An Awareness of What is Missing

...hought of these four counter-cultural skills: 1. Memory I’ve written about memory before. The important thing to note about it is that memory is a creative act, not a boring rote skill. It’s a way of expanding your mind’s creativity. And it’s relatively easy to learn. It’s also, of course, atrophying under our constant access to “the cloud.” 2. Wayfinding GPS, and mobile technology are raising a generation that will no longer know how to get aroun...

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The Blue Bear

...nd Halvard followed her in 1977, and all I have of her are my genes, those memory fragments and the bear. I don’t even remember her voice. Which leads me to musing on what we leave behind, on the ephemeral nature of memory and experience. Some families are big on family lore and stories and those get passed down and repeated over the generations. As I’ve said, my family is not like that, on either side. But I don’t think my family is atypical in o...

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A Great New Resource for Preserving Your Analog and Digital Memories

...entral Library. Library card holders can book a 2 hour session once per week. Jump on this opportunity early as I suspect it’s going to be popular. If you’re not near one of the cities with a memory lab, I’d suggest having a conversation with your local librarian to help you get started dealing with that mountain of photos you’re hiding somewhere....

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Non-Toxic Cleaning for the Home

...ey to clean windows is drying them thoroughly. Very dirty/greasy windows (particularly outside windows which have collected layers of dust and diesel particulate) might benefit from a quick preliminary rinse with plain soapy water to cut the grease and make it easier to polish them up. Dishes Handwashing: Dishwashing liquids are specially formulated to cut grease and leave dishes spot free and shiny. This ease of use comes with some cost, as most...

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Bike Lane Blocking, An Angry Rant and Something You Can Do

...changes now for the sake of future generations. A good first step would be making alternatives to driving more safe and appealing. Unfortunately, LA’s allegedly “progressive” mayor and city council might as well be the Tea Party when it comes to transportation policy. Frankly, I’d rather deal with outright climate change deniers than our local elected officials such as mayor Garcetti who, rather than the un-sexy and often politically unpalatable w...

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