Episode 591 June 30, 2020 "Was I deceived? or did a sable cloud Turn forth her silver lining on the night?"… “I did not err; there does a sable cloud Turn forth her silver lining on the night, And casts a gleam over this tufted grove.” John Milton, 1634 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl89GNC2gDw There is no doubt the the Corona Virus pandemic is a very black cloud. It has brought sickness, economic woe and death upon the world. But does the pandemic cloud have a silver lining? The most obvious silver lining is that the pandemic will pass. A vaccine will be created...
Episode 590 May 23, 2020 i wear my shop apron for the mistakes i might make. The apron has paint splashes, grease from engine repairs and stains from various solvents. It is a comfortable full sized apron that shields me, holds my tools and is easy to work in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W77Kwh6f0TE The apron’s job is to protect my clothing from the projects around the ranch. Sometimes i mistakenly put on my “going into town” pants on the morning of a paint job. When i am carrying a terra cotta pot for Paula the dirt and cactus needles do not ruin my...
Episode 589 May 16, 2020 When using a computer program READ EVERYTHING. Read the menus. Read the tool bar. Read the tool pallets. Read the Help file. Read the content. Read and re-read what you write. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5tr_L31StI READ YOUR BROWSER: The need to read is especially true when using a browser. When you open a browser (any browser) give the first page you see a hard look. Read everything on the page. CONFIGURE YOUR BROWSER: Let’s use Safari as an example. Safari will open to some page on the Internet or, perhaps, the Favorites page. The first page that Safari...
Episode 588 May 9, 2020 i have turned to YouTube for much of my music listening. A search for my favorite song, artist, group or genre delivers a list of hundreds of in-kind videos. Once one of the videos is played the others automatically play in order. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNNPNweSbp8 Some YouTube videos have advertisements, but most allow me to skip the ads after 5 seconds or so. For the convenience of skipping, when i am listening in my shop i stream from my iPhone and keep the phone in a convenient place, like my nail apron. When i am at my...
Episode 587 May 2, 2020 i exercise with my wife every day. Some repetitions are held for 30 seconds. Some reps are done 10 times per set. Some sets are repeated 3 times. All this counting is distracting to me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP9ZIwVrxhk Luckily, Paula counts everything. She counts to herself, then calls out the next move. This frees me to focus on each exercise or stretch. i can visualize the muscles and ligaments moving, feel the burn as i push the stretch and listen to the pops from the joints. This allows for an intimate connection with my body. During a counted...
Episode 586 April 25, 2020 Text began as cave drawings. Paintings on stone told stories of hunt and harvest, love and war. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCV6paTXyCU To explain the pictures people made sounds and gestures. To record the explanations they crafted letters representing the sounds. Gestures were called “here,” “there,” and “over there.” Images were called “hunter,” “trees” and “deer.” Things were named “stick,” “basket,” “fire,” etc. Actions had names like “hold,” “touch,” “throw,” “walk” and “run.” To find game to hunt, sentences such as “over there forest deer” were formed. To hunt the deer “stick” became “spear” and “throw” became “kill.” These...