H1N1 Virus, public enemy no. 1 We’ve been warned for many years that it would happen. Now, finally, it has. In our modern world, an outbreak of a highly communicable disease in one area often means outbreaks elsewhere will soon follow. For that reason, the CDC and international health organizations have coordinated to spot outbreaks of disease. I think we felt safe in the U.S. that such an outbreak would happen outside our borders, far away in some poor remote 3rd-world village where people drink... Read→
For the past 3 days, San Francisco has been baked by a record heat wave. What that means in real numbers around here is highs of 86° to 93°. As somebody who grew up in the Midwest, this isn’t too impressive. After all, there I endured months of temperatures at least that high, along with unbearable humidity—not to mention the winters. However, San Francisco is a different kind of place. The real secret to weather in San Francisco is not the temperature, but the wind. Tucked just inside the... Read→
Susan Boyle’s amazing debut on Britain’s Got Talent Once in a while someone comes along who challenges everything we believe about each other. In doing so, they challenge what we believe about ourselves. This performance by Susan Boyle, a never-married, middle-aged woman who sings at church and lives alone with her cat in Scotland, cuts through all our mental clutter. Everyone I know who has seen this—and it seems EVERYBODY has by now—has been deeply touched by her performance. Authenticity... Read→
It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me well that I absolutely love San Francisco. There are so many amazing things to see and do here. For the most part, visitors tend to stay close to tourist attractions on the east side of town. I prefer the west side of town, especially Golden Gate Park with its museums, lakes, running paths and buffalo. Yes, I really did just say there are buffalo in San Francisco! In 1989, the largest earthquake since the 1906 quake struck during rush hour. Fortunately,... Read→
I spent the past week visiting my parents in San Diego. My mother’s computer had a complete meltdown a few weeks ago. We decided to get her a Mac, since in my experience they have much fewer of these kinds of problems. So, of course, she needed her IT guy to come visit to get her data off her old computer and set up her new computer. Anyway, as these things tend to go, as prepared as I thought I was when I arrived, I discovered I needed different tools in order to get her data. The things I’ve... Read→
