The Scalpel Stayed in My Hand I wanted to hand over the scalpel. I went looking for the knowledge underneath it - and it wasn't there. ... Friday's Digest #163 Table of contents Life Update Observing the Great Stuff Life Update A patient arrives. Sometimes to the clinic, to be diagnosed and treated. Sometimes to the emergency department, with something dangerous. Sometimes the patient is already on the table, asleep, and the first cut is mine to make. Every one of those moments requires...
7 days ago • 4 min read
What the Vegetables Knew I watched a man pack vegetables for his flight. I haven't run in ten months. I'm still working out which one says more about me... Friday's Digest #162 Life Update I was in an airport lounge. You know, that place you hang out in before your flight. Everything's included, kind of a buffet. So I took some bread, cottage cheese, a glass of red wine. Reasonably healthy. Then I took a pastry. Then something fried. Then another pastry. Not that healthy anymore. I really...
14 days ago • 2 min read
She Was Waiting… (or: Everyone Should Have a Hero) When things get hard, what would your hero do? Are you not sure you have one? You should. Here’s why. Friday's Digest #161 Table of contents Life Update Everyone Should Have a Hero Stuff Life Update I visited Lisbon, Portugal, this week. Not a vacation. A conference. Specifically, it was about proteomics. In short, it’s the study of all the proteins you have in your body. Proteins that can tell you what actually happens in the body. And I...
21 days ago • 4 min read
Ikigai: How Some People Live to the Age of 110. (and Enjoy It…) Ikigai is a Japanese word for "reason for being". Is it also the secret potion for a long, happy, and healthy life? Friday's Digest #160 Table of contents Life Update Ikigai Stuff Life Update It's June. The sun is shining, the days are long, and our kids have their end-of-school-year events. This time of year, I feel like a kindergarten teacher. But I'm not talking about my kids. I'm talking about my students. The students I have...
28 days ago • 3 min read
Oh, This Is Hard... (or: The 2-Year Mark) It's 22:00, and my legs are really tired. I know this feeling. And I know exactly what it means. Friday's Digest #159. Table of contents Life Update The 2-Year Mark Life Update This week was hard. On regular days, I work around 11 hours. Some days it's around 16. So when I come home, I have no energy left in my legs. Exhausted. And yet. The next day. 06:00. I'm already in scrubs. I've been thinking a lot lately about where I am. It's been almost two...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Antifragile I stood in the OR at 14:05. No lunch. Another surgery is just starting. And I thought - maybe this is exactly right. Friday's Digest #158. Table of contents Life Update Antifragile Stuff Life Update #157 went out last week, almost on time. Apparently, I scheduled it for 14:00 Boston time instead of 14:00 Israel time 🤦♂️. At 15:15, I was working on something else when I realized: I hadn't received my own newsletter! I dropped everything, ran to my laptop, and found the issue calmly...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Something Happened Something happened. And for a while, nothing else mattered. Friday's Digest #157 Table of contents Life Update Tools and Tips Stuff Life Update It's been 9 months since we last met in your inbox. It feels like 10 years have passed. Not 1. Not 2. Ten. At least. On August 28th, 2025, something happened. FDR called December 7th "a date which will live in infamy". (That was the day the US was attacked at Pearl Harbor). I'm not comparing the scale. But I now understand what it...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
ChatGPT vs. Gemini: Which AI Should You Use Nowadays Short answer: Gemini. Long answer: Gemini has outperformed ChatGPT for months, especially for health and science. Friday’s Digest #156 Table of contents Life Update Tools and Tips Life Update The last couple of weeks have been extremely difficult for me. You might have noticed changes in my newsletter. I didn't publish two weeks ago and shared a very different newsletter last week. But after these challenging two weeks, I feel like I might...
11 months ago • 3 min read
Doing the Right Thing (or Taking the Easy Way Out) Recently, I’ve taken on a significant teaching responsibility. I didn’t have to do it, but I’ve done it anyway. Why not take the easy way out and enjoy life more? Friday’s Digest #155 Last week, I didn't publish a newsletter. That was the easy way out. Physically, not mentally. Physically, I had more time on the weekend, one less item on my to-do list, and no financial impact (I don't make money from this newsletter). Mentally, it was...
11 months ago • 1 min read