I admit I don’t understand much about software or how it connects us to the internet though I use my computer daily. That’s why I paused in my day to read an article by Neil Gershenfeld and J P Fasseau in which the authors predict that one day the virtual and the real world will m

The other day, as I entered the dental clinic, I met an acquaintance I hadn’t seen for 15 years. She looked wonderful and as I stared into her deep brown eyes, I remembered she’d once been a bathing suit model. With almost no imagination, one might suppose she still was.  We chat

My email has been flooded with petitions asking me to oppose changes to the way the federal government calculates cost of living adjustments for seniors on Social Security. Frankly I’m torn. I don’t want to lose money, but I don’t want my country to go bankrupt either.  Fortuna

I was comparing notes about a book with a friend the other day and learned I’d missed a key element of the plot. I admit, I didn’t like the story and had scanned parts of it, which may account for my oversight. Then again, maybe not. New research about our plastic brains suggests

I got a letter in the mail the other day from my cell phone company. I haven’t been under contract for years and my being a free agent makes them nervous. The promotion was for a deep discount on a smart phone. I’m don’t know why smart phones are called phones at all. Mostly peo

Whether it’s a box of cereal or George Clooney, branding is critical to break into the public eye. (See Blogs 1/21/13, & 8/2/13) But unless you’re a steer how do you manage it, especially if you’re a blogger working at home? I thought I’d find the answer in an article enti

While I was in public life, I wrote a pamphlet entitled, “Who’s Watching the Watchers.” The subject was media accountability. Hoping the industry would police itself struck me as naïve as thinking North Korea might give up its nuclear weapons. My proposal was to create a citize

I read recently that Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan, had signed into law the right of a man to beat his wife. (Yahoonews.com) He did it, he explained, because the order was in accordance with Sharia law. Apart for the immorality of using religion as a pretext to abuse women an

Silicon Valley is leading with its chin again. Besides sexism (See Blog 7/25/12) and anti-union labor practices (See Blog 2/12/12), ageism is another charge to be added to the list of complaints.  Noam Scheiber’s article, “Over the Hill in Silicon Valley,” exposes the frat hous

A revered Buddhist monk long ago was asked what he would most regret about dying. After some thought, he answered he would miss watching clouds drift across the sky. His reply struck me as profound, nothing I might have said, though I have an answer if I am ever asked the question. I