the iMentor

Hints & rants

This weB-LOG is about the musing of a technical consultant. It is the iMentor's thoughts on technology and the human condition.

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Category: Uncategorized

Analysis

March 17, 2026 Uncategorized 3 Comments
Episode #894 March 21, 2026 This year, my home insurance company required me to install a Moen smart water valve.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKnnh8VDULs&list=RDIKnnh8VDULs&start_radio=1 As I stumbled upstairs after falling asleep on the couch, I habitually plugged my phone into the bedroom charger. On the screen, a warning from the Moen smart water valve app appeared. “Low water pressure. Check your water system,” the app said. I checked the sink water. No water pressure. The smart valve is just outside the house. This warning indicated low pressure upstream of the house. I was relieved that the valve was not sensing a leak...
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End Game

March 12, 2026 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode #893 March 14, 2026 End Game By Ricki T Thues - 2026     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zeVpU-4glg&list=RD4zeVpU-4glg&start_radio=1 The motel was lost on a frontage road. Some of the neon sign was flickering out, so it read “notel motel notel motel.” Edgar was running late as he drove into the parking lot. The brakes squealed with regret as the car pulled into a space. The engine coughed to a stuttering stop, the car door squealed open, and Edgar stepped out. A bell jingled as Edgar opened the office door. The manager did not look up. The room was stuffy in spite of...
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Entanglement

March 8, 2026 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode #892 March 7, 2026 I used to think of freedom as independence — as something I could reach if I wanted it badly enough or worked hard enough. It sounded clean. Almost heroic.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN0f6VYesmk&list=RDiN0f6VYesmk&start_radio=1   But long before I made my first real choice, inheritance had already influenced me. I didn’t arrive at myself empty-handed. I was entangled within family dynamics, language, class, culture, and the era in which I was born. These didn’t limit my options; they molded them. I was defined, like an actor on a stage, complete with costumes, sets, and an audience. I stepped...
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Reader Mode

February 24, 2026 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode #891 February 28, 2025 Tired of ads on web pages? Want to just read the article? Try Reader Mode.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k03IQbaTcxc&list=RDk03IQbaTcxc&start_radio=1 All the popular web browsers have a reader mode. This converts ad-ridden pages to clean, readable text. Some browsers keep embedded photos and graphics. Others just strip the page down to the text. On the Mac, there are Safari, Firefox, Chrome, and Edge internet browsers. On Windows, there is no longer a Safari browser available. All of these browsers have a Reader mode. I use Safari on the Mac for all my browsing. Safari Reader is especially useful...
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Dissociation

February 19, 2026 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode #890 February 21, 2026 Evan is twenty-four, Gen Z. That’s what his driver’s license says. Some days he has to check.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JhSAqkIeTE&list=RD0JhSAqkIeTE&start_radio=1  Mornings begin the same way: phone alarm, thumb swipe to turn it off, stare at the ceiling. The ceiling feels like a loading video screen—familiar but not informative. Evan waits for the room to assemble itself. Fan humming. Light through blinds. A car door slamming somewhere outside. By the time he’s brushing his teeth, he’s already slipped into what he calls glass mode. Everything is visible. Nothing quite touches him. His reflection moves when he moves,...
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Virtue

February 12, 2026 Uncategorized 3 Comments
Episode #889 February 14, 2026 I’ve come to see morality as the set of rules and expectations we’re taught to follow —laws, social norms, workplace policies, family values.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evnLPNyEM8c&list=RDevnLPNyEM8c&start_radio=1 Virtue, though, feels different. It’s more about what’s going on inside me: whether I show patience when I’m tired, honesty when it would be easier to dodge the truth, or courage when I’m unsure of the outcome. When I lean on those inner qualities, the rules stop feeling like boxes to check. For example, I can follow a workplace policy to the letter, but virtue shows up when I treat...
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