Articles

Welcome to the blog page. Here's all the articles. Like the tag line for the web site says, I write about a lot of different subjects. Well, at least, when I write at all. It still haven't gotten over being disheartened by losing years and years of content to WordPress hackers. I guess I still need to work that out. In any event, here's what I've managed to slap together so far.

Goodbye Grav, Hello...Something Else

I did it again. The thing about having a web site is that you get bitten by the bug, at some point. The bug of starting again. When this site ran on WordPress, largely as a motorcycle-related site, that decision came easily.

It's for the Children!

On 1 January 2026, a bill passed unanimously by the California legislature, AB 1043, will become law. Title 1.81.9 (Digital Age Assurance Act) of the California Civil Code will require the providers of every computer operating system to add an age attestation system to create any user account on a computer. Now that this bill has been enacted into law in California, Colorado's legislature is now considering a bill, SB26-051, that closely mirrors the California law. These bills cover all operating systems.

Trump's Tariffs Make No Sense

First, let's start off by talking about what this article isn't about. It's not about whether tariffs can help support domestic manufacturing or jobs. It's not about whether there are valid national security justifications for tariffs on strategic materials. Nor is it about whether tariffs are a good negotiating tool, or whether they raise wages, protect jobs, or even if they're a good idea.

Not Too Late to Go

In 1949, the United States and its European allies formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The purpose of NATO was to create a collective security arrangement to counterbalance the threat of the Soviet Union and its Eastern European puppet regimes. At the time, the USSR had bilateral defense agreements with the various countries in its sphere, with Soviet forces still directly occupying East Germany. In 1955, the USSR formed a similar treaty organization, the Warsaw Pact.

From Legacy to History: The End of the Post-WWII Era

Modern geopolitics has been largely defined by a series of international settlements under which all major powers have operated. We can think of these settlements as the operating environment in which foreign relations are conducted. In most cases, these settlements come about as the result of a major war that results in a new geopolitical reality. Old powers are brought low, and new powers rise to take their place.

Responding to "Dr. Volts"

Browsing Twitter today—sorry, I guess it's "X" now—I saw this post from @drvolts. This is, apparently, a fellow named David Roberts, who runs a newsletter of some sort. I ran across this thread at random, and it captivated me. Let's review it for an old-school "fisking" (and that's probably a term you haven't heard for a while).

Demographics and the Immigration Imperative

"Demography is destiny." This sentence is commonly attributed to the French philosopher August Comte, who many consider to be the father of sociology. He probably never actually said this, but it is, at least, a succinct summation of his argument that the future of a nation's people depends largely on its ability to produce young people. Countries that do so can grow and expand their wealth and influence. Countries that do not will shrink, and culturally collapse into themselves.

How I Use Obsidian

I have kind of a weird job. It's very cross-functional, so I have to keep track of a lot of different things. I need to write product documentation, create online training courses in Articulate Storyline, manage an LMS Platform, do about 8.5 hours of customer webinars per month, and manage the technical support system for both customers and partners/resellers. On top of that, I have to create software simulations, set up and administer our Zoom and Zendesk accounts, plus help marketing and sales with webinars, and do video production and editing.

AI Doesn't Exist

Angela Collier is a PhD theoretical physicist with an engaging YouTube channel. Her videos concentrate on science communication. She's interesting, witty, and fun to watch. She's obviously far smarter than I am.

What Is To Be Done?

Well, I guess we gotta talk about commies again. If you thought that the collapse of the USSR in 1991 would put the last nail in the coffin of Marxism, you'd be wrong. As I pointed out previously, the commies, now calling themselves Progressives, are still with us. Even worse, they seem to be getting stronger.