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,…
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…
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…
Support Systems, Ethics, & the Road to Real Help Let’s say your robot vacuum bumps into a chair, backs up, spins, and navigates around it. Smooth, right? Maybe. But who taught it how to handle that chair? And what if the chair has a new leg design tomorrow? Will it still figure it out—or will…
But Can They Make You a Sandwich? The Real Limits of Domestic Robots Today Let’s start with a confession: we’ve all been impressed by videos of robots backflipping, breakdancing, or hauling crates like over-caffeinated warehouse workers. The humanoid revolution, it seems, is not just coming — it’s here! Or is it? Despite the PR sizzle…
What We Thought vs What We Got Part 1 The Robot in Your Imagination vs. the One in Your Kitchen Say the word “robot” and depending on your age you may get various images that come to mind. For us older folks it could be something that walks, talks, waves its arms, and maybe even…
Memorial Day is this weekend which the de facto start of Summer and is also the start of grilling season. I have borrowed a couple of delicious burger recipes and since my daughter only eats chicken, there is a chicken burger to start. Also, there are a couple of salad suggestions in case you do…
Here is an interesting article discussing the changes in media and how we get our news, information and opinion. The old model which many of us grew up with is mostly gone. Figures such as Cronkite and Rather no longer provide us with mediated news and views. Now almost anyone can publish news and opinions…
We have heard for years that curiosity killed the cat, but this article shows that we should actually become more curious as we go along and maybe as we get older we should become even more curious. A synopsis is below and the original article can be found here. “How curiosity rewires your brain for…
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…
(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…
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….
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…
I thought this was an interesting article by Packy McCormick at Not Boring. So I am submitting it for your review. I copied it and removed all the ads and promotions. If you need the original site, let me know and I will forward the link. I, against my brothers. I and my brothers against my…
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…
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…
I am falling behind with my writing. Last week the weather was too good to stay inside all day and my garden needed a lot of attention toward getting it started. Besides I am retired as should get to do what I want when I want to. So article posting took a back seat last…
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…
“Write It Off” Comfort Meal Because if the IRS gets your money, you should at least get a great meal. Tax Day has a way of bringing out a very particular mood—somewhere between mild despair and triumphant survival. Whether you’re writing a check to Uncle Sam or nervously watching your refund creep through the IRS…
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…
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…
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…
Way back in college I found that some topics were beyond my comprehension. One of those topics was semiconductor electronics. (There is a story there for another time) This was complemented a couple of years later with advanced physics regarding quantum topics. Over the years, I have continued to casually follow up on what was…
April 13th is Peach Cobbler Day! The birds are chirping, and the snow is all but done failing, except in the mountains. The days are finally getting longer, and sunshine should be a mandatory ingredient in every upcoming recipe. Too much of anything always seems to end up being a bad thing in one aspect…
A Promising Start When I first picked up a pickleball paddle, I was looking for something simple: light exercise, a few laughs, and maybe a chance to meet some like-minded folks. The game seemed perfect—easy to learn, low-impact, and everywhere you turned, someone was singing its praises. My wife and I started at about the…
The Masters Edition Introduction: The Augusta Mystique… or Myth? Every April, millions of us plop down in front of our screens, mesmerized by Augusta National’s emerald fairways, blooming azaleas, and the soothing hum of Jim Nantz telling us it’s “a tradition unlike any other.” But let’s be honest—beneath all that beauty lies a hard truth…
One of the benefits of having been around so long and having a couple of business adventures in the past is that I run across material I forgot was there. Every once in a while, I do l review some of the material that is archived in my history files. This is the case today…
Are we finally going to catch up to The Jetsons from 50 or 60 years ago? “Rosie the Robot,” which first aired on September 23, 1962, featured a robot maid who did housework and served as a personal assistant. Fast forward 61 years, and we are inching closer to this futuristic vision with emerging products from Figure…
When Sci-Fi Satire Meets Real-Life Asteroids So, here we are. Again. Humanity faces an existential threat from space, and—just like in the 2021 satirical film Don’t Look Up—we’re probably going to spend more time arguing about it on social media than actually doing something useful. NASA is currently tracking asteroid 2024 YR4, which has a…
Here is another article from Big Think. Most of what Ehan Siegal writes is consistent with my own views. A short synopsis is below but here are some headlines. In order to be successful as a society, we have to commit to working together, collectively, for the common good of all of us, including investing…
