“My grandmother has trouble with her phone too,” the sales representative said. “My advice is to call your cell number once a month to avoid letting it fall into sleep mode.” Who knew?  My cell phone goes catatonic if I don’t talk to it enough. Needless to say, my transitio

Knowledge is power said Elizabethan Francis Bacon. The father of empiricism, or modern science, put his faith in the observable rather than the spiritual. Studying nature was enough to glorify God, he said. Since then, mankind has amassed a store of information in subjects far ranging

To talk about fashion while the Russian invasion of Ukraine rages may seem insensitive, but I have a reason for doing so. As a prognosticator of the future, fashion beats astrology.  For example, one persistent theory in the stock market says that when dress hemlines go up, the econo

Everyone knows about the split between left-wing Democrats in Congress and moderates.  The left wants to redistribute wealth by raising taxes on the rich. Moderates who come from politically divided districts want to move more slowly.  Some, like Senator Joe Manchin, openly worry th

Technology has given us marvelous opportunities that outstrip the pace of evolution. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up, which means we may fail to see the consequences of a change until it smacks us in the face. Social media is one example. On the plus side, drugs that treat deadly dis

On Black Friday, I encountered a woman scurrying toward the entrance to my retirement center.  The raw wind blew past as I held the door open for her. As I did, I noticed the shopping bag she clutched in her hand was filled to the brim. “Did you get a bargain?” I asked, making li

Given the many life and death threats facing our species, an algorithm to help identify which challenges are imminent and which can wait five minutes sounds great. Unfortunately, technology is part of the problem. The more we rely on it, the more we are likely to find ourselves in a d

Who doesn’t like a good fairytale? Few. I suppose that’s why when Jeff Bezos sent me an email announcing my four novels could be translated into foreign languages for free, a smile crept across my face. Long years have taught me it’s best to keep my hands in my pocket whenev

I admit it.  Some mornings, I dedicate time to cursing my computer.  Overnight, some dark magic has rendered my passwords useless or an old blog has risen from the grave to republish itself on Facebook.  On those days, I call my guru.  Usually, he’s good at sorting out the probl

Beware the effects of “greater efficiency.”  It can lead to chaos.  Housekeeping, at my retirement center, recently sent residents a memo about upcoming changes in the maid service schedule.  Curious residents dialed the extension number provided, hoping for more information.