July is when summer really settles into Northern Nevada. Temperatures climb into the 90s and often stay there. Yet gardening here has a way of keeping us humble and on our toes. This year was no exception. March was unusually warm. April turned cold again. May hinted at a great growing season, only to have June refuse to cooperate. I planted seeds. I planted vegetables. I wondered if some of them had simply given up. Then, almost overnight, things changed. Seeds I thought were gone suddenly began germinating. Plants that looked unhappy finally decided they liked where they were growing. Gardens have a wonderful way of reminding us that nature usually works on its own schedule rather than ours. Now July has arrived, bringing its…

[First of a series] A few years ago, drones mostly felt like novelties. Something you bought for your pre-teen to play with in the backyard or a gadget your realtor used to get aerial pictures of a property listing. They appeared briefly over parks, annoyed airports occasionally, hovered over neighborhoods taking photos, and entertained hobbyists who liked flying cameras around the sky. For many people, drones still fall into roughly the same mental category as remote-control airplanes or expensive gadgets purchased by technology enthusiasts. And for most of those uses, there is still a person controlling the drone — establishing the flight path, making adjustments, avoiding obstacles, and eventually bringing it safely back to earth. But lately something seems to be changing. Drones now appear…

When fuel costs rise, people adjust differently—and systems follow In a recent post, I explored what might happen if gas prices reached $10 per gallon—a scenario that feels extreme, but not entirely impossible under the right conditions. The most interesting part of that article wasn’t the analysis. It was the reaction. Or maybe more accurately, the shape of the reaction. There were responses. Quite a few, actually. Some thoughtful, some dismissive, some practical, some a bit off to the side. But after reading through them, one thing stood out: It was hard to tell what people actually think—and there certainly was no consensus on what would happen or even what should happen. What Was Said The comments fell into a few general categories. Some people…

March Madness, Smartphones, and the New Business of Sports I live in Nevada, so I am not opposed to gambling (even though I don’t gamble). It has been part of the state’s economy for decades. But I do worry about what it is doing to sports and some of the institutions and activities surrounding them. NIL has already changed college athletics, and not necessarily for the better. Sports betting companies are now major sponsors of professional leagues and broadcasts. Increasingly it feels as if the conversation around sports has shifted. It is less about who wins or loses and more about who scores what and when. Every March the country turns its attention to college basketball. Brackets appear in offices. Games run all afternoon. Upsets…

Every March the same ritual unfolds. And being about 1/8th Irish myself (may be questioned), I look forward to the day. Green clothing appears. Parades roll through city streets. Beer mysteriously turns green. And somewhere in the festivities a cheerful leprechaun usually shows up carrying a pot of gold. Most of us assume this is an ancient Irish tradition stretching back through the centuries. It isn’t. At least not in the way we think. Like many holidays, St. Patrick’s Day is really a layered mixture of history, legend, immigration, and a little creative reinvention along the way. The historical Patrick himself would probably find the modern celebration rather surprising. Historians generally believe Patrick was born not in Ireland but in Britain near the end of…

It seems winter has finally decided to show up. I have been shoveling snow for four days in a row. For those are in the Midwest or east, this may not sound like much. But here in Northern Nevada, it is not normal. We usually get snow one day and it is mostly melted the next day. This week we have received 4 to 12 inches each day. Thus, the need to shovel. Being not as young as I once was, shoveling is tiring activity (I would rather burn me calories at the gym) with a result that I am also not very interested in preparing complex meals. So the idea of easy one pot meals sound inviting. Here are four option for you to…