Category Archives: Uncategorized

About a week before her thirteenth birthday, I took my middle daughter to see her pediatrician. She had a sore throat and an ear infection. As we sat in the examination room awaiting the doctor’s arrival, my daughter happened to … Continue reading →

People don’t really want advice, even if they ask you for it. When someone comes to me to share his or her problem, I’ve learned that the best thing to do while they drone on and on is simply to … Continue reading →

One of the larger office supply stores advertises that buying from them is like having an “easy button.” With a simple push it solves all your office supply problems. Many people spend their lives looking for an “easy button” for … Continue reading →

Most people who know me well believe that I’m not entirely normal. As an example, I had a dream a few years ago. I dreamed that Sarah Michelle Geller arrived in my office one day—you know, the pretty blonde who … Continue reading →

Ideas for writing come from many places, some stranger than others. I should point out that everyone gets ideas, but unless you’re a writer you’re not likely to pay attention or even notice ideas that might make good articles or … Continue reading →

The importance of freedom of thought is easily underestimated. George Orwell, in his novel 1984, discussed it in an interesting way by presenting its opposite: It was quite simple. All that was needed was an unending series of victories over … Continue reading →

Clumsiness, absent-mindedness, and getting lost are attributes that have characterized me for as long as I can remember. On a television sit-com, these might be endearing qualities. Perhaps my wife found them endearing while we were dating. But those things … Continue reading →

The Kepler Space Telescope was launched in 2009. Since then, it has aimed its giant mirror at one small spot in the sky. Its instruments are examining the light from about 145,000 main sequence stars, a tiny fraction of the … Continue reading →

The first science fiction book I ever read was Robert Heinlein’s first published novel, Rocket Ship Galileo, the story of a scientist and some teenagers who built a rocket, flew to the moon, and fought Nazis there. As a third … Continue reading →

Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. –Leviticus 19:15 (TNIV) Some say “the rich are evil” or “the rich must pay.” Others announce “the poor are … Continue reading →