I am a chopper of wood and carrier of water, a keeper of bees, digger of soil, and washer of dishes, but when people ask me "what do you do" I usually satisfy them with "I'm in information technology." If they really want to know, I'll tell them about the decade as a wilderness guide. Some jobs are vocations, some are avocations, but that one was an evocation. I also wrangle pixels and try to herd them into representations of coherent thoughts, which is a provocation. :-)
The Farmer’s Almanac I buy every December has not been opened since, and I’ll admit there’s nothing in that book I couldn’t find faster on my phone. But there it sits with its planting guides and planetary positions, short stories and anecdotes, a decorative but dusty bit of nostalgia. My grandfather would chuckle when people … More Ticket To The Stars
The peach and pear blossoms might have been a bit too optimistic, but I’m happy with the cold snap of this April weather. It was 28 on the mountain last night. A few hardy hummingbirds came early too, and we will take their feeders inside tonight so they can have a warm breakfast in the … More Something Out Of Time
The more complex things become, the more vulnerable to disruption they are. So say systems theory, economics, and philosophy. The effect is observable in ecosystems, supply chains, and financial systems. It’s in the touchscreen controls of the washing machine that stopped working. It’s in the package that’s always running late for delivery. It’s in the … More Your Link Has Expired
There is a skiff of snow on the ground this morning. It’s an expression used by my grandparents that originated long ago in Scotland. The skiff, sometimes spelled “skift,” refers to a light dusting of snow that barely covers the ground, and on this cold and windy morning, my budding peach trees are beginning to … More Mental Floss
You’ve seen the message, a text or an email announcing that your package is “Out for Delivery.” I recently saw that notice four times for a package that never arrived. When I called customer service, Steve in Hyderabad (I suspect that Steve is not his real name) told me those messages are generated when a … More Your Free Shipping Is Out For Delivery
If you looked out your window early on a Saturday morning and the half ton of topsoil waiting to be worked into the raised beds in the garden made you feel good, or if you derived the same sense of well-being from a pile of wood chips or gravel, I think we could have a … More Common Interest
“You people are living in another world! This is the 20th century, don’t you realize that? The whole world is living in a desperate space age! Men are orbiting the earth. International television has been developed. And here – a whole town is standing still because two old women’s feet fall asleep!” -“Man in a … More Another Man In A Hurry
It was a week of rebellion. My smartphone was banished to the shop, forgotten in the car, deprived of its charging station, and left unattended. The revolt began when I noticed the weight of a certain cardboard box on a shelf, the one which contains several pounds of old cell phones. Tinkerers will understand the … More Digital DNA
One of my earliest memories is a visit to my grandparents’ house east of Hiawassee in winter. The potbellied stove warmed the house with a heat that no other technology would ever match, and the world outside the frosty window was a wilderness of bobcats and bears and stories that have slipped into the dreamtime … More Narrenbeschwörung
“The order of love is that by which the right measure of affection is expressed in what is loved.” -St. Augustine When Vice President J.D. Vance invoked the medieval Catholic phrase in response to criticism of the current Administration’s immigration policy, I confess that I had to look it up to resurrect memories of a … More Ordo Amoris
Outside The Box 