Author Archives: John Swinburn

I see things no one else can see, but then so does everyone. No one can see through my eyes, nor can I see through the eyes of another person. That has always bothered me. Wouldn’t it be odd to … Continue reading →

Good coffee is only as good as its roaster and its transformer.

The term, “spiraling out of control,” suggests there should be a corresponding term, “spiraling into control.” But I don’t think such a term is in common use. That leads, of course, to wondering about the etymology of the phrase.

Once you cut the cord, it’s best not to try to splice it back together again. A severed connection may be salvaged, but rarely strengthened. But, then again, truisms are seldom entirely true, are they? If life were as simple as homilies pretend it … Continue reading →

Some people, perhaps most, tend to assign attitudes and attributes to other people based on their experiences with still others with whom the targets of assignments might share some commonality. They might say “Democrats are bleeding hearts who simply do not understand the economics of handouts and … Continue reading →

Something triggers happiness, the same way something triggers sadness or depression. At some point in the future, the electrochemical triggers will have been throughly researched and understood. Humans will have the capacity to use a remote control, much like the … Continue reading →

The discovery of Kepler-452b is just one in a string of discoveries that support my contention that there is life on other planets. It’s not so much a belief as it is an assumption grounded in statistical probabilities. The sheer … Continue reading →

Be alone with yourself and take an honest assessment of who you are. You need not share the assessment with anyone, but be prepared to use it to help you become the person you want to be tomorrow.

Where does one draw the line between right and wrong? While it may be wrong to covet they neighbor’s wife (if one happens to be a devotee of the Ten Commandments), is that sin applicable when said “sin” occurs only … Continue reading →

Some occasions in my youth were moments I’d rather forget, but cannot. I was a miserable bastard at times, a guy whose empathy and sympathy were buried beneath a veneer of idiotic bravado. I don’t know that you can ever truly … Continue reading →

Goat cheese, fresh figs cut in half, and a couple of slices of ripe pear. That would make a  good breakfast, but it would be great as an hors d’ouevre later in the day, accompanied by a bit of dry sherry, … Continue reading →

We humans have accomplished things I find almost impossible to comprehend. The degree of intelligence, creativity, and drive required to get us where we are is beyond anything I could ever have imagined. I wonder, though, whether our creative intellectual … Continue reading →