In search of balance

Some years ago, while communicating with someone who was studying Philosophy in university, we got into a disagreement over the subject of what philosophy is and what makes someone a philosopher.

All human beings believe something which they cannot prove.

Sapiophiles have a difficult problem which is fundamentally impossible to completely resolve; it is the kind of problem which can only be resolved through compromise, which means that something must always be sacrificed.

People who tend to want political or social change also tend to change what they want over time, especially if they actually get what they want.

The human mind has a way of deceiving the person in whose skull it lives.

When people are first learning to write programs in C, there are typically 2 functions which they learn at the beginning, or near the beginning: printf() and scanf().

I recently had a conversation with someone who introduced me to the concept (or perhaps more accurately, their conception) of "dynamic truth".

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, personal-computer manufacturers were in a difficult situation.

Human psychology is complicated.

I have written several times, in the past, about my admiration for "intelligence" in people, with the caveat that what I usually have in mind when I use this word is not a mathematical ability to perform mental calculations (the sort of intelligence which…

Long-time readers of my writings may remember that I used to write a lot about "philosophy", but that I write about it less these days.

The study of History usually divides history into different eras.

Those who have been reading my blog for years will probably know that I am not, and have never been, a Mac person.

I recently saw a quote which was attributed to Aldous Huxley.

I have written, in the past (notably here), on the topic of making programs that boot directly on a computer without requiring an operating system.

I recently read the following proverb which gave me pause for thought: "To understand the world, read.

For some years now, I've had a personal theory that some people love children and animals partly because of the problems they create.

I often write about technology, especially computer technology, not only because it happens to be something of both personal and professional interest to me (since I work in the field and am also active in it as a hobby), but also because I recognize how…

The United States of America recently celebrated their 250th anniversary.

(Throughout this post, I will use the term "Renaissance man" in a gender-neutral way, because that's how English is.

Today (on July 22, 2026), I woke up and found that the Duolingo app no longer works on my phone.

I recently had a conversation with a woman who was still fixated on her ex and couldn't stop talking about him.

The discussion around AI and its rapidly-changing position within human civilization has taken on two very different tracks, and what I find odd is that most articles and videos which address the topic of AI usually only address one of these.

If you use a computer or any other device which runs software on it, here's something which you might want to know: Software companies are not your friends, and in fact, they are trying to kill personal and home computing.

Some years ago, I was in a relationship which had already lasted for several years, when I noticed that I was developing an attraction to another woman.

All of a sudden, it occurred to me that I really don't know what a "simple life" is.

At various points in human history, I have heard various people describe themselves as "a good judge of character".

Sometimes, it disturbs me how quickly problems upon which I speculate become actual problems.

The news recently broke that Elon Musk became the first trillionaire in all of human history.

There are things which human beings have been doing since before recorded history which might sometimes seem stupid, pointless, and wasteful.