the iMentor

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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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Contradiction

December 28, 2023 Uncategorized 3 Comments
Episode #778 December 30, 2023 Arguments come in many shapes and forms. They can be as civilized as a formal debate and as primitive as a yelling match.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ67E2R77Uw During the holidays the mixing of relatives and friends comes inevitably with differences of opinion. It is OK to discuss these differences in a civilized way. Beware of stubborn recalcitrance that devolves into contradiction. One thing that arguments have in common is the exchange of ideas. Each side of an argument has a point of view. It is beholden to both sides to listen to the other’s belief. Yes, belief...
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Vincent

December 20, 2023 Uncategorized 3 Comments
Episode #777 December 23, 2023 “The Starry Night” is one of the most beloved paintings of all time.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxHnRfhDmrk “The Starry Night,” by Vincent Van Gogh, is alive with the movement of the Universe. The stars and planets move in the sky. The trees reach upward, longing to be a part of the sky. The church spire can only hope to reach the heavens. The village is a static linear thing, confining its residents to the earth. The moon, Venus and the stars are not astronomically correct in Van Gogh’s painting. He saw the night sky through the lens...
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Key to the Kingdom

December 13, 2023 Uncategorized 4 Comments
Episode #776 December 16, 2023   I was given a key to Disneyland. It no longer gets me in for free. It doesn’t even give me a discount on tickets. It does make me part of history.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcZUPDMXzJ8 In the fall of 1982 the owners of Walter and Cline architectural mill bought a race horse. They were known gamblers. Bill and John used to lead the craps game in the alley after hours. Their luck at craps convinced them that they could make a fortune gambling on their race horse. “The best way to make a small fortune on...
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Demise of the Dial

December 8, 2023 Uncategorized 3 Comments
Episode #775 December 9, 2023 I grew up with dials. Rotary phones, volume knobs, speedometers, analog clocks and wiz wheels were everywhere. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMinaeFzSNw   A wheel for a dial was a natural evolution of sun dials, fibonacci moon phases and yoga Surya Namaskar (sun salutations). A sundial is a kind of analog dial with the only moving part being the spinning of the earth. The earth spinning is the wheel engine of a sundial.   A fibonacci moon phase chart is a circle of the 28 moon phases. It includes paisley fibonacci shapes to calculate the rising, setting and the...
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Anagram

November 28, 2023 Uncategorized 5 Comments
Episode #774 December 2, 2023 I have a tradition, started by a friend on my 50th birthday.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-eWMYe-ss8 Carey sent me 50 postcards. They arrived in my mailbox, one or two a day finishing a couple days before my birthday. They were interesting art postcards which he collects from museum gift shops and antique stores. On each card was a single letter. Together the 50 cards spelled out a message. It was up to me to decode the anagram. Spaces between the words were not included.  As the cards arrived I tried making words of them. Most of the...
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Christmas trees

November 22, 2023 Uncategorized 5 Comments
Episode #773 November 25, 2023 Paula and I have had a living Christmas tree for the last 6 years. They are always fresh and fit nicely in our little house.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDnw7yrI1hY Each year we decorate our little tree with a few of our favorite ornaments. Some are mementos from our life. Others are gifts from friends. Many are made by Paula’s sister, her tradition. The small tree allows us to enjoy each decoration. It only requires one string of lights. The best part of having a living Christmas tree is enjoying it for years afterward. Six years ago, our...
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