Sensory Deprivation
I just took a long hot whirlpool bath, enhanced with Kneipp rosemary essential oil, to delight the olfactory senses, with a side benefit of helping to clear the nasal passages. It is a frigid snowy day...
View ArticleSegregation in the Berkshires in the Civil Rights Era
An article today in the Berkshire Edge reminded me of my experience in the summer of 1961. I guess my heightened sense of social justice came to me early in life. Within a couple of years, I would...
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Hope for the world
At first light this morning I noticed a grazer enjoying the newly revealed fodder. Spring may be on its way after all!
View ArticleIt May Be that Young People have been Paying Attention
This interesting report by NPR challenges the speculation that we may be moving to a cashless society. “People seem really wary of the mistakes of their parents,” Shahani says. “There is something...
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Not just attention to detail, but fascination with detail
I guess you don’t have to be autistic to collect stamps (or coins, or bills, or anything else), but I’m sure it helps. For many years (and long before I figured out that I’m autistic), I collected...
View ArticleThere are 10 types of people in the world…
Those who understand binary, and those who don’t. In my early days as a computer programmer, I studied the RCA 501, a 2nd generation computer (in the days of vaccuum tubes, before transistors). It was...
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Two identical very different trips through the Alford Valley
Alford this past week was a string of turquoise days. Dry air and golden sunshine combined into a perfect backdrop for a couple of ambles through the Alford Valley. On two different days, I took...
View ArticleExciting news! My final symptoms are fading away
Exciting news! My final symptoms are fading away. According to this Harvard website, The ideal blood pressure is 120/80; as it rises above that threshold, the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other...
View ArticleKudos to a Harrington’s driver; some other drivers, not so much
A big thank you to the Harrington’s driver this morning who stopped when he saw our horses in distress, very near my house, on East Road in Alford. He turned off his engine and waited patiently while...
View ArticleMy Round of Golf with Bob Hope
On a hot summer day, many years ago, I spent an afternoon with Bob Hope on the golf course. Hope was born in 1903, and he lived to be 100. The day I met him, he was in his mid-70s, and he was still...
View ArticleBack in the Saddle
Alice and I had not taken the horses out for a long time, but we had a great ride on Monday.Some time ago, Stewart had developed a serious infection in one foot and was sidelined for several weeks...
View ArticleThe demise of mirror neurons?
The latest (April 2016) issue of Scientific American contains an article that caught my eye. It is billed as “Cognitive Psychology” and subtitled “By honing ax-making skills while scanning their own...
View ArticleAcceptance Is Belonging
A beautiful essay, written by my friend Amy Sequenzia, for Autism Acceptance Month. Autism Acceptance means more than love and understanding. It means belonging. Amy lived in Great Barrington for a...
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50th Anniversary
On October 15, 1966, I was married for the first time. That day, like its counterpart 50 years later, was a bright sunny day in the Berkshires, with the autumn foliage on full display. When I think...
View Article#Pantsuit Nation
Today is Election Day. As the hashtags #Pantsuit and #Nation sweep the internet, I am reminded of a day many years ago when I made a momentous decision involving a pantsuit. I know, I know! Hard to...
View ArticleWalking
Following my comments, you will find an excerpt from an original essay, “Walking,” by Henry David Thoreau that appeared in The Atlantic in 1862; there is also a link at the end for those who want to...
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Let’s See if I Can Tape This All Together
What do cupcakes and chocolate have in common? I guess that’s pretty obvious, but Scotch Tape? In September 2009 Scientific American devoted an entire issue to “Origins” and I’ve chosen three of my...
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Look What I Got in the Mail
I was 15 years old. My grandmother had sent me this notecard. I knew it was coming, because she had told me about it. “Someday,” she told me, “you will be very proud to have this.” I didn’t have to...
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I Was Ahead of My Time (But I Knew That!)
Synopsis There is a new style of AI (artificial intelligence) that has, in recent years, taken the world by storm. Called Deep Learning, this approach has made possible self-driving cars, enhanced...
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The Road to the Kentucky Derby 2017
February 12 This post is my placeholder for analysis of the 2017 Derby prospects, as the Derby prep season unfolds over the next two+ months. I will modify and update this post over time, rather than...
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