Today was a surprisingly emotion tugging day for me… I received a notification of subscription renewal for Wired Magazine for just shy of $30 for the year (a monthly issue – hard-copy via “snail-mail”). This is more than normal (at least in the past) and I just don’t believe I can justify the continued subscription now I’m into my sixth year of retirement. So, I’ve canceled my subscription… | |
I started reading Wired back in 2000, when I got hired as a web-development manager in San Francisco (just before the “dot-bomb”) at a “dot-com”. The company I was working at had a whole bookshelf of every back issue of Wired from inception to present (2000). I started at issue #1 and read them all – cover to cover – during the time I was separated from my family. After I got current, I purchased my own subscription and have maintained it all of these 20+ years – until today. So, I am probably one of just a few people who can say they’ve read EVERY issue of almost 30 years of Wired. Interestingly, (to me anyway), I was the only person at the company who EVER read the magazine. I asked! I also asked why we kept the annual subscription if no one read the magazine, and was told: “We have a handful of subscriptions and we just renew them all each year.” | |
Now, in full disclosure, I have to qualify that I’m “currently” a few months behind in my reading, due to “life issues”, so you will probably see multiple quotes from 2022 issues in the future as I wrap up the outstanding reading. My future son-in-law is also a hard-copy subscriber, and he’s promised to hold on to and pass along his copies. Other than that, there’s always the public library… | |
Having cancelled my subscription to Time Magazine last year (June 2022 – after a near 50 year relationship), it feels strange to cut another string from my past primary written information sources. | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | You Ought To Be Having Fun |
2021 | Democrats Talking To Republicans |
Talkin’ To Myself And Feelin’ Old | |
2020 | You Are Not Late (Yet) |
2019 | Too Difficult To Try |
2018 | Hold Fast |
2017 | The Only Real Security |
2016 | Time Said |
2015 | If Only Common Sense Were More Common |
2014 | PTI |
2013 | What Now, Then? |
2012 | Big C, Little B |
Duty, Honor, Country | |
Archive for the ‘General Comments’ Category
Un-Wired
Posted in General Comments, Reading, tagged General Comments, Reading, Time Magazine, Wired Magazine on January 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Happy New Year — 2023!
Posted in General Comments, tagged General Comments, Happy New Year - 2023 on January 1, 2023| 6 Comments »
If you’re reading this, it means you’ve survived 2022 and last night’s New Year’s Eve party… Congratulations! | |
A new year full of opportunities awaits us. Let’s all make healthy choices as we try to survive politics, climate change(s) and a dicey economy. | |
Happy 2023, everyone!! — kmab | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | Happy New Year — 2022! |
New Year Changes To My Blog | |
2021 | Happy New Year — 2021! |
Facing The New Year | |
2020 | Happy New Year — 2020! |
2019 | Happy New Year — 2019! |
2018 | Happy New Year — 2018! |
2017 | Happy New Year — 2017! |
2016 | Happy New Year — 2016! |
Remembering My Brother | |
2015 | Happy New Year — 2015! |
2014 | Happy New Year – 2014! |
2013 | Another New Year’s Thought (In Case It Rains) |
Happy New Year – 2013! | |
2012 | Best Wishes For 2012! |
Where Did You Spend New Year’s Eve? | |
2011 | Happy New Year (2011)!! |
Salaam Alaikum, Pakistan
Posted in Environment, Faith, General Comments, tagged Environment, Faith, Floods, Mississippi, Pakistan, Salaam, Thoughts And Prayers, Weather on August 30, 2022| 1 Comment »
As we in the United States are currently experiencing terrible flooding in our South – South / East and extreme deadly heat in our South – South / West, let us take a moment to think about our fellow humanity suffering equally devastating weather related catastrophes in other parts of the world. | |
Tonight, as I am thinking of / praying for my fellow Americans in Mississippi, I am doing the same for Pakistan where there are estimates of over 1,100 people having lost their lives and over 20 million are homeless due to rain and flooding. | |
May God / Allah assist you in your time of need… | |
Salaam Alaikum for and from the people of America. | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Why Republicans Are Unhappy |
I Guess It’s True | |
2020 | A Tiny And Fragile World |
Your Lyin’ Eyes | |
2019 | Day 1: Done |
#IncompetentDonald Fails On All Three | |
2018 | I Put It Down To Bad Teachers |
Day 34: In And Out | |
2017 | And The Future Is Now |
2016 | I Am |
2015 | Positively Aiming Higher |
2014 | Suspicious Minds |
2013 | We Are Not Alone |
2012 | Lawyer, n. |
2011 | Each Day Remember… |
2010 | Impossible Dreams of Camelot |
The Natural Order Has Been Restored!
Posted in General Comments, Pictures, tagged #TrumpTheLoser, "The Force", Ashes, Blog Views, General Comments, Images, Ozzies, Pictures on July 8, 2022| 2 Comments »
LoL!! Yesterday, I reported I was shocked to find that for the first time since starting my blog a country other than the U.S. had recorded the most views for a day… | |
Well, it turns out I pulled a “#TrumpTheLoser” and created Fake News before the final tally… | |
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The “next-day” / yesterday full view count is in and the “balance in the force in the universe” has been restored with the U.S. well over the view count of Australia. No “Ashes” for the Ozzies, after all. | |
In my defense, I can only say nobody told ME in advance there would be a end of day surge – AND it didn’t occur to me until today. (LoL!! And now I’ll go back to almost never looking at meaningless blog numbers.) | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | No Profit Without Risk |
And One For Me | |
2020 | He’s Forgotten About Drugs And Rock ‘N Roll |
2019 | I Still Walk Daily |
A Windy Monday | |
2018 | No Religious Test, Yes Religious Ban |
2017 | Looking At #DumbDonald |
2016 | No Great Thing |
2015 | Happy Memory |
Of Two Minds | |
2014 | Sums |
2013 | Memories & Binging |
Admiration Due | |
2012 | Choices Matter |
2011 | Acceptance Is The Key |
2010 | Just A Permanent Crease… |
Bodily Functions | |
Shocked!
Posted in General Comments, Pictures, tagged Australia, Canada, General Comments, Images, India, Pictures on July 7, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Shocked! Shocked, I say. For the first time (since starting this blog back in 2009) I’ve gotten more views from a single country which are greater than from the U.S. Somebody pinch me… 🙂 | |
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Over the years, Canada and India have come the closest (Canada most often), but they never quite got there. Thank you “Down Under”! | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | The Truth Shall Keep Us Free |
Let Your Hair Down | |
2020 | But What About Tomorrow’s Blog Post? |
2019 | Don’t Forget Obstruction Of Justice |
An Honest, Unvarnished Assessment | |
2018 | #45 And The Republicans Are Pretending (So Far) |
2017 | Made |
2016 | Halves |
Accepted Fraud | |
2015 | Even The Little Ones |
2014 | Who’s On First? |
2013 | No Equal Measure |
2012 | A Single Host |
2011 | No Exemptions |
2010 | Memories Of KSA – Inside The Fire |
The End Of Time
Posted in Family History, General Comments, Reading, tagged Big Bands, Family History, General Comments, Germany, Great Men Of Music, LIFE Magazine, Liverpool, Military Service, Newsweek Magazine, Reading, Time / Life Books, Time / Life Reading Program, Time Magazine, U.S. News and World Report Magazine on June 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »
WAY back when I was starting high school (just before the meteor killed most of the dinosaurs), I signed up for a social studies / current events class. As our homework, we were expected to become familiar with current events by reading at least one “national” publication (as opposed to a local newspaper with national news). My mom always tried to encourage our reading so she signed up for three (four actually): Time Magazine, Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report. The fourth was more for herself and the whole family: Life Magazine. | |
Thus began my (more or less) life-long subscription to Time Magazine… | |
We dropped the other two after the first year’s subscriptions ran out – but she kept me going on Time. There was a brief lapse while I was in the military and in training, but I picked it back up when I got stationed in Germany for my last two years. I was reading the “International / European” edition. I didn’t realize there was a “different” version until after I’d already subscribed. I just assumed everybody in the world got the same news – after all, our “national” version contained international and European news. But of course, this was a completely different focus / emphasis and I – being the ugly American – resented I wasn’t getting as much American news. | |
Anyway, I kept it up when I got out and went to college and, in fact increased my subscriptions to include the Time / Life book series on “understanding computers”, the book series on history and civilization, the book series “Reading Program” – (kind of a mini-“Great Books”) secondary works of famous authors, and two music series: “Great Men of Music” (classical composers) and “Big Bands”. I continued my weekly subscription when we moved to Liverpool and again upon returning to the Bay Area. | |
Now, however, my 50+ year relationship with Time has run its course. My subscription ended towards the end of last summer (2021). For whatever reason, they continued to send me issues until the end of January this year (2022), but I did not and will not be renewing my subscription. | |
There are three primary reasons for my non-renewal: 1) As of five years ago, I retired and funds are getting tighter. Now don’t get me wrong… I can still “afford” the subscription. I just choose to spend the limited discretionary funds on other things. 2) the magazine has gone from a weekly to a every-other-week magazine. They are under pressure to turn everything over to the internet and are apparently struggling to keep up staff, quality and quantity. The practical effect was the weekly was getting thinner and thinner. Their shift has “almost” restored the number of pages in any given issue, but it’s still only half as many pages of information. And, 3) the magazine has modified the typeface in their hard-copy. I’m fairly confident they explained / justified their reasons for doing this in one of their editor columns, but frankly, it (the magazine) is just less appealing to look at now. And so I’m moving on… | |
And just to make a long story (post) longer… Why now? If the subscription ended last year and the “bonus” issues back in January, why am I writing this (blog post) is the end of “Time“? | |
It’s purely personal. I get the issue in the mail. I take a quick glance to see if there’s anything I “NEED” to know about now. I read that. The issue then goes into my “throne” rack to be read cover to cover when I’m doing “something else”. So, now, at the end of six months, I’m all caught up and “moving” to other things… | |
I am continuing my subscription to “Wired” magazine and I will be occasionally be posting quotes from that source. I will miss the Red border and (regretfully) I’m sure my overall knowledge of current events will suffer / decline. | |
Back in the Principal’s Office of my high school, there was a framed question on the wall: “Time is passing… Are you?“ | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Best To Be Trained And Educated |
The Great Relief | |
2020 | Diversity And Uniqueness |
2019 | Ebb And Flow |
2018 | America: Paging #45 |
2017 | Near By |
2016 | Maybe Someday |
2015 | How’s The Cow? |
2014 | Mind Made Up |
2013 | On Purpose |
2012 | The Dream |
2011 | What Could Be More Comfortable? |
5 In 6
Posted in Disclaimer, General Comments, tagged Disclaimer, Games, General Comments, Highly Recommended Game, New York Times, Wordle on June 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »
About a month and a half ago I started playing a daily word / search / complete game: “Wordle“. It is a once a day game hosted on the New York Times news website. Basically, you have six chances to figure out the five letter word of the day. Incorrect letters appear as grey; correct letters in the wrong location as yellow; and, correct in the right location, as green. | |
As of today, I have only missed twice. I have found it EXTREMELY addictive and also a great vocabulary refresher. Highly recommended! | |
Here’s the link to the NYT site’s version: Wordle – The New York Times (nytimes.com) | |
[Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with the New York Times or the producers of the Wordle game. I am merely offering this link / game as a suggestion of something I’ve enjoyed playing. — kmab] | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | The Principal Difference |
Picture Perfect | |
2020 | So Sad, Faux Crowd |
The Spirit Is Willing | |
2019 | And The Same For Blogs And Posts |
2018 | The End Of Asgard (For Now) |
I Learn The Hard Way Every Time | |
2017 | For Some |
2016 | Fragile And Explosive, Provocation And Privacy |
2015 | Bound Up |
2014 | Economic Engines |
2013 | Weren’t You Supposed To Be Reading? |
Absent Friends | |
Where I Stand | |
2012 | Hangin’ With His P’s |
Help Save | |
2011 | Six Facets Of Good Leadership |
Memorial Day 2022
Posted in General Comments, History, Leadership, Pictures, tagged Arlington National Cemetery, General Comments, History, Leadership, Memorial Day -- 2022, National Holidays, Pictures, Sacrifice, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Thoughts And Prayers on May 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »
![]() Arlington National Cemetery |
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As we gather around our dinner and picnic tables enjoying the freedom you sacrificed your lives to provide for us, a grateful nation remembers and prays for you and your families… |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | How Trump Won The Fringe Right |
Hold My Hand | |
2020 | I’d Include Health Care |
2019 | Accustomed To It |
2018 | Booking My Trip Into The Expanding Universe |
2017 | Fear Instead Of Convictions |
2016 | Memorial Day – 2016 |
2015 | A Handful Of Reviews |
And You Can Quote Me | |
2014 | Get Wisdom |
2013 | Enjoying The View? |
2012 | Adam’s Rib |
2011 | I’m Sure I Remember That… |
Memorial Day, 2011 | |
In Bloom
Posted in General Comments, Pictures, tagged Front Garden, Front Path, Home, Photos, Pictures, Pictures of Home, Roses on May 3, 2022| 2 Comments »
I mentioned in a post a few weeks back that the roses on either side of our front path were budding and would be blooming soon. Well, here they are! | |
It’s early May and today’s temperature is forecast for mid-80s and getting warmer through the week. This is probably as good as they’ll get as the 90° – 100° is very hard on them. We’ll enjoy them as long as they last… | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Thrive |
Are You Still Here? | |
2020 | Perceived Wisdom |
Lessons Are Extra And Blondell | |
2019 | Live It |
2018 | Mostly Unconsciously For Most People |
Desperately Ginger Lass | |
2017 | Explaining My Equally Meager Results |
2016 | Every Tool And Every Chance |
2015 | Something That You Love |
2014 | Not Really At All |
2013 | Listening And Deserving |
2012 | I’m Still Not Certain |
2011 | True, False And Useful |
Spring Colors
Posted in Family and Friends, General Comments, Pictures, tagged Front Garden, Images of Home, Pictures, Poppies, Roses, Snapdragons, Spring on April 15, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Last year, we had our front yard converted from mostly grass to drought resistant rocks (and some plants). Here’s a pre-change image… | |
And here are some shots of Spring’s colors… | |
The flowers on the immediate sides of the path are miniature roses, which have a surprising amount of size variety considering they were all bought and planted at the same time… The ones above are about mid-shin / knee height. | |
This is the tallest and next to it (on the lower right) is the smallest. There are probably a dozen more buds getting ready to blossom. You can’t really tell from the photo, but there are a half-dozen bees doing their thing on this bush. | |
Here’s a better shot of the poppies… | |
A better view of the snapdragons… | |
My wife spends a great deal of energy on the gardens (front and back), but it’s worth it for the up-lifting feeling you get when you see everything in the bright morning sunlight and full Spring colors… | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | In Pursuit |
The Music Of Her Laughter | |
2020 | Close, Sustained And Careful |
2019 | #45: Spread The Fear |
Fear The Beards | |
2018 | Slice, Nick, Cut, Bled |
2017 | Like Most Blogs |
2016 | The Window Left Open |
Free Experience | |
2015 | Reality == Perception / (Times Reported * 10) |
2014 | Tear Da Roof Off Da Sucka |
2013 | Exposed Spirits |
2012 | Ow-ow |
2011 | Focused Relatives |
New Year Changes To My Blog
Posted in Blog Changes, General Comments, tagged Blog Changes, General Comments on January 1, 2022| 1 Comment »
For the last 10 years, I’ve been posting personal health / fitness updates on pages under my menu topic “Sweat Equity“. I was doing this to create an open site for me to refer to if I ever needed to, while not having access to my home computer. I have used the pages very rarely – no more than 2 or 3 times per year and I’m fully settled into retirement now so I don’t really have the need for this type of access. | |
As such, I will no longer be updating or adding to these pages. If anything of note happens, I will simply publish a “normal” post. Typically, it will be as an additional post for a given day. | |
I will be updating my “Tributaries and Eddies” section (on my sidebar). Two of the blogs there have (more or less) stopped updating, so I’ll be removing them. One has changed location, so I’m just updating the address. I used to do this updating (removing and adding) every six months, but I’ve kind of let it slide, so this will be a bit of New Year’s housekeeping. | |
Third, for now at least, I will no longer be posting music videos every day. I’ve been doing it for almost a two years and it started off as a “lark” – just to share music (lyrics) I’ve enjoyed. Once I got past a month, I thought, I’ll just do it for year (365 days straight). Then I thought, well, just do it for a full calendar year. Now, that’s done, too… I will post a music / song video every now and then, I just won’t be doing it every day. | |
Finally, I’m going to try to write more posts of my own. I started this blog to practice my writing and to vent at the universe. When I began to run out of bile I began using quotes and book / movie reviews more and more and using the post titles as my “creative” tool. My intent was to express a view / twist of the quote / review with a pun or hi-lite of a few words from the quote(s). This was my way of pretending to be a newspaper headline writer. I feel this was mostly unsuccessful, but I’ve enjoyed trying, so I will keep at it (on post titles anyway). | |
I hope everyone reading this has a prosperous year and that you keep on blogging! Excelsior!! | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | Happy New Year — 2022! |
New Year Changes To My Blog | |
2021 | Happy New Year — 2021! |
Facing The New Year | |
2020 | Happy New Year — 2020! |
2019 | Happy New Year — 2019! |
2018 | Happy New Year — 2018! |
2017 | Happy New Year — 2017! |
2016 | Happy New Year — 2016! |
Remembering My Brother | |
2015 | Happy New Year — 2015! |
2014 | Happy New Year – 2014! |
2013 | Another New Year’s Thought (In Case It Rains) |
Happy New Year – 2013! | |
2012 | Best Wishes For 2012! |
Where Did You Spend New Year’s Eve? | |
2011 | Happy New Year (2011)!! |
Happy New Year — 2022!
Posted in General Comments, tagged General Comments, Happy New Year - 2022 on January 1, 2022| 2 Comments »
If you’re reading this, it means you’ve survived 2021 and last night’s New Year’s Eve party… Congratulations! | |
A new year full of opportunities awaits us. Let’s all make healthy choices as we try to survive politics, climate change(s) and a dicey economy. | |
Happy 2022, everyone!! — kmab | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | Happy New Year — 2022! |
New Year Changes To My Blog | |
2021 | Happy New Year — 2021! |
Facing The New Year | |
2020 | Happy New Year — 2020! |
2019 | Happy New Year — 2019! |
2018 | Happy New Year — 2018! |
2017 | Happy New Year — 2017! |
2016 | Happy New Year — 2016! |
Remembering My Brother | |
2015 | Happy New Year — 2015! |
2014 | Happy New Year – 2014! |
2013 | Another New Year’s Thought (In Case It Rains) |
Happy New Year – 2013! | |
2012 | Best Wishes For 2012! |
Where Did You Spend New Year’s Eve? | |
2011 | Happy New Year (2011)!! |
Seeking Emergence
Posted in General Comments, Music, Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Achievement, Art, Elegance, Frederic Chopin, Notes, Philosophy, Quotes, Simplicity on November 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art. | |
— Frederic Chopin | |
[After barely 200 hours of practice, I can not claim to say I’ve played “a vast quantity of notes”. But, in seeking my own “voice”, I believe I am already seeking simplicity. I can (already) see why some become obsessed with playing an instrument and making the music in their head come out. It is very much like the first time you get a computer program to run successfully and then successively pare the program until it feels elegant (to you). — kmab] | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Seeking Emergence |
Walking Alone | |
2020 | 51 Days Until The Moron (#45) Is Out Of Office |
Tearing The Roof Off It | |
2019 | #Impeach45: Once A Buffoon, Now A Bad Joke |
2018 | Good Sense |
2017 | E Pluribus Unum |
2016 | Lacking |
2015 | Chip, Chip, Chip |
2014 | nom de plume |
2013 | The Real Reason |
From The Book | |
2012 | When Young |
2011 | 14 Ways To A Better Judgement |
It Was A Very Good Year
Posted in General Comments, Sports, tagged 2023 NFC Championship, A Good Season, American Football, Dallas Cowboys, General Comments, LA Rams, Las Vegas Raiders, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Sports on January 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »
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