Episode #668 November 20, 2021 “A towel, [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy says], is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.” — Douglas Adams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaEVAweUkGA Forest tubs It was a sunny summer day in the forest. Peppermint Creek was a rushing playful sparkle. It cut through trees, fern and boulders. The water was so clear that schools of river trout could be seen. Jays and warblers harmonized to the syncopating creek. Paula and I were dressed in shorts and sun shirts. We wore tennis shoes with no socks. The sun baked through the filter of...
Episode #667 November 13, 2021 A computer consultant can seldom answer the question “Why?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVub1QCUCGc Troubleshooting is an art which can uncover a problem, but may not reveal a cause. i have always used the troubleshooting method of split half analysis to determine WHAT the problem might be. Split half is the process of eliminating everything except the problem. “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” — Michelangelo Buonarroti A problem exists inside its environment. Removing the filters...
Episode #666 November 6, 2021 i love to say hello. i hate goodbyes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rblYSKz_VnI Goodbye is a wrenching away of the bonds i have. It is not fair to me or to the other person. It is a disconnect. i think the distress i have with goodbyes came from when i dabbled in Scientology. While reading the book “Dianetics” i learned that there were relationship requirements between Scientology, its members, everyone else and me. At the heart of this teaching was the communication gap. There were subtleties of tone in communication training. However, an unbreakable precept was that...
Episode #665 October 30, 2021 Last month i entered a war with two colonies of ants. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I5zE4N6g9Q The invading wave of insects coincided with a concrete patio that i had poured around my house. i believe that their habitat was so disrupted that they sought out my home as a new foraging field. Other factors were involved. The ongoing drought was making the ants’ source of water scarce. i had grown a bit lax when it came to thoroughly cleaning kitchen and bathroom surfaces. The sudden onslaught of two different colonies did coincide with the patio construction. In some...
Episode #664 October 23, 2021 i struggle daily with impatience, intolerance and anger. They are gut reactions. There is no room in my self image for such emotions, yet there they are. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHP5MKgK0o8 The antidote for impatience is understanding. The antithesis of intolerance is appreciation. The alternative to anger is kindness. The other day i was walking across a parking lot, head down to avoid the concrete parking stops, deep in thought. As i approached a fast food restaurant for lunch a man behind me yelled, “Why the hell did you walk behind my car?” As i turned toward...
Episode #663 October 16, 2021 This week's bLog is another skydiving story. This time it is a tale of teamwork from the point of view of one of the players. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP808MiJUcM World record Today we are attempting a world record of skydiving. Assembled are 246 skydivers, 6 free fall photographers and 12 aircraft. The goal is for all 246 jumpers to join up in a free fall formation. All the grips between skydivers must be held for 3 seconds forming a planned pattern. After one minute all participants must fly away from each other, open their parachutes and land....