The election-industrial complex is alive and well, as anyone can see by the amount of propaganda bombarding us through the media.  The assumption is that votes can be bought if a candidate can throw enough commercials at the public.  Commercials suck up money the way tornadoes suck

Artificial intelligence mirrors the many faces of being human.  Our creations can be vicious and cruel as in The Terminator or curious and compassionate as in Wall-E.  They can destroy our word as in The Matrix,  betray us as in Ex Machina or give us a glimpse of miraculous possibi

Editing books appears to be a job headed for specialization.  In the past, my novels were reviewed by one individual.  That person corrected for both content and technical errors.  Between the time I did extensive rewrites on my upcoming novel, Ballet Noir, and was ready for a fina

4chan is a web site where a number of beta men hang out, according to writer Angela Nagle. (‘The New Man of 4chan,” by Angela Nagle, The Baffler, No. 30, 2016, pg. 64-76.)  4chan is a image board website and a beta man is the opposite of an alpha man — someone seen as virgi

Memory for most of us is a window into our past and the glue that holds our personality together.  When my mother can’t remember what she ate for breakfast or if she’s been given her medication, I am filled with sadness.  But what I’m reflecting is my bias.  My mother is happ

A corporation’s imperative is to make a profit.  That imperative is baked into its DNA in the form a contractual agreement between the stockholder and the company.  A company that fails to strive for profits will, in all likelihood, be sued. As crass as making a profit may sound i

Death and dying is a process as fearful for the artist as it is for the rest of us and immortality just as meaningless. But their manner of leave-taking should tell us something about the genius that purports to lift mystery’s veil on existence, at least a little. Dylan Thomas raile

Self-driving cars will change the lives of older Americans, though they may not know it yet. Joseph Coughlin, director of MIT’s AgeLab says “Younger people tend to trust technology without verifying it, while older people want to understand what’s happening.” (“Will Seniors

Tumblr is a social network site used by 10% of people who prowl the internet, according to the Pew Research Center, (“The Secret Lives Of Tumblr Teens,” by Elspeth Reeve, New Republic, March 2016, pg. 51) My blog first appeared there in 2010.  The site was lively and I gained  f

Online shopping is increasingly popular and ordering from a website can beat driving to a mall.  Getting your package on your doorstep is easier than hauling it home from a store, particularly as many web retailers are offering free shipping.  So what’s not to like? Well, there ar