In my first post (“Is This Thing On?”), I noted that I have a Life List. A colleague suggested that I create one, back in 1998. Later, a movie was released called The Bucket List, so people now call them Bucket Lists. My colleague promised me that if I took the time to create a […]
Unintended Consequences
After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, cockpit doors were strengthened and locked. The intention was to keep the bad guys out of the cockpit. Last week, a GermanWings pilot intentionally crashed his plane into a mountainside in France. Who knew that one of the bad guys was going to be flying the plane? Unintended consequences. […]
Missing
On my drive into work, there is a sign attached to a telephone pole that says “Missing Parrot”. The sign has a photo of the parrot. The sign is laminated, and has been stapled to this telephone pole for years. Sometimes I see the sign, and I wonder where the parrot went. —– On March […]
Random Thoughts Part XXVII
Bill Lyon of the Philadelphia Inquirer used to write columns with the theme “Random Thoughts and Second Thoughts”. With apologies to Bill Lyon, this essay is like that- a collage of miscellaneous thoughts. —– Was Vincent van Gogh a successful painter? Of course. He painted over 900 paintings, and drew 1100 sketches and drawings. One […]
Privacy
I remember reading George Orwell’s “1984” (around 1975 or so), and I thought “this guy is paranoid-no way this will ever happen”. I was wrong. While there is no Big Brother, there is a Big Data. And Big Data can record my location, my spending habits, my work habits, my driving habits, and my cholesterol. […]
The Law of Averages
The Law of Averages is a principle that states that a large randomly selected subgroup is likely to reflect the population as a whole. For example, if 10% of the entire population is left-handed, then it is likely that 10% of a randomly selected large group will also be left-handed. But that law doesn’t work […]
Bifocals
Bill Lyons used to write sports columns for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Once in a while, he would digress, and write columns that he called “Random Thoughts and Second Thoughts”. They were columns about random things and events. I loved those columns. I loved that he wasn’t bound by the traditional format of a 1500 word […]
Gravity
Websters defines status as “the relative position or standing” of something or someone. We pay a lot of attention to status in our society. If you’ve ever flown on an airplane, you’ve had to wait while people with “higher status” board the plane. The same thing applies almost everywhere we travel. Hotels have separate check-in […]
Funerals
I go to funerals. I think it shows respect for the deceased, and for their family and friends. So if I know someone who dies, I try to go to their funeral, whenever I can. I try to find some meaning in the act of attending funerals. Years ago, I read a quote (I think […]
When I Was Your Age
When I Was Your Age My grandmother Nettie was born in 1906. She used to look at the sky sometimes, and was amazed at the number of airplanes flying overhead. When she was born, cars and planes were not commonplace. The Wright brothers first flight was in 1903, and Henry Ford’s Model T didn’t start […]
