Reach For It

Comic scene with father and child at a vintage computer; text reads “REACH FOR THE STARS,” “CRASH,” “SYSTEM ERROR,” “SYNTAX ERROR,” “ABORT,” “REBOOT,” “NO! SAM! WAIT!,” “AGH! THE OS! CRASHED!,” “MASH MASH MASH! BEEP!,” “BEEP! WOOHOO!,” “I’m playing too, Daddy!,” “KA-KLACK!,” “CRASH!,” and “FUN!”

What was your first ever video game? View all responses My first computer at home was an Apple IIc. In 1984, I was three years into my career as an applied anthropologist, dividing my time between creating cultural programs and creating documentation on the community I was working in. The computer was pathetic by today's …

Problematic

Lit white candle in black metal holder on wooden floor in dark room

Do you set personal goals for yourself? View all responses I've been finding the issue of personal goals to be a bit problematic recently. I'm trying to separate myself from goals I've previously set that are tied up with career, jobs, and money. This doesn't mean that I've stopped working, being concerned with money for …

Slop

Comic panel with cats, a dog, robot, toy boxes, and speech bubbles

What do you think is the future of AI? View all responses There is no AI slop in my posts. Yes, there may be lots of organically produced slop, but hey! It's all my own. This is a blog post. It's supposed to be an expression of my thoughts and ideas. I do use a …

Doom, Gloom And Alternate Worlds

Man, boy, and young woman eating fried finger food with robot standing behind them in a dim room

Which book’s world would be the absolute worst to live in? View all responses Let's see: The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Fahrenheit 451, Dune, Brave New World, 1984, or perhaps the creepy dystopian adventure of our own developing horror story called real life? Hmmmm, actually some of those worlds look less threatening than day-to-day …

Adventures In Coastal Living – Sodom and Gomorrah on the Atlantic – or who likes lobster?

Sunday dinner at my in-laws was always the same. Dinner served at 11:30 AM, two lobsters apiece, salad ( Kraft Thousand Island or French dressing), bread and butter or pilot biscuit, your choice of water or iced tea.

You Gotta Be Kidding

What’s something you’ve done that you never thought you could? The other day I was trying to figure out how many years I've spent lugging cameras around, editing video, adjusting mic levels, and setting up lights. It's over thirty by now. And I expect I'll be doing it for another two or so before I …

No Way Jose!

If you could switch lives with a famous person for a week, who would it be and why? View all responses It's not an agenda item for me. And it never was. The reason why is pretty basic. At one point in my life, I got exposed to lots of the intimate lives of the …

Campfire Stories

Menacing bearded sailor holding a knife among sleeping people in bunks

The Stay Puffed Marshmellow Man got several mentions. Also listed were: vampires, mummies, the Holy Ghost, their in-laws, and former husbands and wives. It was all in good fun.

One More Town

I don't think that I was too different than the average stubborn, hardheaded youth when I was young. Want to give me advice? Sure, I'd listen. But you might have had a hard time locating me. I'd pull into town with big ambitions, but after as little as a week or two, get royally pissed …

An Education

Collage of vintage papers, photographs, geometric architecture, and flowering botanical illustrations

Changing an entire lifestyle can take an instant or years. My change from Pius Itinerant, bad boy about town, was telescoped into a period of a few weeks after a violent episode with a jealous boyfriend and his .38. But as I said, change can come quickly. Within a few weeks, I was a college …