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To AI or Not to AI
As we are approaching NaNoWriMo, I’ve become aware of the debate over the use of AI in meeting the challenge of writing 50,000 words during the month of November. It can be either simply 50,000 words or you can finish a novel, but the novel has to be at least 50,000 words. My initial reaction…
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Meaning and Purpose
I have been thinking about meaning and purpose a lot lately. Truth is, it’s pretty much on my mind most of the time. It’s just that lately, it seems to be on my mind more than usual. All sorts of people talk about the need to have a meaningful life filled with purpose. If you’re…
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Doubts
Years ago now, I started writing articles for a website called SearchWarp. Before being stood down, it changed names to WryteStuff and then back to SearchWarp. In exchange for content, I could advertise my own website. At the time, I was making a lot of jewelry (strung, hot soldered, wire wrapped, cold forged, etc., I…
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A Defining Moment
We all have them from time to time. We’ll be sitting quietly and bam; we’re hit with a sudden profound realization that quite possibly changes forever how we look at the world. Or maybe they are not quite that dramatic. The cause can be something unexpected in a comedian’s routine or a Hallmark card commercial…
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Heartache
Love is loss. Love has always been about loss. That ache you feel when you look at someone you love deeply isn’t about the love. It’s about the sure knowledge, from that place inside where words have no power and feelings preside, that one day that love will be taken from you. And that’s my…
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Regulating Fragrances
I have a particularly irksome pet peeve. Irksome to me and irksome to the people with which I share air space. Well, maybe not as much to those people because I rarely say anything about it. I usually (but not always) suffer in silence. Stupid? Yes. Diplomatic? Maybe. The thing is, fragrances are unregulated. And…
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What’s in Store for 2024
I’m not a prophet. I don’t have a lock on the future. All I have is past events to inform me. With that in mind, I figure that 2024 will be a lot like 2023. There will be disputes about this and that. Some of them will be violent. There will be deaths. Some will…
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Intention
I try to live a mindful life. While washing the dishes, I am aware of the spoon in my left hand and the sponge in my right. I feel the heat of the water and the slipperiness of the soap. While rinsing the spoon, I am aware of the softness of the water. I try…
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Straws
Quite a few years ago, I bought a number of stainless steel straws for when I want to drink something from a bottle. Usually it is ginger beer. Fever Tree is my favorite. Swigging it from the bottle can excite a coughing fit in me. So the straw is my go to. Even then I…
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Artificial Intelligence
I’m not for it. I’ve seen enough science fiction movies and read enough science fiction stories in which the AI goes berserk to have severe reservations about the whole idea. I’m also old enough to think that computers are just fine as they are. We don’t really need them to start figuring out things for…
Maddie's Mom Writes 