I recently enjoyed my favourite 4 days of the year with my wife at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. Time for reflection.                                                            Let’s start with a few thoughts about ‘The Sphere’ in Los Vegas. Think IMAX and Planetarium combined into a building that would fit the Statue of Liberty. Think BIG. It was initially envisioned…

I learned that broad design trends in hospitals have always changed with the times. Hospitals aren’t built very often, so it is interesting to watch how they adapt to the current beliefs about healthcare delivery. It’s complicated. Florence Nightingale advocated for the pavilion look. This design entailed wards of big rooms with long rows of…

I am getting older every day—no news flash there. But in my younger years, I was a very average achiever in school and other endeavours. So how have I become much more of an overachiever, you ask? Thanks for asking; I have an answer. As I age, people expect less of me. I’m told I…

I am curious about the future – both within my lifetime and beyond. I saw the title of an article in Wired magazine, “Mirrorworld.” I was hooked. Eighteen pages later, I struggled to identify a suitable ‘bit of a think.’ After summarizing the article with my wife, the answer just appeared. Enjoy this week’s ride….

I am familiar with the prefix telephone number ‘555’ being used as a fictional number in many movies and TV shows, at least in North America. Exploring its origins is a rabbit hole of complications- something that hasn’t stopped me before, so why start now? But let’s not get lost in the details. Instead, let’s…

I like bumper sticker-type phrases, as my regular readers already know. But they can mislead me if I don’t stop and think it through. I can be guilty of reading and concluding too quickly. Take this Blog title as an example. It can inspire me not to resign myself to the obstacles before me. I…

I came across this quote from Bernard Shaw – “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” It almost resonated with me, but it grated a little. It assumes that progress must be forever different, and it takes courage to sometimes stay the same to move ahead. Let’s…

I have been curious about the various ways we can store energy. Batteries are the most obvious way, but there are other ways. One is called storing potential energy. Power dams are an example. Build the dam. Let the water fill in behind the dam. Do a controlled release, and you can turn turbines to…

I have had a few things in my life lately that sent me to the dark side, a habit I work hard to break. I’m usually successful, but I needed to focus these past few weeks to get back on my preferred track. I believe I have a choice despite a default tendency. Let me…