When I complained my cell phone didn’t come with a user’s manual, the woman seated beside me at the retirement center suggested I upgrade to a smartphone. “I’m not smart enough for a smartphone,” I wailed. I got no sympathy. “If you don’t get on the caboose, you can’t

My hairdresser had moved away, a small tragedy compared to what’s going on in the world. Even so, most women know what it’s like to lose a beautician who understands their hair. Recently, I found a new salon and a new hairdresser. She gave me a great cut and shaved $5.00 off my us

Everyone knows about the split between left-wing Democrats in Congress and moderates.  The left wants to redistribute wealth by raising taxes on the rich. Moderates who come from politically divided districts want to move more slowly.  Some, like Senator Joe Manchin, openly worry th

Even In the worst of times, politics can be funny.  Joe Manchin, Democratic senator from West Virginia, filled me with mirth when he said he would oppose President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” budget. He didn’t want to foster an “entitlement” culture, he

While 2020 may have been a rough year for politics, science has made startling breakthroughs beyond a Covid-19 vaccine.  Take fertilizer, for example. A product necessary to produce crops, it may contain toxic chemicals that endanger the planet. Now researchers at the Rich Earth Inst

Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX has a new dream.  Beyond technology for the earth and the stars, he wants to redesign humankind.  If we don’t use our know-how to enhance ourselves, he believes artificial intelligence will conquer humanity. (“Hacking mortality,” The Week

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

Elon Musk, creator of Pay Pal, the electric car, Tesla, and SpaceX, a commercial enterprise for space exploration, has come up with a unique description for the creative mind. In his view such a mind isn’t satisfied with fitting old parts together in new way. A creative mind throws