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It’s the plucky ones that surprise you most

Like clickbait, but the stories are genuine

Like clickbait, but the stories are genuine

2023-03-10

One of my favorite hidden gems is the “Experience” column in The Guardian. Sometimes one will pop onto the main page and it’ll almost seem like clickbait, but there are genuine stories. There is a vast archive going back many years. I’ve rarely learned so much, laughed so hard, or been as deeply moved.…

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“There’s no good music anymore”

“There’s no good music anymore”

2023-01-05

After hearing too many people say that the heyday of good music is over, I had the obvious response: I created a playlist:

  • 219 songs from 219 artists, all released in the last 10 years
  • Note that this does include older artists that have made new songs
  • Spotify says 237 genres are represented, but there really is not THAT much variety

So, if you feel like there’s no good music anymore, I hope you find something new to like.…

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2022 in words, pictures, and movies

2022 in words, pictures, and movies

2023-01-04

Time for my annual recap, presented in 4K (where available). As I’m retired and living in a house with 15 birds, there’s excessive bird-centric content. If you have kids, it’s similar, except my kids have much more beautiful plumage. Some of these might be repeats for those that follow me (or Hazel the cockatiel) on Instagram.…

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Hyatt Orlando, after the zombie apocalypse

Hyatt Orlando, after the zombie apocalypse

2022-11-10

In 1984, our family went to Orlando, Florida, for a family vacation. We went to Disney World, where EPCOT Center had opened just two years prior. I fondly remember the (now defunct) Wet ‘n Wild water park. But since we were a weird family, we also attended the four-day American Federation of Aviculture (birds!)…

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Strategies for shifting away from Amazon

Strategies for shifting away from Amazon

2022-10-20

There’s no shortage of reasons to consider shifting your spending away from Amazon. Wikipedia has a 17,000-word article with 423 citations on the subject! I think the downsides of Amazon are well known, but many people find switching to alternatives difficult. Even a modest shift is better than nothing!

Rather than adding to the debate about the merits of Amazon, here are some practical ways I’ve shifted some my spending away, should you decide that’s something you want to do.…

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Crows are innocent until proven guilty!

Crows are innocent until proven guilty!

2022-09-26

I love crows. According to The Genius of Birds, crows rival primates with their intelligence. They can make tools, solve puzzles, and recognize human faces—even passing this knowledge to new generations. Seriously.

But crows aren’t exactly beloved by all. Among other things, they are blamed for driving down songbird populations.…

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You’re an obstructionist! No, you are!

You’re an obstructionist! No, you are!

2022-09-19

The majority party in the US Congress always accuses the minority party of gridlock and obstruction. Bills fail to pass if the majority party can’t get everyone to vote with them and the minority party votes unanimously against something.

YOU HAVE TO PICK A SIDE!

I looked at the votes for some of the historically significant bills in the past 60 years.…

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The fluoride wars rage on

The fluoride wars rage on

2022-08-26

Nature is one of the world’s most prestigious and widely-read scientific journals. It can be difficult to slog through research papers, so they also publish an interesting supplement called Nature Outlook. The articles are more in-depth, written in plain English, and are free to everyone. They do a great job of summarizing complicated and contentious issues.…

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How I survived without an allowance

How I survived without an allowance

2022-08-22

Among my friends growing up, I was the only one who didn’t get an allowance. My friends would get some spending money weekly, sometimes in exchange for doing chores. I had to do tasks for free! Child abuse, right?

My parents weren’t too poor to give me an allowance; this was all part of their sinister plan.…

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The audacity to drive slowly

The audacity to drive slowly

2022-08-16

No matter where someone lives in the world, chances are they’ll eagerly tell you how their drivers are undoubtedly the worst in the world. And the same horrific acts are vilified: failing to merge correctly, not signalling, cutting in front of other drivers, and rolling through stop signs. And “driving like maniacs” is always a good one.…

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  • Like clickbait, but the stories are genuine
  • “There’s no good music anymore”
  • 2022 in words, pictures, and movies
  • Hyatt Orlando, after the zombie apocalypse
  • Strategies for shifting away from Amazon

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About Me


I’ve been a bird breeder, a bicycle mechanic, bookseller, and a Software Engineer at Apple for 20 years.

Friends tell me I have interesting things to say.

You be the judge.

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