, I was introduced to some non-fiction books that were interesting. Why were they interesting? Because they contained ideas I had never considered before. Ideas that challenged everything I believed. Ideas that turned my understanding of reality upside down and made me reevaluate everything that I once believed.

The 3 books that changed my life perspective for the better:

11 Free To Use Online Tools

March 14, 2015 · by Luke Lindsley

More than 40% of the world population has an internet connection today. An internet connection with the ability to access an endless supply of knowledge, entertainment and practical tools. And yet, only a fraction of these 3 billion people use it to the fullest!

There are countless great websites and applications for practically everything. So I thought I’d share some of my favorites that are fun, easy and free to use. Enjoy! 🙂

Documentary Heaven – Hundreds of documentaries on a wide number of subjects. Great as a replacement for a casual movie. I don’t watch television anymore.
Ted Talks – Learn and explore new ideas from experts and passionate speakers. Absolutely fascinating and another great replacement for tv or a movie.
Khan Academy – Great teaching tools on Math, Science, Humanities and Computing. This site has saved my grades on a number of occasions.
Pixlr – Amazing picture editor. Comes in a basic / intermediate version for a quick easy edit or an advanced version for those that are more technical.
Twilight – This mobile application reduces eye strain from staring at your phone, especially useful before going to bed. Has probably saved me hundreds of hours of sleep.
WordPress – Make your own customizable website. By far my favorite blog platform. Has the ability to really individualize your site and make it your own.
Flickr – Amazing site to browse and use millions of commercial free photos. I get the majority of my blog photos from here under the creative commons.
Unreal Engine – Learn how to create your own video game from scratch! Great for anyone interested in game development and is interested in making it a career.
LMMS – The best available tool out there for learning to produce digital music for free. I recommend knowing a little bit of music theory before jumping in, but newbies are definitely welcome too!
CodeAcademy – Fantastic resource for learning how to code and create your own website. Provides both beginner tutorials for newbies and advanced tutorials for those that want to improve their skills.
Krita – While programs like Photoshop are awesome for image manipulation and design, it has an incredibly high learning curve and can be difficult to get started. Krita is designed for creating concept art, digital paintings, and web comics which has a manageable tool set much more friendly to the average user.

An Adventure: Seattle to Los Angeles

August 28, 2014 · by Luke Lindsley

Earlier this summer I had the privilege of working on a professional music video down in LA. A friend of mine had asked if I was interested and I squirmed at the idea. Music video? Los Angeles? Hell yeah! What kind of aspiring musician would I be to pass up an opportunity like that? So after a few weeks of planning, we packed our instruments and jumped into a blue Prius to begin our adventure down the coast.

There were a total of 3 of us: Dane, Kienan and myself. I knew Dane through mutual friends and had jammed with him on multiple occasions. I had never met Kienan before, however, so I could only hope that we’d get along well. Something about going on a road trip and being in the car for 18 hours with a stranger wasn’t the most appealing thing to me at the time.

Regardless, I stepped outside my comfort zone and opened up a bit. Luckily, we hit it off great! All 3 of us being musicians gave us plenty to talk about. Actually from Seattle to Portland, that was all we talked about. We took turns listening to each others music which I thought was pretty cool. I was also introduced to some rad new bands including Nothing More, Safetysuit, and Magic! Check em out.

Before I knew it we were already in Oregon. Since we had left pretty late in the day (came straight from work) it had already gotten dark and we needed to determine how far we wanted to go before sleeping. After some debate, we ultimately decided to just get a hotel in Portland and wake up really early for an all day trip the next day. That’s the fun thing about road trips- you get to improvise.

We hauled our gear inside and got ready for bed. After a good nights sleep(At least for me anyway) and some surprisingly delicious hotel breakfast food, we hit the road again. It turned out Kienan had went out the previous night to a bar with an old friend he hadn’t seen in years. Needless to say, he was passed out in the back of the car for the next few hours of the trip ha.

We drove almost the rest of the way to the California border in silence, just enjoying nature and its beautiful scenery. Well that’s not true entirely. Somewhere along the way we cranked the music up and rolled the windows down. It’s never an official road trip till you do that at least once. I definitely had one of those “Life is good,” moments; feeling like a dog with a fat smile, wind blowing into my face and happy as could be.

We finally stopped for a bite to eat and rested in Northern California. It felt like we had made tons of progress, but that was when I learned how long California actually was- we were barely over half way there! We still had a good 6+ hours till we reached Bakersfield. Fortunately Dane’s cousin Kevin was nice enough to let us stay at his place so we didn’t need to find a hotel in LA.

We hit the road again looking to make good time with some extra incentive from Kevin letting us know he’d have burgers ready when we arrive. The next couple hours consisted of us spontaneously shouting “burgers!” dreaming of the moment we could feast on them…

After the adrenaline died down we settled down and relaxed a bit. You’d think we would run out of things to talk about in an 18 hour drive, but that was hardly the case. We discussed religion, philosophy, politics, and space among tons of other ideas. It was really cool to talk about controversial subjects and hear the differences of opinion. Something about being in a car that long seems to spark conversation of that kind.

Finally, after 16 hours of driving we arrived at Kevin’s place. I got out of the car and took the biggest stretch of my life. Upon entering the house, not only did we smell the burgers cooking, but we saw a moonlit pool awaiting us. My god that pool was fantastic. That night was the definition of paradise after a grueling day of travel.

After some late night stargazing we finally hit the sack. We knew tomorrow was going to be an even longer day- we still needed to film an entire music video! The plan was to wake up early for breakfast, drive to LA and check in on set, then go check out Santa Monica. I couldn’t wait to get started.

After some early morning Starbucks and a killer homemade breakfast, we hit the road towards LA. My first impression as we arrived in the outskirts was smelly, unclean and humid. Not the kind of LA you think of when talking about Hollywood. Regardless, my excited levels were at it’s peak- we had reached our destination!

We arrived on set, checked in, and had a few hours to kill as planned. We headed out to explore the city and as we got closer towards the water, my impression of LA gradually improved and peaked when we reached Santa Monica. If it weren’t for the poor air quality in the entire LA area, Santa Monica may have won me over. It was a beautiful place with sandy beaches, interesting people and good food. Musicians filled the beaches with volleyball games going on on every half a mile. It’s definitely a place worth visiting in my opinion. Washington’s still number one in my book however, sorry California.

We headed back to the studio to start the production. I was extremely excited to get to work. When we arrived there was a good 15-20 crew members all working on set running around and getting things ready. I sat down in the corner dumbfounded by the craziness. It felt a little odd being one of the very few people not doing anything because I was an “actor.” I wanted to help, but I sat and watched.

The crew had set up a forest-like scenery with very realistic props including a fog machine and a crazy amount of lights. That’s when I got to meet Oriane, a beautiful French actress, who would be the star of the video. Shortly after greeting her the camera’s started rolling and she was incredible. Watching her made me realize how difficult acting actually was, and made me appreciate people who do it that much more. Acting is certainly not meant for everybody, and I found that the hard way when it was my turn for the camera.

20 people staring at you with the camera rolling and you needing to fake an emotion is extremely difficult. The scene was for me to be “falling in love” with the actress and to express that on film. I really had no idea what I was doing, but I gave it my best shot.

And finally after multiple tries of pretending to flirt with Oriane on camera, I finally got a decent take (at least in my mind ha). The crew also approved, we moved on, and I was relieved to be done with the difficult part.

All that was left was for the band to play together. We hit the set with our instruments and did what I knew how to do best, rock out. Before I knew it, it was 1am and we were leaving the set back to Bakersfield and eventually home. We were drained, hungry, grumpy and sleep deprived, but we were also happy. Definitely a strange feeling when you have all those emotions at once.

It was an incredible trip. Definitely something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Hopefully this was just the first of many to come. You can watch the finished music video here: