Many friends of mine have recently announced they’re leaving Facebook, mostly for some other social network. So far, every such recent announcement has indicated a destination that is structured in exactly the same bad way as Facebook. But, they all lack 2+ billion user advantage Facebook has (see Metcalfe’s Law). … Continue reading
Tuesday, November 20, 2018 Dear Family and Friends, This is Loren Mark and Varrin writing on behalf of the Swearingen family. On Sunday evening, November 18, 2018, at 10:18 pm, our dad Virgil died peacefully at home on the living room couch, surrounded by his loving family. A viewing of … Continue reading
Introduction I love Christmas music. I’m happy to see a wide variety of artists do Christmas albums, but only some of them are truly great. Last year I thought about picking what I think are the best of the best. I didn’t get it done, but have been thinking about … Continue reading
I’m in the market for a new camera and I thought I’d ask the photographers I know for a little help. I’ve narrowed it down to three main options. But first, a little context. History / Shooting Style I’ve taken 10’s of thousands of pictures on at least 7 different … Continue reading
I’m eyeball deep in planning for my upcoming John Muir Trail hike this year (July and August, 2017). Even so, I’m beginning to sketch out a plan for another coast-to-coast driving trip next year (2018). As I’ve been working on that plan, I thought I’d tally up some travel stats … Continue reading
A few years back, I went on a safari in Kenya. I snapped this nice lion picture while I was there. I like lions. I was sad to hear about a the apparently illegal (and maybe truly bad) poaching of a beloved lion, Cecil, earlier this month. But when the … Continue reading
In writing this article, I hope to accomplish two things: Outline some common types of dishonesty and suggest specific ways to improve. Provide a sticky, convenient reference that can be reused to encourage improved honesty. My purpose here isn’t to insult or degrade anyone. Honesty is a touchy subject and … Continue reading
It’s not really news that there’s snow in New England, but the quantity the last few weeks has garnered unusual attention. Keene is no exception, though the numbers are smaller than elsewhere in New England. We moved to New Hampshire in 2004. Since then, Keene has experienced two of the … Continue reading
Craig Biddle, editor of The Objective Standard, pushed a piece in the Summer 2006 volume titled Religion v.s. Free Speech. Though nearly a decade old, this article is timely given the recent Charlie Hebdo attacks which have been cast as an attack on free speech. The article was brought to … Continue reading
Last week, our family took a trip to Hagerstown, Maryland. Edi was born there and her family still lives there. Her mom’s parents are still alive, though they’ve been in poor health lately. Fortunately, we were able to visit with them and managed to get a picture with all of … Continue reading
