Old dogs, new tricks
Near the end of their lives, my parents struggled with technology. Dad felt his career disappeared when engineering and design firms switched to CAD systems. Although I’m sure Dad’s drawings were as accurate and far more beautiful than computer-assisted, hand drawings and plans weren’t as fast and were more difficult to share with a client […]
(Charitable) Adventurers in Space
Maybe they all grew up watching the dashing, pompous and utterly incompetent Link Hogthrob captain the Swinetrek segments on that old television series The Muppet Show. Because there’s a confluence of the energies of Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Elon Musk around space travel. Mr. Bezos has announced that he will enter orbit on his […]
Conform, reform, reconcile, denial
So many emotions, none of them good. We’ve had just over two weeks of eye-opening revelations and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. I’m afraid, as humans, we’ll become insensitive to the horror of what will be “unearthed” over the next weeks or months and years. For certain, someone thought the horror […]
Almost Cut My Hair
“Almost cut my hair…” That was the first line in the dirge performed by David Crosby on the 1970 album Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, It spoke of the hippie’s existential crisis—that he would even contemplate cutting his shoulder-length hair was a sign that things had gone badly wrong. Mr. Crosby—who today sports long white […]
With Glowing Hearts and Fireworks
Yep, it’s Father’s Day as I write this week’s column. As fathers go, I had a pretty good one. He worked hard. He loved his kids. He loved Mom. He loved to swim. He loved a camping trip. He loved skating and playing hockey. He loved drawing and planning on paper. He had a big […]
Burst my bubble
Sunday. Yes it is. Almost half past June, too! I didn’t expect I’d get used to living in a pandemic world. My younger brother suggested that some people are cut out for this type of living. This morn- ing it feels as if that has happened to me— the getting used to it. I’m comfortable […]
Inspecting a Jewel
I’ve always loved country and western music—up until about 1980, when it accelerated its slow slide into a derivative rock music style combined with predictable lyrics drawn from the unholy trio of alcohol, trucks and loose women. What I love about it more particularly is its ability to paint a complete emotional picture in under […]
Who’s on first?
I’ve dealt with so many First World problems this week. But all of those issues make me feel grateful for what I have. My lawn is overgrown— but I have a lawn, weeds and all. My new pool deck isn’t finished and it’s almost pool season. I have a pool, a deck and a pool […]
Entering a World of Deepfaking
The New York Times reported a few weeks ago on a couple of potentially dangerous developments in the world of deepfaking—using artificial intelligence and machine learning to produce images that can’t be distinguished from originals, and manipulating old images to give them a digital afferlife. The first development involved a Tom Cruise impersonator, who worked […]
We’re on the Road to Nowhere
I am a fan of travelling and I am a fan of maps. I own a few maps, but I’m what you’d call a collector. I’m not a fanatic about it, but if I see an old road map (the kind companies like Texaco sponsored) in a shop, chances are it’s coming home with me. […]