What’s The Bottom Line On Tariffs? How Much Will They Cost Me?

Tariffs are a tax nations charge on imported or exported goods. The importer always pays the tax, and the money always goes straight into the pockets of the country imposing the tariff. But don’t be fooled—while the importer technically pays the tax, the cost always...

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...

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

Retirement, A Very Personal Fear

Retirement, A Very Personal Fear

Fear is a funny thing. I’ve seen grown men injure themselves to escape a common garden spider. Personally, I’m petrified when I have to climb higher than 3 feet on a ladder. They’ve never been bitten by a spider, I’ve never fallen off a ladder, so why the paralyzing...

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2023, I’m Very Glad To See It End

2023, I’m Very Glad To See It End

2023 is now firmly in my rear view mirror and I have zero feelings of nostalgia. It was tough losing two of our beloved dogs to cancer. Sundae had been a part of our family for 14 years, leaving a significant void, and even though Hilde was with us for just under a...

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Random Posts

  • How To Identify An EngineerHow To Identify An Engineer
    How do you identify an engineer? My wife and I have frequent discussions about engineers being a unique class of people. She feels that communication with me is difficult because I think differently than most people. I feel that communication with me is far simpler than with other people as long as you follow the […]
  • Are Android Permissions Getting Out Of Hand?Are Android Permissions Getting Out Of Hand?
    It seems like every Android app builder out there wants permissions, no, absolutely needs permissions to access to my location, my contacts, my camera and so on. Without it there’s no way they can trust me to use their app. I may be in left field here but I don’t believe there’s any legitimate reason […]
  • Sundae Explains Why Fashion ChangesSundae Explains Why Fashion Changes
    While engineers are far more challenged by fashion than most of our species, I don’t believe a lack of fashion sense is limited to engineers. I have the basic rules down, well as long as I’m wearing nothing more than business casual. Throw a tie into the mix and I fall to pieces. Now before […]

Random Posts

  • Engineers From Technicians, A PerspectiveEngineers From Technicians, A Perspective
    In electronics you have two classes of knowledge experts, Engineers and Technicians. I’m ignoring the programmers for the moment because they only complicate this discussion.  The distinction between the two classes can become very blurred but Engineers are expected to create designs, while Technicians implement and troubleshoot those designs. At a practical level, the difference […]
  • How To Talk With An EngineerHow To Talk With An Engineer
    Last week when I described my current systems engineer position as being all about communications, I almost lost my wife to uncontrollable laughter. When she finally recovered, all she said, while still trying to catch her breath was, “how do you stay employed?” She has a point.  If you have an engineer in your life, you […]
  • Spam, Spam and More Spam, A Closer Look At The DetailsSpam, Spam and More Spam, A Closer Look At The Details
    Receiving more spam than email? Drowning in Amazon order cancellations? Wondering why your spam filter is so inefficient? I still believe I had the perfect solution when I suggested taxing email but no one seemed to like that idea. If you consider knowledge as power, I’m going to give you some power over these spammers. […]

Random Posts

  • Email Taxation, Musings From The Thought Simulation ChamberEmail Taxation, Musings From The Thought Simulation Chamber
    I’m going to make a suggestion and please hear me out before you call on your fellow villagers and start lighting torches. I want the government to start taxing email. Wait, put away those lighters, I do have a reason. With approximately two hundred billion emails sent every day and assuming that one tenth of […]
  • When Did It Become Rude To Ask A Direct Question?When Did It Become Rude To Ask A Direct Question?
    You’re sitting at the airport terminal reading your Kindle when someone comes up to you and says,   ”Pardon me but do you know what time it is?” If you’re like me, you look up, answer “Yes” and go back to reading. Rude? Maybe but which of us was being rude? We can infer that the […]
  • BeginningBeginning
    As my age increases  I’m starting to think that I’m wasting a huge opportunity to be a voice in this world. On the other hand, maybe it’s just that the current selection of video games is boring and I’ve always wanted to be part of the Internet. I like challenges, I enjoy accomplishing difficult accomplishments […]

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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

  • A Late Mother’s Day Praise For Mother NatureA Late Mother’s Day Praise For Mother Nature
    It’s amazing how fast time passes. This makes my fourth Mother’s Day post since I started Opinionbypen. Okay, last year was a political piece but I dedicated it to both my Mother and Mother-in-Law because of their strong interest in politics.  Given how tough it is to have good SEO …
  • Half Full or Half Empty, An Engineer’s ViewpointHalf Full or Half Empty, An Engineer’s Viewpoint
    My wife will confirm that living with an engineer is different. It’s not just that we tend to be socially inept or even standoffish. We see the world differently and until you spend time with one of us you can’t comprehend how differently. All my life I’ve listened to people describe …
  • TNSTAAFL, Windows 10TNSTAAFL, Windows 10
    TNSTAAFL, There’s No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. Microsoft’s continuing antics to coerce me, by hook, crook or outright trickery, into accepting their free upgrade to Windows 10 brought this phrase to mind. Microsoft is hardly a nonprofit organization and I doubt that are trying to apologize to all …
  • What Can Spirit Animals Teach Us About Today’s America?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 own observations, …
  • Whimsy, This Engineer’s Stress ReliefWhimsy, This Engineer’s Stress Relief
    Such a funny word, whimsy. It’s almost self-defining, although that could be because I’ve known what it meant for so long. For the rest of you, it’s defined as a capricious humor and I think there’s far too little of it in today’s life. Most people tend to think of …
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