Forgettable Things
After spending decades in the HDD industry, I came to believe that even the slightest loss of stored data was so catastrophic as to justify a hurried team meeting and a frantic search – using the latest high-tech tools – for the root cause. I never hesitated to buy extra storage for my own personal data […]
Gone with the Tide
My family and I once spent two weeks in Spain, where we explored some of the charming small towns along the Costa del Sol. One of the must-see destinations was the Museo Picasso in the Andalucian city of Malaga. Although I confess that I still don’t “get” Picasso, there was an unmistakable aura of historical […]
Communicating
I know you think you understand what you thought I said, but what you heard is not what I meant. This phrase, sometimes attributed to former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, nicely captures the problem we often have in communicating. Getting our ideas across to another goes far beyond just articulating them clearly – it involves […]
Indecision
It makes us uncomfortable when someone in authority changes their mind. We expect our leaders to be both knowledgeable and decisive. If your boss oscillates on key decisions, it’s difficult to work efficiently, unless of course you can somehow predict and plan for the next change (e.g., 2025 international trade policies). But decisions, both conscious and […]
My Best Friend
You’ve probably never heard of Justin Tayler. If you have, you may be part of his inner circle of friends. Social media platform Facebook has a 5,000 friend limit, and Justin is renowned for having reached it. Why the limit? Facebook claims it’s “…to ensure manageable connections and interactions.” I’m guessing Justin must spend a lot […]
Awe
Our granddaughter accompanied my wife on a commercial flight to Las Vegas to attend the 90th birthday celebration of my wife’s mother. When I received a text that they had arrived safely, it included a picture showing our 4-year old GK sitting on the edge of the pilots seat, holding the control yoke with one […]
Time Is Not On Your Side
Jazz trombonist Kai Winding first recorded the song “Time Is On My Side” with his orchestra in 1963. Jimmy Norman added some lyrics to Jerry Ragovoy’s original, and it was later covered by soul singer Irma Thomas. Irma’s version caught the attention of a British rock band that often shopped for imported music in the […]
Sensors and Effectors
The human body is a marvelous piece of work – an intricate network of 206 bones, 900 ligaments, 4000 tendons, 100 organs, and more than 600 muscles (about 40% of the body’s total mass) It is serviced by a vast plumbing arrangement of veins, arteries and capillaries totaling around 60,000 miles. Input from 5 familiar […]
Buttons
My wife and I bought our Tesla in 2018, long before Elon Musk was rebranded as a chainsaw swinging “budget consultant”. One of the things that stood out was the simple elegance of the interior. Whenever friends rode in our car, their first question was always the same – “Where are all the controls?” Another […]
Eureka Moments
The belief that great ideas arise from unexpected brain farts is widely embraced, yet rarely true. The legend about Isaac Newton and the apple is probably to blame. Surely you’ve heard it. Isaac is sitting under an apple tree, pondering the true meaning and purpose of life, when without warning a piece of falling fruit […]
