== “Hey Google, how do you make gin?” “I’ve found a recipe for ‘how do you make gin?’. Would you like the ingredients or instructions first?” “Ingredients.” “OK, now playing dance hits of 2010s on Spotify.” For all their promises of convenience, Google Assistants are at best undelightful and at worst mildly frustrating. And, Google …
Author Archives: Garrick van Buren
INSIDE VOICE #0
Thanks to MusicMayhem [1] our Fridays are now marked by 90 minutes of music trivia against our neighbors. Last week the two teenagers of the house competed on their own – three teams in one house. This week we came back as a singular force to achieve 2nd place overall. While all have our strengths, …
In the Days After
I’m grateful for all those – medical professionals, emergency workers, school administrators, governors, etc – working continuously to contain the COVID-I9 global pandemic we’re currently in. With so many activities, events, and businesses shuttered indefinitely, in the back of my mind, I’ve been wondering, “What does the world look like after containment?” Which takes me …
20200114
I can’t snowshoe.It stays too warm. Cougars in the county.I’d like to see one.
Choose Paper
If you wanted to ensure it lasted for 150 years – you’d choose paper. As amazing as our current electronic technologies are – despite their strengths – terribly, terribly ephemeral. The code the worked yesterday isn’t support today. The processors of – five years ago, ten years ago – are brought to their knees by …
On Your Birthday
It’s been above freezing here all weekall the snowfrom deer seasonis melting.
The Most Brilliant Solution I’ve Seen in Quite a While
Complications
when I started here my wife gave me a white gold chronograph from her jewelry store in the mall like all successful salesmen here wear it weighed my left hand down, silver and crystal reflections constantly tugging at my attentions I left it for this softer, flatter one, yes, yes weeks ago the batteries stopped …
Ongoing List of Underused German Words
Verschlimmbesserung: An improvement that makes something worse. Doch: An expression for indicating an outcome occurred that was counter to the supplied evidence. Loosely translates to, “and yet” or “although I thought otherwise.” Even more delightfully – it can be and is used sarcastically.
My All Time Favorite Phones
Motorola X Style Pure Edition Nokia E72 Handspring Treo 600