Welcome

Welcome to my blog.  

I am going to use these pages to publish information and commentary on a broad range of topics.  Likely subjects will include bluegrass music, science, politics, and maybe even cooking, as well current events such as the Coronavirus.  The intent is to offer my point of view on topics that go beyond what is practical to post on social media. (All opinions expressed are my own.)

I will always encourage discussion, especially on viewpoints that differ from mine.  I'll do my best to keep the tone positive and respectful, and I'll expect the same from anybody who adds comments.

Here are a few things you ought to know about me in the spirit of full disclosure:

I'm a retired Microsoft exec who has spent 33 years in consumer electronics and computer hardware development and manufacturing, including stints at IBM, NCR and Intel.  My wife and I have lived in three of the four corners of this country, including Florida, South Carolina, Washington State and now Maryland. I have a Bachelor's degree from Stony Brook University in Biochemistry and a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stony Brook as well, specializing in heat transfer and fluid mechanics.  

My main passion in life, other than my family, has always been bluegrass music.  Other passions include nature, ornithology, hiking, photography and videography, computer science, machine learning, politics, current events, cooking, business and economics, travel, physics, biology, geology, history, electronics, recording and sound reinforcement, and probably a dozen other things I haven't been able to get to due to time limitations.  I am a voracious reader, consuming both non-fiction and novels.

Humanity is highly diverse and people will invariably hold differing opinions, especially in political and religious matters.  In these pages, I promise to show respect for views that don't fully align with mine.  I ask that you do the same.

Facts are a different matter.  To paraphrase Kelly Ann Conway, there hopefully will be no "alternate facts" in these pages, although a debate about the veracity of a particular fact will be welcome.  Furthermore, facts can change with discovery - and new facts will be especially welcome especially if they can change my viewpoint on a particular matter.  

Finally, I welcome suggestions on topics for this blog and encourage any comments you might have.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Comparative Advantage, Tariffs, and Why I Pay My Barber I keep hearing on the news that the U.S. has a massive trade deficit. Politicians insist this is terrible for our economy. They say we need huge tariffs on imported goods, that we must manufacture everything here at home, and stop buying so much from other countries. But recently, I noticed something interesting in my own life that seems directly related: I have a massive trade deficit with my barber—and things are working out pretty well for both of us. Every few weeks, I pay my barber to cut my hair. Yet she never buys anything from me—not engineering expertise, not a mandolin lesson—nothing at all. If the government tracked my haircuts the way it measures international trade, they’d say I’m getting ripped off, and my barber is getting rich. So why don't I "protect" myself and eliminate this unfair deficit? I suppose I could start cutting my own hair. But trust me—you don't want to see the results. I’d ...
Read more

Will Tariffs Jack Up Your Bills and Push the World to the Brink?

Image
Your next Walmart run might hit hard. The U.S. has imposed 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, with China retaliating at 125%, poised to drive up costs for clothes, appliances, and more. A sudden reprieve on April 12, 2025, exempted electronics—$127 billion worth, nearly a third of Chinese imports—keeping phones and PCs affordable for now. But with most goods under heavy tariffs, and President Trump pushing hard while Xi Jinping eyes Taiwan, fears mount that this trade war could spiral. Soaring prices could squeeze American wallets dry, or worse, spark a Taiwan conflict. The bond market, now jittery at a 4.5% yield, hints at what’s coming. Could Trump’s bold moves bankrupt consumers and ignite chaos, or does he have leverage that would mean there is a smarter deal that lies ahead? What’s driving this, and what’s next for your wallet and the world? And how much leverage does Mr. Trump really have over China? How Trade Fuels Debt—and Your Costs World trade is a giant web, and the U.S. sits ...
Read more

America’s Ideological Dumpster Fire

Image
What do you think of when you see this picture?  The image serves almost as a political Rorschach test.  To one observer, the flames perhaps represents Mr. Trump setting a badly needed fire to the previous (Biden) administration and its governing approach, who were (in their view) chaotic, reckless people driven by a 'woke' ideology rather than evidence-based logic. To another, the same image  might symbolize the current government of Donald Trump and his administration—a flaming disaster characterized (in their view) by chaotic, reckless people and driven more by impulsive ideology than evidence-based logic.  These starkly different interpretations highlight a critical reality: ideology eclipses an analytical approach for determining policy in today's polarized political environment. In fact, ideology often overshadows evidence-based governance, reasoned analysis, and even our shared sense of reality. At first glance, the Trump administration’s actions since J...
Read more