French Culture, I’m Forced To Admit I Was Wrong

My father returned from WW2 with pieces of shrapnel slowly working their way out of his body and a deep and abiding hatred of the French. I don’t know about you and your father, but mine never wanted to discuss the details. I never knew his reasons, but he passed his...

What Can Spirit Animals Teach Us About Today’s America?

This week, while perusing my feed on Bluesky, I stumbled upon a post in which someone shared that she had just learned that crows can hold a grudge for 17 years and thus declared crows as her new spirit animal. While many responses expressed surprise or shared their...

An Engineering Valentine’s Day, A Tribute To My Wife Carol

Three days before Valentine’s Day, my wife gave me a priceless gift. She demonstrated the ability and initiative to think like an engineer. After 30-plus years of marriage, she’s starting to understand me in a way that feels both surprising and deeply fulfilling. Let...

From the Doghouse

A look at dogs having fun

Poser Gallery

My gallery of pictures I’ve created in Poser

Nature by Carol

A look at the less technical side of life

The Opinionbypen 2016 Strategy

The Opinionbypen 2016 Strategy

Please consider this post as a newsletter to my subscribers. Yes, I’ll make sure it has good SEO but that only gets me to the starting gate. There will also be that one lone fool that stumbles onto this post by accident but if experience is any guide, he will quickly...

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A SEO Enhanced Resume

A SEO Enhanced Resume

People tell us not to judge a book by the cover but we’ve all passed up good books because of poor cover art. If you think about it, your resume serves much the same function as a book cover and let’s face it, compared to our counterparts in marketing, most engineers...

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Random Posts

  • Knowing Mechanics Of Writing Doesn’t Make Me A WriterKnowing Mechanics Of Writing Doesn’t Make Me A Writer
    Creative writing has always appealed to me. During my career I’ve had a lot of practice writing reports, proposals and specifications.  While these documents require the ability to communicate information in a clear concise and, hopefully, unambiguous manner, none of them require an active imagination. With the exception of a few proposals, imagination is usually […]
  • Why Do I Care If My Random Number Generator Isn’t RandomWhy Do I Care If My Random Number Generator Isn’t Random
    I’m always amazed at how little interest people take in probability and random numbers. Is that RAND function in Excel really random? Is it possible to synchronize two random number generators and predict numbers? What is a weak random number generator and why would you want one? There’s an entire branch of mathematics devoted to […]
  • Creeping Elegance, the Design of a RemoteCreeping Elegance, the Design of a Remote
    I’m going to introduce a term that might be new to you, creeping elegance. It’s probably been the cause of more project failures than poor engineering. If you’re an engineer or a programmer you already know it way too well but just in case you’re not, let me give you an example. It has a […]

Random Posts

  • Sundae, The Life And Times Of A Dedicated CompanionSundae, The Life And Times Of A Dedicated Companion
    I’ve been fortunate enough to spend the last 14 years under very close supervision. If I tried to stay up too late, I was gently reminded it was past my bed time. Her displeasure was clear if I tried to snack too often. I was never allowed to sit at my desk too long before […]
  • Using 1040 Advertising As A Revenue Stream, Why Not?Using 1040 Advertising As A Revenue Stream, Why Not?
    Every once in a while I have an idea that’s almost brilliant. Google has made most of its money through advertising. Why can’t the US government do the same? Every year the IRS gets an update on where we live, how much money we made, and how we spend our money. They keep records of […]
  • Amazon vs Hachette, A Consumer’s ViewAmazon vs Hachette, A Consumer’s View
    In the current argument between Amazon and Hachette, I’m not qualified to discuss the finer details of price points and author royalties. What I can discuss is my opinion and my response as a consumer. I don’t expect anything I say to influence Hachette. I think they see e-books as a threat to their existence […]

Random Posts

  • Handwriting as a training method?Handwriting as a training method?
    There are a number of people that would describe my personality as a tightly closed book, written in small font, in code. I wasn’t always this open. When I still lived in the city I had a ritual for starting my weekend. On Saturday morning I would walk to a used bookstore to pick out […]
  • Improving Our Vote Through Technology, A TSC IdeaImproving Our Vote Through Technology, A TSC Idea
    My wife dreads the arrival of Autumn. She loves the season, the brisk cold, the planning of next year’s garden but with the cold she also knows I spend more time in the shower taking long showers that completely drain our hot water system. The additional time spent in the Thought Simulation ChamberTM, gives me […]
  • Probability, Statistics and UdacityProbability, Statistics and Udacity
    While going through college I worked as a security guard. This was almost perfect for me as a college student because when I was not walking my rounds I was expected to stay at my desk  where I could study. The work was easy and with only a few exceptions very low stress. During the […]

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From the Doghouse -It’s all about them

A look at dogs having fun!

Short Stories

With posts like these, ever wonder what kind of fiction I would write?

Random Posts

  • Toolbars, Software Trojans or Actual Benefit?Toolbars, Software Trojans or Actual Benefit?
    Every year people spend millions of dollars on software that prevents other people from installing undesired programs on their computer. We’re constantly reminded that’s it far better to pay for software rather than download a pirated copy and risk installing a whole bunch of surprises. When the software is free, …
  • Congressional Lottery, A ProposalCongressional Lottery, A Proposal
    Sequestration or not, every member of Congress should be deeply ashamed of the service they’ve given us getting here.  Many people have advocated getting rid of incumbents, term limits, campaign spending limits. I would like to offer my own solution. I believe I have a plan that restores Democracy, brings …
  • Professionalism, Why Is It Disappearing?Professionalism, Why Is It Disappearing?
    I had no idea what was happening when I watched my first fencing tournament. The director was giving directions in French, the opponents would come together, lights came on the scoring box, the director would call halt and award a point. I did not yet have the background I needed …
  • Happy Mother’s DayHappy Mother’s Day
    If I had given thought to the idea, I would have timed my Celebration post to come out on Mother’s Day. Then again, my Mother deserves her own post for all the grief I gave her as a child. The following are a few examples of what she had to …
  • Why Did Amazon Kill Amazon Explore? It Was Becoming Great.Why Did Amazon Kill Amazon Explore? It Was Becoming Great.
    Why did Amazon kill Amazon explore? Let me start this rant by admitting I am an Amazon fan. I love the large selection of merchandise and the quick delivery. I’m a member of Prime and I frequently use their credit card. Still, they do enough boneheaded things that I sometimes …
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