A Day in the Life

We’ve been in lockdown now for one week. Every one in my family is well. Nothing dramatic has changed. Our days are pretty typical. We go out to get the newspaper after breakfast. It is about a mile round trip and serves as part of our exercise. Later we take a bike ride, weather permitting.… Continue reading A Day in the Life

Published
Categorized as Covid-19

Day 2 of the lockdown

I’ve decided I’ll start keeping a blog of the experience we’re going through. I probably won’t actually write every day, but only when something strikes me or the situation changes. I’m actually writing this at the beginning of day 3, but I’ll be describing what happened on day 2–that is the second day after the… Continue reading Day 2 of the lockdown

Published
Categorized as Covid-19

My Adventures at Piazza

Today is the first day of the health order, telling us to stay home except for essential activity.  Getting groceries is considered an essential activity.  The order recommends, but does not require, persons (such as myself and my wife) who are over 65 to stay home, period.  My wife and I usually walk every morning to… Continue reading My Adventures at Piazza

Published
Categorized as Covid-19

Covid-19 Links

This page is intended to provide useful information on the current pandemic. It is my intention to include only official or authoritative sites. Journalists and politicians need not apply. Also, this list is shamelessly localized relative to my own community, Palo Alto, CA. Nevertheless a subset of these links may also be helpful for others… Continue reading Covid-19 Links

Personal Experiences in Japan

The following is an article that I wrote while living in Japan in the mid ’80s and is reproduced from Viewport, volume 4, number 8, August 1984. Viewport was the company newspaper for Calma, the company I worked for at the time. Thinking of Japan as samurai and geishas is about as realistic as thinking… Continue reading Personal Experiences in Japan

Published
Categorized as Writing

Happy birthday, Lennie

Today, August 25, 2018, is Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday. I first became aware of Bernstein as a child through a series of TV programs (on CBS–can you imagine classical music on a commercial TV network today?)  This series was actually a televised live concert series with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, called the “Young People’s… Continue reading Happy birthday, Lennie

Published
Categorized as Writing

Eclipse 2017

Last week we were in Oregon to witness the total solar eclipse. I had always wanted to see one;  this might be my last chance. I took several consumer cameras, including my smart phone, and took pictures with several of them, but none of those pictures really came out.  (Part of my goal was not… Continue reading Eclipse 2017

Published
Categorized as Writing

My Experience with Start-ups

Recently a friend of mine sent me a link to this CNBC article:  http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/30/i-got-scammed-by-a-silicon-valley-start-up-commentary.html that tells the sad tale of the messy collapse of a Silicon Valley start-up.  This New York Times article strips away the pseudonyms and gives some additional details:  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/technology/a-silicon-valley-dream-collapses-in-allegations-of-fraud.html?_r=0 Aside from the allegations of fraud, I think this story is all too common… Continue reading My Experience with Start-ups

Published
Categorized as Writing

Who Invented the Computer?

“We’ve learned the hard way that between the word ‘first’ and the word ‘computer’ there are about 19 adjectives” — John Hollar, Former CEO of the Computer History Museum The title of this essay is a simple question.  One would think it would have a simple answer, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.  There are… Continue reading Who Invented the Computer?

Published
Categorized as Writing

Four Years Later

I have been having my PSA tested every six months and am pleased to say it is completely negative, meaning I have no signs of recurrence of the cancer. Since prostate cancer is slow-growing, it will be another six years before I can officially be pronounced “cured”.

Published
Categorized as PC Blog