One of our favorite hobbies is kayaking on the Deschutes River. To simplify the logistics of a kayaking outing we usually find a launch spot, park the car and paddle upriver for as long as we can or have time for and then we turn around and let the current carry us back to where […]
I am listening to an audio book by Thomas Friedman “Hot, flat and crowded”. The book talks about the need for energy efficiency and conservation. One example illuminating the implementation of projects along these lines takes the listener to Indonesia, which is home of the orangutans – a species that has been decimated significantly in
Chicken and egg game Read More »
Book reflectionsBilly is the name of a dog. A little Schnauzer that, by my judgement, was still a little puppy. We saw him and his owner, a young woman, on a walk along the Willamette River. The little dog was all over the place checking things out and running crisscross on the walking path and by
This weekend we had the opportunity to watch the annual closing ceremony of a Portland dance academy. Our friends’ daughter is part of that school along with way over one hundred children and also some adults that take classes there. Some of the older kids – high school juniors and high school seniors – perform
Most recently I completed the book “The Fabric of reality” by David Deutsch. It is a challenging read. The book explains and promotes a whole new world view – anchored on several very fundamental discoveries over more than a century. It was published in 1997 – so quite a while ago. Looking at the bibliography
The way companies deal with phone inquiries has become a differentiation claimed in advertising. The ads mostly distinguish automated answering systems versus real people taking the call. I do believe that this is an area of application where artificial intelligence will eventually gain traction in the future since the scope of the activities and their
Meeting many friendly people Read More »
ObservationsAttached to an article about the very recent protests at Columbia university was a short video depicting scenes of the demonstration including the police engaging the protesters after announcing the event was not legal. While there was not too much detail to be discerned from the tussle between the police and the protesters – the
Last night I got hung up on a game show on TV – it was called “The wall”. I had never seen it before and was curious as to its schema. In essence it is a trivia show with a contraption like a pin ball machine, except the user cannot influence the trajectory of the
Over the last week I listened to the audiobook “The expendables” by the economist Jeff Rubin. This book offers analysis and insights into the history of free trade and its impact on local economies. It triggers a lot of thoughts, and I will try to capture mine at a later point in time. One particular
The action of the German government to designate the party AFD (Alternative for Germany) an extreme right-wing organization triggered a broad range of domestic and international responses. Officials from the US also chimed in. Our vice president JD Vance posted on X that day: “The West tore down the Berlin Wall together. And it has
Compass to navigate history Read More »
Observations