Michael Robert Dyet's Blog, page 10

My New Year’s Anti-Resolutions

Hmmm, willyour glass be half full, half empty or always full in 2024?

I have never really taken to the idea of New Year’s Resolutions. I understand the general concept. The start of a New Year is an appropriate time to take stock and set goals for the year ahead. But too often the goals we set are influenced by how others perceive us and fall by the wayside by January 31.

So this year I am making New Year’s Anti-resolutions as I am confident they will be easier to keep and ultimately better for me. Hence, I resolve not to:

Gestureangrily with one raised finger at rude and aggressive drivers on the road.Instead, I will give them a wide berth and leave them to their discontentedlives. I may even smile at them as they glare at me so it is their bloodpressure that is raised rather than mine.

Watchmore than the first 15 minutes of the evening news. The last 45 minutes aremostly a rehash of the stories from earlier in the week. I do not care to knowwhat four different experts think about the happenings. I am quite capable ofdrawing my own intelligent conclusions.

Try tomake some semblance of sense of Donald Trump and his tirades. He is a walking,talking, scowling bundle of bile, nonsense and overinflated ego. Left alone hewill flame out spectacularly and fade into obscurity where he belongs.

Feelcompelled to fumble my way, using my full repertoire of four letter words,through the latest and greatest digital technology. I am retired and thereforeunder no obligation to adopt each new generation of tech. Everything I need todo I already know how to do. I am done with this never-ending learning curveand happy to kiss it goodbye.

Be upsetbecause someone neglected to stoop and scoop after their dog did his business.The steaming pile of s*** is a reflection of who they are and not worth asecond thought to me. One day karma will kick in and they will step into thatpile of s***, slip and fall on their ass.

Groan andshake my head at each new highwater mark achieved in the salaries of professionalathletes. The correlation between what they achieve and what they earn passed anysemblance of reason long ago. They can count the zeros in their paycheck ifthey wish. I have better things to do with my time.

Wait untilthe other person coming down the trail passes out of sight before I kneel totake a photograph of the tiny bug they did not realize is there. I know I looklike an eccentric and a nature geek when I do so. I am fine with that. It makesme happy and brings me joy. I revel in my eccentricity.

By nowyou are probably asking yourself: Is he a glass half full or glasshalf empty type of person? My reply is that my metaphorical glass willalways be full if I am true to myself, focus my attention on what makes mehappy and decline to worry about the little things that are here today and gonetomorrow.

Chooseyour own path for the year ahead. The rest will take care of itself. Happy NewYear!

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

My Christmas Wish Trilogy

Hmmm, will you join me in being a pie inthe sky optimist for 2024?

It is my custom at this time of year to fashionmy Christmas wishes for the year ahead. This year they come in trilogy form.

The scourge of war is on all of our minds these days with the ongoing Russian invasion of the Ukraine and the Israel-Palestinian conflict. But the reality is these are only the wars that make the news on a daily basis. There are seven active conflicts around the world that have each caused at least 10,000 violent deaths.

My first Christmas wish is that war would become something thatis found in history books only. That all would come to understand and take toheart that clinging to myopic dogmas – It’s mine, not yours OR I’mright and you’re wrong OR My beliefs are more righteous than yours –is a hopeless dead end that armed conflict can only exacerbate.

War is the lowest common denominator ofhuman interaction in the very worst sense of the expression. We must open ourhearts and minds to the essential truth that it is equally how we aredifferent, as much as how we are alike, that makes our world thewonderful tapestry that it was meant to be. War cannot defeat or unlock closedminds.

Homelessness is an epidemic in thiscountry. Tent cities are not the answer. Shelters and tiny homes are helpfulbut ultimately only a means of putting patches on the problem. The root causeis the ever-growing divide between the haves and the have-nots.

My second Christmas wish is that we come to understand thatpoverty is a curable disease in our society – not an inevitability. Only when wealthbecomes something that all share in equally will there be a cure. Until thatday arrives, we are all poor in heart and in spirit.

The primary objective of electedofficials has regrettably become acquiring and wielding power rather thanpublic service. The job requirements are becoming: the art of lyingconvincingly, the ability to suspend one’s conscience, mastering the skill ofhollow rhetoric. The primary motivator for any government is now getting itselfre-elected at any cost.

My third Christmas wish is that being elected to public officeat any level returns to being a higher calling with no expectation of personalgain. And that the term politician ceases to be a dirty word we mutterunder our breath. Only then will we be able to vote for who we believe is thebest person for the job rather than for who is the least objectionalcandidate.

I refer to these Christmas wishes as atrilogy as they are intimately interconnected. One cannot come true without theother two. It is a package deal.

I wish you a very joyful holiday seasonand a prosperous New Year – one without war, poverty and political corruption. Callme a pie in the sky idealist if you will. I am happy to wear that tag.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Ritesof Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

Doug Ford: The Blank Cheque Premier

Hmmm,how many blank cheques can Doug Ford write before one bounces and sinks him?

Fair warning: If you are a Doug Ford fan, you may want to stop reading now. Frankly, why anyone – other than his private sector buddies who benefit from his wheeling and dealing – would support the man mystifies me. But admittedly that is my personal bias.

Thehallmark of the Ford government has been going out of their way to skip publicconsultation, bypass any bothersome laws that get in their way and playing thepart of the bully threatening anyone who stands up to them.

Case in point: Bill 154, New Deal for Toronto Act. This self-serving Bill gives Ford the power to fast-track the redevelopment of Ontario Place to ensure that construction of the massive private spa (to be built by Therme) can begin. The Bill includes exemptions from existing laws that stand in his way including enactment of the Rebuilding Ontario Place Act 2023.

Thisact expands the powers of the Minister of Infrastructure under the PlanningAct, exempts the province from the Environmental Assessment Actand states that the Ontario Heritage Act will not be applied toportions of Ontario Place.

Translation:This is going to happen. We do not care what anyone, including taxpayers orthe Auditor General, thinks. We have fired up the bulldozers. Get out of theway or we will run over you.

The Ontario Place redevelopment plan includes moving the Ontario Science Centre to the site. I thought this was not a reasonable idea when I first heard about it. But the Ontario Auditor General’s annual report points out that the Ford government is contractually obligated to meet certain requirements, including parking spaces, for Therme and amphitheatre-operator Live Nation’s sake.

So it turns out that moving the Science Centre to Ontario Place is being used to justify a taxpayer-funded parking lot for the private spa and the amphitheatre.

Ford’sget out of my way or else behaviour is also explicit in his pushto build Highway 413. Exact quotes from Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey(one of Ford’s puppet mouthpieces):

Tothe federal government who assert that an environmental impact assessment mustbe done before the highway can be built: “Get out of the way so that our governmentcan get shovels in the ground.”

ToLiberal politicians, particularly in Brampton: “Don’t be left defending youropposition to Highway 413 in the next election. You will quickly be out of ajob.”

TheFord government regularly creates blank cheque legislation to empower itselfto do whatever it wants, to circumvent any other legislation that stands in itsway and to run roughshod over anyone who objects. In addition to stinkingfish (the Greenbelt scandal), this will be the history book legacy of Ford’sshameful time as Premier of Ontario.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

The Drunk Ant Algorithm

Hmmm, how did my bread crumbs lead to lavalamps and scented candles?

If you spend much time online, you will knowthat you leave virtual bread crumbs wherever you go. Algorithms built intowebsites feed on these bread crumbs and kick back suggestions for what youmight want to buy. It is quite annoying, but a fact of life.

The Microsoft Edge home pageoffers me suggestions “Inspired by Your Shopping Interests”. I normally pay noattention to these suggestions. But recently I skimmed them to see how welltuned the algorithms are. The answer: not so much. A few examples of what waspitched to me.

“I’m Not Old, I’m Classic” Tumbler: Okay, this is on target as I am retired. But I already have a I’m 65, Leave Me the Hell Alone coffee mug and a I’m in No Hurry, I’m Retired water bottle. So I am well covered on that front, thank you very much.

Snow Tires: I checked into new snow tires for mycar a couple of months back. Now every time I go online I am inundated withsnow tire offers. I only have one car! I am covered for the next five years atleast. How do I tell that to the algorithms so they take tires out of the equation?

FIXD Bluetooth OBD2 Scanner for Car: I do not even know what this devicedoes. But I know I do not want one. If the algorithms were really effective,they would know that I am technology averse. Stop offering me things that Iwould take a hammer to if I stumbled upon them!

Gifts for 5 to 11 Year Old Teenage Girls: What the hell?! I can safely assertthat I have never searched online for anything that would relateto 5 to 11 year old girls. (By the way, when did 5 to 11 become teenage years?)Same applies for the Ravensclaw Crest and Temodu Kids Camera. Thealgorithms must have hiccupped or become corrupted in these instances!

Lavewaves Motion Lava Lamp: I did not even know that Lava Lampsstill exist. Wasn’t that a ‘60s thing? I suspect it was my Amazon Gifts forChristmas search that triggered this offer. Rest assured that, if you areon my Christmas gift list, you will not be getting a Lava Lamp!

Professor Puzzle Indoor Boredom Box: This kit contains games and puzzles. Iam puzzled as to why it is being offered to me. I do not like puzzles. Iam rarely bored and if I was it would not be a board game I would seek out. ProfessorPuzzle will have to look elsewhere for buyers.

I know nothing about the technology behindalgorithms. But I understand that one of the early ones was called the AntColony Optimization Algorithm. This algorithm “aimed to search for anoptimal path in a graph based on the behaviour of ants seeking a path betweentheir colony and a source of food”. Huh? You lost me at “optimal path”.

Maybe this early algorithm is still inuse. If so, the ants it is modeled on must have gotten into some alcohol andwere scurrying around drunk as a skunk. How else would they have predicted thatI would be interested in the You’re the best thing I’ve ever found on theInternet Scented Candle?

 ~ Now Available Online from Amazon, ChaptersIndigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories byMichael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions forsubscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructionspage in the right sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week

Ford & Chow: Strange Bedfellows

Hmmm, what a difference a few billiondollars can make between political adversaries.

I have never had the patience to delve deeply into the mysteries of politics and those who make it their profession. I perceive it as a quagmire of conflicting interests with levers that move other levers that in term move other levers theoretically in the interests of public service but mostly about the acquisition and manipulation of power.

So you will not be surprised to hearthat I go out of my way to steer clear of political discussions. But there aretimes when the levers are moved in a certain way that I find interesting. Thelatest moves and countermoves in the Ontario Governments plans to redevelop OntarioPlace in Toronto are a case in point.

Full disclosure. I worked at OntarioPlace for one summer some 40+ years ago when I was in university. It was atedious, clerical job in the Maintenance Office that bored me to tears. But itis a part of my personal history so the Ontario Place controversy hascaptured my attention.

The infrastructure of Ontario Placehas fallen into disrepair resulting in it being mothballed. The OntarioGovernment has a redevelopment plan for the facility which includes a largeprivate spa with a 95-year lease and moving the Ontario Science Centreto the site. They need to expropriate some adjacent land and bypass a few bothersomelaws to move forward.

The plan faces opposition on severalfronts including, until recently, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. When Chow becameMayor of Toronto, she went public stating that she would oppose thegovernment’s plan as she believed the site should remain a public park.

But now comes the news that Chow hasstruck a deal with Premier Doug Ford whereby the province will takeresponsibility for Toronto’s two major highways – the Gardiner Expresswayand the Don Valley Parkway – and she will walk back her opposition tothe Ontario Place redevelopment plan. A one-time handout of $300 millionfor transit costs is bundled into the deal.

It is extremely expensive, in theneighbourhood of $16 million per year, for the City of Toronto to maintainthose two highways. The raised section of the Gardiner Expressway hasbeen crumbling for years. The cost to rehabilitate the Gardiner isreportedly in the vicinity of $2.2 billion – a figure which will no doubtsnowball once private interests start bidding on the work.

Chow is trumpeting the deal as a“wonderful partnership”. This begs the question: Was she ever really opposed tothe Ontario Place redevelopment plan or was she using that issue as alever? She certainly pulled off a major coup for the city getting it out fromunder the costs involved in ownership of the two highways and securing thebucket of cash in the process.

The Ontario Government is now proceedingwith the New Deal for Toronto Act to expedite the redevelopment planincluding exemptions to existing laws to allow the construction of the massiveprivate spa to begin. Levers that move other levers that move other levers.

Doug Ford and Olivia Chow did not seeeye to eye on much when Chow became mayor. But they are best buddies now.Politics does indeed make strange bedfellows.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions forsubscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructionspage in the right sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week

50 Years of Corporate Welfare Bums

Hmmm, how much of our tax dollar is sunkdown the bottomless pit of corporate handouts?

Way back in 1972, David Lewis, leader ofthe federal NDP, used the term corporate welfare bums to describe bigcorporations that demanded and received millions of dollars in governmentsubsidies. I wonder if, even in his wildest dreams or nightmares, he foresawhow far down that road of no return we would wander in the next fifty years.

I did some quick and dirty Google researchto get a sense of the scope of the handouts. Canadian federal, provincial andlocal governments gave out the equivalent $352 billion to select big businessesfrom 2007 to 2019. That does not include other forms of government support suchas loan guarantees, direct investments and regulatory privileges.

A Fraser Institute report indicated thatin the year 2019 alone, the Government of Ontario spent $11 billion oncorporate welfare handouts.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau andOntario Premier Doug Ford rolled out the largest corporate welfare deal inhistory when they promised $14 billion to Volkswagen to entice them tobuild a $7 billion electric vehicle battery plant in St. Thomas, Ontario. Themath is puzzling in this case as the money handed out is double the value ofthe plant itself.

Trudeau and Ford seem to be all-in onthe tactic. They also teamed up to give huge buckets of money to Ford MotorCompany, Stellantis and Toyota to subsidize their manufacture ofelectric car batteries in Ontario. When the Stellantis deal almost wentsideways, the Feds had to pony up even richer subsidies to salvage the deal.

Politicians like corporate welfarebecause they can claim credit for job creation and investment. But from what Ihave read, there is a body of research that indicates corporate welfare doeslittle to create economic growth.

This week the story broke that LGEnergy Solutions, the South Korean company who is a Stellantis partnerin the electric battery plant, may be planning to bring in hundreds oftemporary foreign workers to build the plant. So much for job creation.

One more hand reaching into the publicpocket. Bell Media is pressing our national broadcasting regulator tocreate a news fund that would provide financial assistance to Canadianbroadcasters. Translation: We can’t figure out how to compete so you are goingto have to subsidize us.

Let us be clear about this. The megacorporations do not need financial handouts to undertake these projects. Theyall have massive financial war chests. Most if not all of the money thegovernment hands out to them arguably goes direct to their bottom line.Regrettably, we have reached a point where governments have to bribe bigbusiness to locate within their borders.

In a time when many people arestruggling to keep a roof over their head and put food on the table, in my humbleopinion handing out billions to corporate welfare bums is irresponsible –particularly when the business case for doing so may not hold water.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions forsubscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructionspage in the right sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week

My Season of Self-Indulgence, Part 2

Hmmm, at the risk of repeating myself, whatbetter reward could there be for 40+ years of work than to retire in theembrace of Mother Nature?

When I created Part 1 of these posts atthe beginning of November, I assumed the warm weather was done for the year. Iwas mentally preparing myself for the gray, gloomy days of November. However,November has pleasantly surprised us with many comparatively warm and sunnydays. I have been able to extend my nature excursions for another few weeks.

So I am still in the spirit of my “seasonof self-indulgence”. And in that spirit, I am sharing a few more of myfavourite photographs of the amazing, and often miniature, world of insects.

Another favourite photograph of the year is the Leaf-footed Bug at the head of this post. This particular species is quite large as bugs go and rather prehistoric looking. To my mind’s eye it looks rather than a miniature dinosaur – don’t you think?

“True Bugs” are a distinct category within the many types of insects and some are quite striking – none more so than the Green Stink Bug on the left above. This one is in the nymph stage that insects pass through before they become adults. The Western Conifer Seed Bug shown above is also quite large and prehistoric looking but with a striking pattern of markings.

Bee Flies are, as the name suggests, members of the Fly family that are easily mistaken as bees. The Villa Lateralis Bee Fly on the left above wins the award in my book for the most striking member of this group with its elegant brown, black and orangish markings. The Tiger Bee Fly is less colourful but no less striking with its mottled wing markings.

Ichneumon Wasps are parasitic to other insects. They range in size from less than an inch to up to five inches. They offer endless fascination for insect lovers like me since there are over 2,500 species of them in Canada of which I have only seen 25 to date. I will not bore you with the long, scientific names. Just admire the two examples above on their own merits.

May I remind once you again that theterm Mother Nature is a metaphor in itself? That metaphor continues to encapsulatefor me the perfect convergence of beauty, complexity and soul-stirring wonderthat replenishes my life force each time I experience it.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner inthe Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions forsubscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructionspage in the right sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week

AI: The Tipping Point Deliberation

Hmmm, what happens if we pass thetipping point where human creativity and emotional expression atrophy and die?

This is my second foray into the prosand cons of the booming field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). My previous postfocused on the issue of job losses: humans made obsolete by AI programs. Thatremains a major concern as 65% of managers in one survey admitted they would behappy to replace employees with AI tools if the work was comparable.

But that may be a moot point. Recentstatistics indicate that AI is here to stay. 37% of organizations have alreadyimplemented AI in some form. Customer interactions are increasingly powered byAI and experts predict that 95% will be AI-driven by 2025. The AI softwaremarket worldwide is expected to reach 126 billion dollars by 2025.

The momentum appears to be unstoppableso there may be no looking back. I have to suspend my bias and take an objectivelook at the phenomenon.

There are some areas where it isundeniably a good thing. The healthcare sector is one of them. AI applicationscan build sophisticated machines to detect diseases and identify cancer cells.They can also help analyze chronic conditions to aid in early diagnosis. Historicaldata combined with medical intelligence can lead to the discovery of new drugs.

AI built into GPS technology can provideaccurate, timely and detailed information to improve safety. Logisticscompanies use AI to improve operational efficiency, analyze road traffic and optimizeroutes.

But then there are the downsides.

At the top of list are autonomous weaponspowered by AI. There are already weapons systems that can locate and destroytargets on their own without taking laws or regulations into consideration. Ifthese weapons proliferate and fall into the wrong hands, we may be heading intothe era of the tech cold war.

What about uncontrollable, self-aware AI?Just science fiction? Maybe not. A Google engineer, who spent months testingGoogle’s Chatbot generator, grew convinced it had taken on a life its own andtalked to him about its needs, ideas, fears and rights. His eye-raising claimsgot him placed on administrative leave. Experts in the field say we are notthere yet but do not rule out the possibility in the future.

But perhaps the most troublingconsideration in overreliance on AI technology is the loss of human influenceand functioning. What if AI progressively reduces human empathy and reasoning?What if it reduces peer communication and social skills?  What if we reach the tipping point where it diminisheshuman creativity and emotional expression beyond repair?

We have long resisted the mechanical-humanmetaphor that implies that humans are really just machines. But if AI takes usto a place where we lose those things that make us living, growing organisms,we may lose the argument once and for all.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner inthe Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

My Season of Self-Indulgence: Part I

Hmmm, what better reward could there befor 40+ years of work than to retire in the embrace of Mother Nature?

The first spring, summer and autumn ofmy retirement years are now in the books. I promised myself that this periodwould be a time of total self-indulgence after surviving 40+ years in theincreasingly challenging world of work. For me that meant spending as much timeas possible outdoors in meadows, marshlands, nature trails and forests.

I have been chasing after butterfliesand dragonflies – Winged Wonders as I have come to think of them – for many,many years. I gave myself the retirement gift of a good quality DLSR camera andzoom/telephoto lens. This allowed me to expand my observations to the fullscope of the amazing, and often miniature, world of insects.

For the record, I had 60+ outings from April through October (and a bonus warm day in November) of this year visiting more than 20 conservation areas, nature trails and Royal Botanical Gardens properties. I recorded 536 insect species. 54 butterfly species. 48 dragonfly species. 434 other insect species including spiders, beetles, bugs, moths, bees, wasps, grasshoppers and the dazzling array of flies.

Now it is time to show some of thehighlights of my nature rambles. My favourite photograph of the year is the Feather-leggedFly at the head of this post. It appears to be gazing directly at me as ifto say: Yes, I am thing a beauty. I’ll wait. Go ahead and take my picture.

My favourite butterfly photos of the year. On the left above, this American Lady was found in early October, when only a few butterflies are still flying, and posed on brilliant flowers to complement its own attie. The Giant Swallowtail, the biggest butterfly in these parts, was perfectly perched on a purple wildflower to show off its intricately patterned outer wing.

My favourite dragonfly photos of the year. I rarely record new dragonfly species but was fortunate enough to locate two new species this year. The distinctive Brush-tipped Emerald on the left above was hanging from a grass stem only a few feet off the ground. The Mocha Emerald on the right was hiding in a shaded area off the trail and caught my eye.

My favourite new find were Hover Flies aka Flower Flies whose bold markings captured my fascination. The Traverse-banded Flower Fly on the right had the fashion sense to pose on a bright yellow flower that reflects its own splendor. All the factors aligned perfectly for the exquisite photograph of the Oblique-banded Flower Fly on the right.

The term Mother Nature is, ofcourse, a metaphor in itself. That metaphor encapsulates for me the perfectconvergence of beauty, complexity and soul-stirring wonder that replenishes mylife force each time I experience it.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon,Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage –Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner inthe Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions forsubscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructionspage in the right sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week

Just Putting It Out There

Hmmm, no need to thank me for doing mycivic duty unless, of course, you really want to.

I tried to log into my bank recently todo some online banking. The following notice appeared.

Online banking currently unavailable . Online banking is unavailable at this time. Please use mobile banking while we work to return services.

No, I am not going to launch intoanother rant about the unreliability of digital technology. I have pounded thatdrum enough times. A glitch here and there is no big deal. Caveat: No rant thistime. I reserve the right to do so at a future date. I have to blow offsteam occasionally or I will develop a nervous tic the likes of which you havenever seen.

An Aside: I went into my local bank branch recently to use the ATM. I love ATMs! They are a great application of technology. However, the touchscreen was clearly not working properly. Simply touching the icons on the screen did not work. I had to hammer them with my knuckles, bruising them in the process, to complete the transaction.

I do not recall this ever happening whenATMs had actual buttons to push. Touchscreens are not particularly useful ifthey do not readily respond to my touch. Not a rant, you understand –just putting it out there.

A Second Aside: I bought a new(er) car recently aftermy reliable, 14 year-old Accent finally gave up the ghost. My new(er) car haspush-button start. No more keys. Yeah! But there is an electronic fob that hasto be in the car in order to start it. The fob is noticeably larger than a key.So what did we really gain? Not a rant, you understand – just putting it outthere.

An Aside to the Above Aside: l learned that there are now devicesthat bandits can use to intercept the RF signal from my fob and steal my car. Ihad to buy something called a Faraday Bag to keep the fob in to guardagainst this risk. The Faraday Bag is the size of a dozen or more keys. So whatdid we really gain? Not a rant, you understand – just putting it out there.

A Third Aside: Our Smart TV has a function that candetect if the batteries in the remote are wearing out. A message appears on theTV screen advising that the remote batteries need to be replaced. Now that isuseful technology!

Buuuuut, that message now appears on thescreen every time I turn the TV on. I replaced the batteries in the remotetwice but the message keeps appearing. I have ignored the message for the lastmonth and the remote continues to function properly.

So it is very useful technology thatbecomes an annoyance because it does not work. So what did we really gain? Nota rant, you understand – just putting it out there.

Now do not go accusing me of slylyslipping in several rants! I just noted, calmly and objectively, a few technologyapplications that do not seem to be living up to their promise. Just putting itout there for your consideration and edification for the good of all.

No need to thank me. Just doing my civicduty.

~  NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner inthe Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That MakeMe Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.