nirtog Social media can encourage people to think ideas have great weight based only on popularity. The more creative a statement, the more it proliferates. The funnier ones get lots of laughs, and who wouldn’t want to enjoy a momentary escape from life’s difficulties? This relatively new form of worldwide communication has precedence: the Wild, Wild … Read more
One of the oddest cultural features of the new millennia is the concept of alternate facts or the idea that we are each entitled to a personal reality regardless of what anyone else may think. Perhaps influenced by postmodern philosophers, these people insist they have certainty about their viewpoints. In the past, we accepted that … Read more
For both nature and history, the peninsula draws curious investigators. Named by the early Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino “la Punta de los Reyes” (Point of the Kings), the area is now a National Seashore. From Highway 1, access the peninsula via a non-descript road going west from the town of Point Reyes Station. Following CA … Read more
Aaron and I headed down the Grandview Trail in early May 2023. This backcountry trailhead is about 12 miles east of the main park area. The trail is not well maintained and a sign at the top cautions users. Here’s a map of the south rim area and the blue box shows the zoomed in … Read more
As scientists progress at mapping genomes, many ordinary folks may wonder if any of these researchers are also gnomes. Who could do the job better than someone combining both manifestations? The Basenji genome is particularly interesting among domestic dogs because this canine is among the most genetically unaltered dog types. Calling the Basenji a breed … Read more
A glaring human failing underlies two seemingly unrelated global problems: planetary degradation and war. We cannot unite as a human family enough to change either threat. Easier of the two, environmental degradation might have a built-in fail-safe mechanism: humans cannot sustainably live off the land. They will kill themselves before recovery goes beyond a tipping … Read more
I am nirtog. In this reflection, I give blog readers a sense of my spiritual point of view. Even regarding ourselves, we must admit to a limited ability to assess comprehensively what we think and why, but we probably have the best chance of anybody. I claim to have aesthetic sensibility within a science and … Read more
(November 2022) Bodega Bay seems of greater interest to fisherfolk. I go out along the rock berms that protect the entrance to the harbor, along Doran Regional Park. No pristine beach here. From Doran, inward at the harbor: Continuing north from Bodega Bay, a short drive returns us to beaches with surf: The beaches will … Read more
(November 2022) On the second day, near dawn, I started north from Santa Cruz, not knowing how far I would get that day. The map below shows that I continued on State Route 1 on the east side of the peninsula, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, and immediately headed back down to the coast at … Read more
(November 2022) Predawn and having dropped off my wife at LAX so that she could return to her job, I began a drive up the California coast. I wanted to see all the beaches and let the massive wild Pacific Ocean impact me. This three-day trip features photos, videos, and thoughts from Santa Monica to … Read more
(Originally written 20 Nov 2022) The poem takes a lot of concentration for me in order to try and ascertain its meaning. I think I got most of it without your commentary, but was ultimately frustrated by the phrase temporal reversion. Your commentary helped clear up or confirm my understanding of that phrase as well … Read more
This poetry by T.S. Eliot may be just the antidote we need for dealing with the crazy, mixed-up world in which we find ourselves. So many people seem incapable of using the most rudimentary thinking tools to sort out what might be true from what is unlikely. And many professed Christians seem content to ignore … Read more