My ignorance

When a person reads books much of the time, looks at news on the internet like CNN and Numlock News, it becomes difficult to preserve his own ignorance.  Knowledge, insights persist in sticking in the mind.  Then there is Google and other computer programs, often called "search engines", that search for answers to specific search topics and questions.  I just read that there are about 1500 search engines available somewhere.  I am confident that searching for "AI" is not the same as searching "Search Engines" but that is another tool, and search item that affects the quick answers available by the internet.  

I enjoy the title of the Sam Wineburg book "Why learn history when it is already on your phone"?  I could try to cook up a situation where it is handy or valuable or imperative to know some history and my phone was left at home or I am in a place without a signal.  But I would rather think about modifying Wineburg to "why learn anything when it is already on your phone". 

Several of my friends have developed eye problems but my wife has her phone set to listen to her question and speak answers aloud.

Sixty-Five!

Sixty-Five!  That's not my age.  It is the number of years I have been married to this wife, Dr. Lynn Kirby, PhD.  I gather that some guys are deeply attracted for other reasons but I have been attracted to highly intelligent women.  Maybe it is my mother who got me going in that direction.  Maybe it is my sister.  It may be one of those genes I got from Dad or from Mom.  Whatever, she's got it and I love it!

Of course, it doesn't hurt that she is also gorgeous, stylish, that she is a dancer and a gymnast and articulate, too.

Wow! Maga!

I was surprised when I saw an article that said it could help me empty my mind.   I enjoy dumping my mind every now and then, just cleaning the whole thing out. I read through the article and it said that if I want to empty my mind, I should read a magazine.  I realize that Maga- anything is controversial these days but I feel that human attention is an important force.  Basically, what I put my attention on is what I notice, what I think about, usually what I remember.

According to what I found on the internet while searching "history of the word magazine", our current usage derives from previous use of the word to mean a place for ammunition storage, as a warehouse.

Stay alert for changes

I saw my first 2027 date today.  The bottle of juice is marked with a 2027 "use by" date.  Time is rolling by.  Here in the Northern hemisphere, we have summer for about another hour and then fall begins.

CNN Photos of the week 9/21/25

https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/18/world/gallery/photos-this-week-september-11-september-18?

My book group wants 2 fiction suggestions

I think it would be okay to suggest and use something from early childhood.  I remember "The Pokey Little Puppy" and "Ferdinand, the Bull".

You remember, maybe.  The pokey puppy was often distracted by something curious and Ferdinand was not attracted to fighting.  He preferred smelling the flowers.  We didn't learn much about his interactions with cows.

Now that we are more or less ancient, we may have interesting insights into such characters, their habits and our memories of the stories and the effects on our thinking.

What I actually suggested was "Dona Flores and Her Two Husbands" by Jorge Amado and "The Way of All Flesh" by Samuel Butler.  I had to look at this list of books t.ly/mYBnZ for those two titles for those two to come to mind but I did remember enjoying those novels.

Computers vs. other devices

I am steadily impressed with how much more convenient it is to use my computer than my iPad or smartphone.  I can easily enlarge print, use both hands together, find and copy paragraphs with the computer.  It can be awkward or inconvenient to get to the computer but it is clearly better.