AI Today
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a topic of fascination and innovation for decades, particularly in SciFi, with rapid advancements over the past few years. From self-driving cars and voice-activated virtual assistants to medical diagnostics. I was a big fan of the TV show House but was always irked by the premise. Clearly, an AI would…Read More
Book Review: The Elvis Cole series by Robert Crais
I’ve got three friends that give me unfailing book recommendations: Scott, Chuck, and Remo. This one came from Scott. Elvis Cole is a private eye in LA who has a partner named Joe Pike. I’ve enjoyed the series so much that I’ve already finished the first three books. The first book in the series, The…Read More
Running Toward the Apocalypse
A while back I read a piece – at least I think I read it. At this point media intake gets so jumbled that I can’t remember if I read something in a book, saw it on TV, heard it on a Podcast, or saw it as part of a 30-second blurb on Insta. My…Read More
Book Review: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
I came close to not reading this series. “Murderbot” made me think that it was going to be a horror/sci-fi lash up, heavy on the horror. Movies are often like this. They get billed as sci-fi, but the only sciency aspect is that the creature/bug/mutant/virus originated in a lab or on a space station. From…Read More
Not Worth Criticizing
One of the podcasts I listen to is The Hidden Brain. Recently Elliot Aronson (ground breaking work as a psychologist studying cognitive dissonance, social psychology, and the Jigsaw Classroom), was the guest. Aronson studied under Maslow as an undergrad. Yes, that Maslow. He told a story of being Leon Festinger’s grad student. Festinger was the…Read More
Book Review: The Heart Rehab Experiment by Starla DeKruyf
I picture Kate Hudson teaming with Paul Rudd in the movie that they’ll make from DeKruyf’s book. So does she. In fact, Starla DeKruyf (@starlawrites) dedicates The Heart Rehab Experiment to Paul Rudd first and her husband second. That tells you a bit about DeKruyf’s sense of humor. The book (currently free Kindle Unlimited) is…Read More
Stop at the First Mistake
Near an airport where I sometimes work, the local law enforcement folks set up one of those Speed Limit/Your Speed signs. The first few days, it surprised me how routinely I exceeded the posted limit, and I amended my behavior. Signs like that are often posted as a warning – “Hey, actual enforcement is going…Read More
Book review: Livewired by David Eagleman
Lots of academics attempt to write for the masses. Few succeed. Kahneman and Sapolsky come to mind. David Eagleman might be the best I’ve read. Livewired is subtitled “The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain.” Skip the subtitle, read the book. It’s outstanding. Eagleman masterfully navigates the complex landscape of neuroscience, revealing how our brains…Read More
10 Questions with Liz Bullard
Liz is the author of the Prophecy trilogy. I was honored to be on her excellent eReads podcast and wanted to turn the table around because it was such a pleasure to chat with her. Here are my 10 Questions: 1. I want to hear about Preston, your Corgi. What’s his story? Any pics? Were…Read More
Savages
The Oxford American College Dictionary that sits on my shelf defines savage thus: Noun: something or someone uncivilized or uncultivated, characterized by wild, uncultivated, boorish, or rude behavior, a barbarian. Recently, my youngest daughter remarked that I had eaten something “like a savage.” Neither of us remember the item, but both remember that it was more…Read More