How Jazz (and a Few Others) Shaped My Ears Two things happened in high school that shaped my music taste forever. The first was getting tickets to Jazz at the Philharmonic, where I was introduced to the explosive brilliance of Dizzy Gillespie and the pure vocal magic of Ella Fitzgerald. The second was listening to the Benny Goodman 1938–39 Carnegie Hall Concert album (a gift)—a gateway to big band swing and greats like Lionel Hampton, Ray Anthony, and of course, Goodman himself. That was the beginning of a lifelong habit: collecting jazz albums and immersing myself in a musical tradition that thrived on spontaneity and skill. In college, the world of jazz got bigger and more intimate. A friend invited me to The Black Hawk,…

(And Why It Wouldn’t Drive Me Crazy) I bought my laptop a little over 15 years ago when I was still doing some consulting and business development. It has many features I’ve never figured out how to use effectively—and some are still total mysteries. So much for being a technology geek. Over time, I’ve tried to get better at typing on this keyboard. I can type reasonably well, but not too fast—those claims of 80 or 90 words per minute? Mythical. I’m more of a 20-to-30 wpm guy. Part of this is due to the number of times I have to locate the right key or find the backspace. But this keyboard has been a source of aggravation from day one. It has red letters…

What I’ve Learned from Writing On June 23, 2024, I published my first post on Yogiwan.us—a simple “Hello World” that marked the beginning of a small project I started mostly for myself. I had no real audience in mind, no monetization plan, no urge to build followers or chase likes. I just wanted a space to think aloud. A few weeks later, I followed it up with some actual content—starting with WordPress tools and a short piece on the Supreme Court. And then I kept going. One post at a time. Now here we are, one year and over 130 posts later. It seems like a good moment to pause, look back, and ask: What did I actually learn from doing this? Why I Started…

(Or: Why We No Longer Know What’s True) There was a time—not so long ago—when “being informed” meant something. You read the newspaper. You watched the evening news. You listened to voices that, for all their flaws, were anchored in reporting, fact-checking, and editorial standards. You may not have agreed with everything they said—but you knew the difference between fact and opinion, between a journalist and a talking head. Now? It’s harder to tell. Harder to know where the information comes from. Harder still to know whether it’s grounded in knowledge or just dressed up in charisma. We’re drowning in content and starving for clarity. That’s not just a personal feeling—it’s a cultural shift. We didn’t stop trusting the news overnight. We watched it dissolve….

And Other Mysteries of Modern Tech Where did the everyday user go? And does Microsoft even care anymore? I recently attempted something wildly ambitious. Not building a rocket. Not editing a podcast. I tried to read a book. On my Surface Pro 7. Specifically, a Kindle book. You know, the kind I can read on my phone, my Kindle e-reader, my wife’s iPad, or—if I wanted to get wild—have Alexa read to me in jazz-flavored Swahili while I grill salmon. But on a Surface Pro? That’s asking too much. The Disappearing App Trick Turns out the Kindle app is no longer available in the Microsoft Store. Not even an ancient, cobweb-covered version from 2017. Amazon quietly removed it, and Microsoft didn’t seem to notice—or care….

(Because I’m Not Repeating That Again) The jazz is playing, the lights are mostly on, and the future still looks bright There was a time—maybe not so long ago—when enjoying music meant a little work. I had hundreds of vinyl albums and CDs, sorted (mostly) by genre: jazz, pop, Broadway musicals, blues, even a little bluegrass. I could always find something interesting, though occasionally it meant rifling through stacks and muttering, “I know it’s here somewhere…” Fast forward to today, and I can say this without irony: Alexa (or Siri, or whoever’s listening) changed the game. I don’t have to dig through crates or remember where I last saw that Duke Ellington CD. I just ask. “Alexa, play Oscar Peterson.” Boom—jazz in seconds. “Alexa, play…

My Tablet Setup Saga In the early 1980s, we were introduced to a brand-new concept: the personal computer. IBM’s PC arrived in 1981, and the Apple Macintosh followed in 1984. By today’s standards, those machines were laughably clunky—limited in speed, memory, graphics, and the ability to do more than one thing at a time. But at the time? Absolute magic. We could compute, create, and communicate without waiting in line at a university lab or asking the guy down the hall who “knows mainframes.” Fast forward more than four decades and the world has changed. Personal computers are in our pockets. Storage is measured in terabytes, not floppy disks. And setup? Well, surely that’s been streamlined into a plug-and-play breeze, right? Apparently not. A few…

We are almost into Summer (June 20) and should well be into grilling time. So I thought I would go back and pull some of my material from the Your Smart Kitchen newsletters and republish them here. These tips and recipes were good then and should still be useful. Tips for beef: When picking steaks, choose cuts that are close in size and thickness–preferably over one inch thick–and marbled throughout. Not all meat has a grade or quality designation, but the higher grades (i.e., prime and choice) mean more marbling. Steaks should be bright red, with no gray or brown patches. If vacuum-packed, they may be darker, but once exposed to oxygen should become bright red again. Fresh beef should be refrigerated and used within…

From LPs to playlists—when the jazz never stopped Jazz doesn’t just age well—it matures, like a fine wine or a favorite old coat. It gets more comfortable, more familiar, and yet somehow more meaningful. And if you’ve been listening to it for a few decades, it becomes the soundtrack not just to your evenings, but to your life. Some of my friends like the old pop classics because they have the lyrics memorized and can sing along. I like the old jazz classics because I can anticipate the changes in key as well as the changes in mood. These never get old or tiring. Back in the day, hearing jazz wasn’t just about taste—it was about commitment. You had to have a good quality turntable…

When DJs picked the playlist, jazz clubs whispered magic, and discovery took time When I was in high school, most of the kids were glued to the pop charts. And to be fair, that era—late ’50s through the ’70s—produced some of the best music ever recorded, much of which is still being played today. But thanks to a lucky break during my sophomore year in high school, I was given a free ticket to Jazz at the Philharmonic, a touring group of jazz performers. There I was introduced to something entirely different: Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, and a world of sound that wasn’t topping the charts but was quickly grabbing my attention. That one night launched a lifelong love of jazz, even as everyone else…

Or: Why My Light Switch Now Needs a Software Update We used to joke that we’d never understand our kids. These days, I’m not sure I understand my house. A while ago, I dipped a toe into the “smart home” world. It started innocently enough — a smart plug to control a lamp behind the TV. One command, and boom, the living room glowed like I actually knew what I was doing. I was a man in control. I even gave it a fancy name: TV Light. Feeling confident, I added a second smart plug in my office. It turned on the desk lamp — until one day it didn’t. It blinked, sighed (digitally), and told me it needed to be reset. Just like that,…

(Or: How Data Tries To Take Over Even In My Own House) “My Smartwatch Thinks I’m in Trouble — Even When I’m Just Napping” Back in the day, if you were breathing, standing upright, and didn’t spill your coffee, that was enough proof you were alive. These days, my smartwatch needs confirmation every ten minutes — and apparently, I’m failing the test. Let me back up. I recently got one of those newfangled watches — you know, the ones that monitor your steps, heart rate, sleep quality, stress levels, hydration, and, I believe, your proximity to a panic attack. The incentive was an admonition from my primary care doctor who said that my oxygen level fluctuated too much and my blood pressure dropped every once…

Will New Elites Rise or Will Power Concentrate Forever? Every major leap in technology reshapes who holds power — and who doesn’t. The Industrial Revolution created a new class of factory tycoons and financiers. The oil age crowned energy barons. The internet minted tech billionaires who’ve reshaped markets, media, and even the way we think. Each time, a new elite has risen, often concentrating power faster than the old one ever imagined. Now, a new era is upon us: one fueled by artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum computing, and autonomous systems. And once again, the gains look like they will go to the very top — not just the top 1%, but the top 0.01%. That’s one person in 10,000. And today, that group controls nearly…

Wealth, Education, and the Risks of Unequal Transformation When we imagine the future, it’s tempting to picture a dazzling world of possibility — where artificial intelligence anticipates our needs, biotech prevents illness before it starts, and clean energy powers an interconnected planet with little environmental cost. And where boring work is mostly replaced by ever-increasingly intelligent robots. And if even half the promises currently being made actually come to pass, the world of 2100 could be dramatically better than anything we have ever known — a world where the growth of the next 80 years surpasses what was accomplished over the last 80. But we’ve been here before. The last 80 years saw remarkable progress, lifting billions of people into new prosperity (which was necessary…

When you take a step back and look at the last 80 years, the magnitude of change is almost overwhelming. Daily life, work, health, communication, transportation — all reshaped, rebuilt, and reimagined in ways our grandparents could scarcely have imagined. It leads naturally to a question: Could the next 80 years bring a transformation of equal — or even greater — scale?Or did we live through a once-in-history moment, a rare intersection of invention, opportunity, and necessity that may never come again? As someone who witnessed these sweeping changes firsthand, I can’t help but wonder: What would it actually take to match the revolution we’ve just lived through? What Made the Last 80 Years So Unique? Before speculating about the future, it’s worth pausing to…

A Revolution in Living Recently, I came across an article extolling the benefits of doing a “life review” — where people systematically reflect on their past, through conversations or writing, to identify character strengths and develop greater self-awareness.While I’m not setting out to do one formally, it did cause me to pause and think about how much daily life has changed over my lifetime — changes that would have been unimaginable when I was a kid. One memory stands out vividly from around sixth or seventh grade.We lived in a small town, and on weekends I often worked at a friend’s farm (it might have had something to do with a crush on their daughter).One particular weekend, the family decided to butcher a steer. I…

From “Are we there yet?” to “Where’s the next Starbucks?” My memories of road trips aren’t complete, though to be fair, that’s true for most things that happened before last Tuesday. One of the earliest I do remember was sometime around seventh or eighth grade. My mom and I were driving to Chicago (the reason remains a mystery). This was long before cell phones or satellite radio. Even the AM stations would fade out every hundred miles, leaving us to invent games like “how many different state license plates can we spot?” Back then, plates were easy to read—before bumper guards and tinted covers became a thing. When it came time to stop, we looked for a small roadside motel flashing a VACANCY sign. (This…

The Other Half of the Picture Previously, I posted about the benefits of reverse mortgages—and yes, they are substantial. Eliminating a monthly mortgage payment can really free up cash flow. Having the ability to access what was once “untouchable” home equity gives older homeowners more flexibility in dealing with major expenses like medical bills, home repairs, or simply improving quality of life. But with all that upside, there’s another half of the picture that deserves a closer look. These aren’t free-money products—they’re financial tools. And like all tools, if you don’t fully understand how to use them, they can bite back. Minimum Equity Requirements One of the first hurdles: reverse mortgages require that you hold at least 50% equity in your home—sometimes more. These loans…

The Quiet Exit: Tiger Woods, the Masters, and Golf’s Changing Face Here we are again, just weeks away from the Masters—Augusta’s annual pageant of golf history and hope. But this year, one of the most familiar figures in the game won’t be walking the fairways. Tiger Woods, once the face of golf’s modern renaissance, will not be playing. And while nothing has been officially announced, the growing reality is that we may never see Tiger seriously compete on the PGA Tour again. Just last year, during the second week of the FedEx Cup playoffs, this same question was quietly hovering in the air: would Tiger return to contention? Could he do what Jack Nicklaus did in ’86 and make magic at 46—or in Tiger’s case,…

A Second Look with Fresh Eyes You’ve probably seen the ads—Tom Selleck giving you that knowing look, talking about reverse mortgages. I’ve had more than one friend say, “If Magnum P.I. is pitching it (or should it be NYPD police commissioner) , maybe I should pay attention.” And honestly, they might be onto something. So imagine we’re at a backyard barbecue or maybe sipping something cold at the clubhouse, and someone brings it up: “What’s the deal with reverse mortgages anyway?” Here’s how I’d break it down—no charts, no jargon, just real talk. Let’s be honest—most of us flinch when we hear the term “reverse mortgage.” It’s one of those financial tools that’s been clouded by bad press, predatory practices from the past, and a…