There are 488 blog posts for you to enjoy.
Bring Back the Bar: Why I'm Sticking with Firefox (and You Might Want to, Too)
August 14, 2026
There's a quiet extinction happening on the web, and unless you're paying attention, you
might miss it.
I'm talking about the death of browser diversity, and with it, the death of choice. Not
just under-the-hood engine choice, but something far more personal: the menu bar across the top of your browser
window.
Yeah, that one. The old-school, tried-and-true File | Edit | View | Tools | Help menu. The one that
didn't hide behind a meaningless hamburger icon or vanish into some weird sidebar.
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Walking Thoughts: Arequipa, Arequipe, Birds, and Bread
August 7, 2026
I walk a lot.
At least twice a day, usually three times. Not for exercise exactly, though that's a bonus,
but because walking does something useful to the mind. It loosens the bolts. It lets thoughts drift without demanding they arrive anywhere on time.
These walks are when I'm not thinking about my books. Which is precisely when the best
thoughts tend to show up.
One walk recently meandered to birds.
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The Cognitive Benefits of Daydreaming
July 31, 2026
You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we do it.
--Neil Gaiman
From "Where do you get your ideas?" 1997
Daydreaming activates the brain's default mode network (DMN), which is associated with introspection
and self-referential thought. Engaging in positive constructive daydreaming (PCD) can lead to increased creativity and
better problem - solving skills. Studies have shown that individuals who allow their minds to wander during undemanding
tasks often experience a boost in creative thinking upon returning to focused activities.
Reference: Psychology Today
Reference: PMC
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Villarrica, PY - still a pleasant small city to visit
July 28, 2026
Villarrica, Paraguay - population around 75,000, sits at 200 meters (660 feet) elevation, and is located in the center of the souther part of Paraguay. The small city was founded in 1570, in what is now Brazil. But in the first 100 years the town was forced to relocate seven times, finally finding the current location in the center-south region of Paraguay. I wrote a blog on May 8, 2023, it can be found here.
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Areguá, Paraguay - home of the Strawberry Expo
July 24, 2026
Areguá, Paraguay - population of around 83,000, was founded in 1538. It sits at only 70 meters (230 ft) elevation. For whatever reason, in the wikipedia page it says "Areguá is thought to come from Classical Guarani (the language) ariguâ·r, meaning "person/people from above, from up there", refererring to the area's high altitude and its first inhabitants from the Mbya Guarani tribes. But, the English translation of the Spanish wikipedia page is not well done. Areguá's elevation is in relation to the lake, not elevated in the sense that anyone needs to acclimatize or bring an oxygen bottle. Lake Ypacaraí is roughly 64 meters above sea level, while my hostel is around 94 metres. The church and surrounding center of town are a bit higher, and a few neighborhoods are higher still. In Guaraní, ári refers to being above or on top, while -gua indicates origin or association with a place. The early Mbya inhabitants occupied the raised ground or loma alta west of the low-lying lake basin. Historical descriptions of the area actually use terms such as “loma de arriba” and “loma alta.” So they were “from above” relative to the lakeshore, wetlands, and surrounding basin, not relative to sea level.
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