You should absolutely keep some ketchup around the house. And soy sauce, and Sriracha, and a good BBQ sauce. And some honey. But if you really want to add flavor to all kinds of dishes (I don't mean fancy stuff, but like, if you want to punch up a...

[cw: violence] I just wanted to capture this story here once so I don't have to tell it to anyone again. Because, while I am okay now, it is unpleasant to keep having to repeat the story to new people over and over. The short version is, I was...

[CW: mental illness, self-harm] When my depression was at its worst, it felt almost like a constant, physical pain. Getting away from that crushing weight felt as urgent as pulling my hand away from a hot stove, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t even...

Five years ago today I witnessed the most transcendent moment of my life. I don’t have a faith or a religion, so I’m often reluctant to describe things as “transcendent”; I don’t want to speak to an experience that’s not my own. But 5 years ago...

For my birthday a while back, some of you may remember I asked you all to contribute to a project to build wells to bring clean water to a village in our family's home state of Orissa. I have some incredible news to share. The project you all made...

Doing my fair share for my son means I have to start carrying my weight in other areas at home. Growing up as an Indian-American son, in a family-oriented culture, I considered it an inarguable truth that I would have kids when I grew up. So when I...

I’m a normal guy. I don’t drink alcohol. I don’t smoke cigarettes. I don’t do any illegal drugs. I don’t drink coffee. I never graduated from college. I’ve never been arrested. I don’t regularly watch any TV shows. I don’t subscribe to any print...

If you’ve ever had someone say something nice about a thing you made, you know how great it feels. It’s a combination of validation, and respect, and recognition, and it’s truly wonderful. The only thing better is when someone offers kind words about...

Even though I’ve been having a lot of conversations recently about being a dad, the truth is that on any given day what keeps me up at night is the things I’m getting wrong. I know every parent makes mistakes, and logically I am able to keep that...

Today I went to MSNBC to tape an appearance on Maria Teresa Kumar’s new “Changing America”, part of the Shift lineup of shows that the network is trying out. It was pretty fun, and I think I came off okay, talking about how tech helps people...

Much of my presence on social media, especially on Twitter, is predicated on the foilbes of parenthood. “Dad Tweets” are a venerable staple of the medium, as fundamental as “mommy blogs” are to blogging. But beyond the reductive and dismissive names...

It’s always nice when an idea has a little bit of staying power. A few weeks ago, Yahoo Health featured a piece about 8 Ways to Embrace JOMO, a reference to the “Joy of Missing Out that I wrote about a few years ago, after being inspired by Caterina...

One of my recurrent ruminations of the last decade or so is a bit of reflection on my relationship with religion. To be clear: I don’t have one. I know there are no gods, that the supernatural does not exist, and that we should not base morality on...

My wife, in addition to being wise and kind, is generally made of sterner stuff than I am. This serves us both well, but the contrast does serve to elucidate some important concepts from time to time. Living as we do in New York City, subway rides...

One of the things I love most is meeting new people who are outside of the usual circles that I travel in, who can teach me about things that I’d never learn about otherwise. To that end, I devote as much time as is possible in a busy schedule to...

When I used to fly a lot, people would ask me why I was such a big fan of Virgin America. Some of it is the usual stuff — they have wifi and power outlets, and travel to the cities I visit most often. But the crux of why I like their brand taught me...

Give $37 to build one village its well. Let’s go! » When I was a kid, I used to go and visit my cousins, just like you probably did. We’d play pickup games of soccer, go fishing without actually catching any fish, and generally just run around and...

My brilliant friend Caterina Fake wrote about the Fear of Missing Out last year, and the FOMO meme took instant hold amongst those of us who love the digital life. We’re keenly aware that our constant connection to those who are doing things that are...

Andy Rooney died last night. I find myself crestfallen about this because I’d spent the last few years trying, off and on, to get in touch with him for the chance to thank him for his influence on my work. I’d even hoped to interview him for this...

In the months since my son was born, I’ve struggled mightily with resisting the urge to unleash the mommyblogger that’s been lurking in my heart lo these many years. But one recent insight seemed to cross the bar of “would this still be interesting...

Thirty-two years ago today, I noticed that things were odd at our pre-school. The teachers had drawn the blinds closed in a few rooms and at least one of the other kids had had his mom pick him up in a big wood-sided station wagon before the day was...

Please meet Malcolm Browne Dash. He’s my son, born February 9th weighing in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces. The days (and yes, the nights) over this last week or so have been a blur, but one thing that’s crystal clear, beside his abiding cuteness, is that...

I don’t believe in life insurance. When I die, I want it to be a bad day for everybody. – Brad L. Graham, February 2002 My friend Brad L. Graham died unexpectedly last week, at only 41. It’s hard to sum up someone so loved in a few words, but I...