https://directive17.com/blog/ Joel's Tales from Weird Side: the blog of Joel Shapiro, founder of Directive 17. I wish I was making this shit up! en Sun, 15 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://directive17.com/blog/the-art-of-not-giving-a-flying-fuck.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/the-art-of-not-giving-a-flying-fuck.htmlSat, 14 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMTTen Commandments for Living a Spectacularly Happy Life While Eliminating the Assholes Who Make It Difficult. https://directive17.com/blog/temper-myself.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/temper-myself.htmlMon, 09 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMTApparently, I have a new problem. https://directive17.com/blog/the-atlanta-dream.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/the-atlanta-dream.htmlSat, 31 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTApparently, This Is a Real Fucking Thing. https://directive17.com/blog/great-day-to-stop-drinking.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/great-day-to-stop-drinking.htmlMon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTA Story About Triglycerides, Delta Air Lines, and Why Sobriety Should Come With a Fucking Warning Label. https://directive17.com/blog/california-is-crazy.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/california-is-crazy.htmlSun, 25 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTWhere Common Sense Goes to Die—After Filing an Environmental Impact Report. https://directive17.com/blog/formal-vs-formal.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/formal-vs-formal.htmlSun, 25 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTWhat in the Actual F@ck!! https://directive17.com/blog/good-morning-assholes.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/good-morning-assholes.htmlThu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTA Public Service Announcement from the Pacific Time Zone. https://directive17.com/blog/who-checks-its-work.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/who-checks-its-work.htmlWed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTAI can now write more software code in an afternoon than entire engineering teams could produce in months. https://directive17.com/blog/get-a-bigger-plate.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/get-a-bigger-plate.htmlMon, 19 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTOr, as my wife calls it: “What the fuck are you doing now?” https://directive17.com/blog/the-holonic-backstory.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/the-holonic-backstory.htmlSun, 18 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTI Asked One Simple Question. Two Years and a Few Million Dollars Later, I Think I Finally Understand the Answer. https://directive17.com/blog/last-one-in-is-a-rotten-egg.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/last-one-in-is-a-rotten-egg.htmlThu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTIs there another investment firm on earth where every employee gets a text at 8 a.m. that says: “Last one in is a rotten egg!” https://directive17.com/blog/what-could-go-wrong-v2.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/what-could-go-wrong-v2.htmlFri, 09 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTA look back at yesterday’s food and beverage intake, a new toilet, and a whole lot of love. https://directive17.com/blog/he-she-it-them-they.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/he-she-it-them-they.htmlWed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTA friend of mine WAS a waiter at a very high-end restaurant in Atlanta. I emphasize WAS. https://directive17.com/blog/a-funeral-for-a-grin.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/a-funeral-for-a-grin.htmlThu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTA very old friend of mine died a couple of years ago. I had lunch with him last week. So, overall, he seems to be doing much better. https://directive17.com/blog/you-are-going-to-get-cancelled.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/you-are-going-to-get-cancelled.htmlMon, 28 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTMy Chief of Staff informs me I am in danger of being cancelled. My offense: I wrote that women’s poop stinks. Apparently this was controversial. https://directive17.com/blog/one-hat-at-a-time.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/one-hat-at-a-time.htmlTue, 22 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTA young pro golfer asked me to sponsor him on the PGA Tour. Everyone thought that was hilarious. So what exactly are we laughing at? https://directive17.com/blog/what-could-go-wrong.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/what-could-go-wrong.htmlWed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTAspen Birthday Party Edition — twelve middle-aged men, three days of aggressive dehydration, and a 14-mile hike at 12,500 feet. In the rain. https://directive17.com/blog/my-life-philosophy.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/my-life-philosophy.htmlThu, 27 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTA list of sayings that felt less like inspirational wisdom and more like somebody had been secretly following me around for decades taking notes. https://directive17.com/blog/apple-psyllium.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/apple-psyllium.htmlTue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTI bought a MacBook. At almost exactly the same time, in an entirely unrelated act of spectacularly bad judgment, I added psyllium to my diet. https://directive17.com/blog/black-plastic.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/black-plastic.htmlTue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTA meal-prep place with a beautiful sourcing story, a nutrition person, and a transparency pitch — serving everything in black plastic. https://directive17.com/blog/i-trust-ai.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/i-trust-ai.htmlThu, 20 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTMost people are worried about whether they can trust artificial intelligence. I have a different concern. https://directive17.com/blog/i-havent-even-taken-off-yet.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/i-havent-even-taken-off-yet.htmlWed, 19 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTAnother travel day. More craziness. And, as I write this, the airplane hasn't even left the gate. https://directive17.com/blog/some-things-we-were-never-meant-to-know.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/some-things-we-were-never-meant-to-know.htmlThu, 13 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTI would like to address one of the great architectural mistakes of our time: the unisex restaurant bathroom. https://directive17.com/blog/stop-watching-start-creating.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/stop-watching-start-creating.htmlTue, 11 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTAt some point, we became a civilization of spectators. We have been handed superpowers and we are using them to watch strangers organize their refrigerators. https://directive17.com/blog/one-second-im-trying-to-reach-you.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/one-second-im-trying-to-reach-you.htmlSun, 09 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTA true story about traffic, modern medicine, the Philippines, and humanity's relentless pursuit of efficiency. https://directive17.com/blog/we-have-run-out-of-fish.htmlhttps://directive17.com/blog/we-have-run-out-of-fish.htmlSun, 09 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTOne Quick Question — true stories from a world that makes less sense every day.