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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Oahu

October 1, 2024 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode # 818 October 5, 2024 Memory is brief. It compiles events into concepts which are remembered in a moment. Paula's and my trip to Hawai'i was such a moment. One that lasted 20 days.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QX4VxJzgEs   O’AHU Dear friends drove us to San Diego for a five hour flight to Honolulu, O’ahu. After renting a car we had a delicious Thai meal, for which strangers secretly paid, lokomaikaʻi. Our friends, Tom and Heidi, opened there house to us in Wahiawa, also lokomaikaʻi. Paula and I are up jumpers (at altitude, ready to jump, experienced, not students). For years,...
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Hitch in My Giddy-up

August 25, 2024 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Episode #817 September 28, 2024 Have you ever had a hitch in your giddy-up? I have them all the time.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgARYezlfjw The other day my wife’s sisters were organizing a surprise trip for her birthday. They kept calling and asking mysterious questions about her calendar obligations. I said, “Is there a hitch in their giddy-up?” Paula said, “What?” “Is there some snag in their planning?” “I’m not sure, but WHAT did you ask me?” She had never heard the phrase. “If something is not quite right with a process there is a “hitch in its giddy-up.” The phrase...
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Sofa

August 25, 2024 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode #816 September 21, 2024 My sofa was uncomfortable for one of my favorite activities: falling asleep watching TV.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFCxiKXtKTI My wife and I were browsing through the general merchandise displays in the center of the Costco warehouse. There it was… a three seat leather sofa. It featured electric adjustable headrests and an electric zero wall clearance reclining mechanism. The sofa caressed our bodies with full support and adjustability. Watching TV in a comfortable reclined position was guaranteed. Love that Costco satisfaction guarantee. The price was half what we paid for the old sofa at Ashley. There was no...
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Lock the Door

August 25, 2024 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode #815 September 14, 2024 For 11 years I have resisted enabling Apple 2 Factor Authentication (2FA).     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuIXiy_eqzw Apple 2 Factor Authentication requires always having to be in possession of an internet connected trusted device just to access your Apple ID and iCloud account. This is an unreasonable and inconvenient requirement. It is not easy to avoid switching to 2FA. When you do a Operating System update the default for security is 2FA. You must uncheck the 2FA selection and click through options to opt out. Periodically, Apple will send a notification suggesting that you switch to 2FA....
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Reflection

August 25, 2024 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode #814 September 7, 2024 As I reflect on the things in my life I realize that everything is a mirror image of itself.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNprQYHenNI   Don’t you love the gossamery image when the forest’s line of reflection is the shore of the pond? A cue ball rebounds perfectly from an elastic cushion, no english, no spin. Every incidence is equal to its consequence. Reflection on history can, but often does not, guide one to an improved future. “Your best teacher is your last mistake.” — Ralph Nader Mistakes are an opportunity to reflect on what went wrong...
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Never Trust a Computer

August 25, 2024 Uncategorized 3 Comments
Episode #813 August 31, 2024 My best advice as a technical consultant has been: “Never trust a computer.”   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVF3q5Y68-0 I wondered what a computer would say about its own trustworthiness, so I asked ChatGPT to write a poem about trusting a computer.   Should a Human Trust a Computer? A computer's mind is made of code, In ones and zeros, tales unfold. Its heart is cold, devoid of beat, In logic’s grip, it finds retreat. No warmth of touch, no friendly eye, Its trust is but a lie. The screen, a mirror to its soul, Shows not the heart,...
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