Michael Harling's Blog, page 3

2025, So Far

It’s insidious how we unknowingly compensate for infirmities. We think we’re doing all we used to, but gradually we start expecting less—lighter loads, increasingly infrequent activity, reluctance to be left alone lest something unexpected happens. And that’s what happened to our clothes dryer.

It wasn’t that old—we bought it after we had the kitchen renovated just six years ago—so the groans and moans, and occasional alarming smell, took us by surprise, and soon we were reluctant to leave th...

AI Wants Me, but I Don’t Want AI

I hope you are all doing wonderfully well! I am writing to share some exciting insights and developments regarding Artificial Intelligence.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is undeniably transforming the way we live, work, and interact with the world around us. From voice-activated assistants like Siri and Alexa to the more complex algorithms that power self-driving cars and predictive analytics, AI is rapidly weaving itself into the fabric of our daily lives. It’s not just about convenienc...

The Postman Never Rings Twice

In fact, they rarely ring at all, and occasionally don’t leave any post.

The first was a birthday card. (Yes, my birthday has come and gone. Some time ago, so don’t bother wishing me a happy birthday. It’s all behind me now and I’m resigned to having entered my eighth decade.)

I was touched by the Postal Service’s concern for the card. It was from my son and arrived wrapped in a clear plastic bag with a note plastered to it assuring me they cared about me, and my mail, and had therefore—ha...

2025 Resolution: Don’t be Sloppy

I learned a new word today. Well, not a new word exactly, more a new meaning for an old word, sorta like SPAM, that went from meaning that abomination in a ribbon-of-death can served every Wednesday in something my mom called Spanish Rice which we all hated but had to eat because, back then, you ate what was put in front of you, to meaning 95% of the messages that land in my IN Box.

Top Left: Spam Top Right: SPAM
Centre bottom: the metal razor-ribbon of death (ask your grandma)

This old-wo...

The Year in Review

I love traditions, but I hate being predictable, so I am a bit ambivalent about posting this cliché, offering a look back at 2024, something which every other blog (all twelve of them) is probably doing today.

Made it!

However, 2024 was a momentous year, not only for the world, but me as well, so I feel sorta obligated. As a favour, and to keep you all from foraging for razor blades or taking a fatal dose of mince pies, I’ll leave the momentous happenings of the world aside and focus primar...

Christmas Truce

My wife and I called a Christmas Truce this year.

I’m afraid the many places in the world where an actual Christmas Truce (or a truce of any kind) would be welcome are not going to benefit. Likewise, it’s not as monumental as when two warring armies agreed to stop killing each other for a while so they could get together for a soccer game in No Man’s Land.

British and German soldiers in No Man’s Land during an impromptu and unauthorized Christmas Truce
Don’t look for the Americans, they arr...

I’m Saving Your Life; You’re Welcome

The Oxford “word of the year” has just been announced:

“Brain Rot” which is defined as the deterioration of intellectual capacity as a result of overconsumption of trivial or unchallenging material.

They are talking about the likes of Twitter* and TikTok but, not wanting to be sued into oblivion, have opted for obfuscation.

* It is still Twitter to me, and to almost everyone else in the world, because you can’t just change the name of something and expect people to fall in line, no matt...

On Becoming a Reader

I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was eleven years old. I was no stranger to stories (I watched Sky King and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, after all) and spent a great amount of time inventing my own, just for something to do. (“Me Time” we had in abundance before 24/7 TV and TikTok.) My epiphany came when I invented a story so amazing, so thrilling, and so unique that I had to write it down.

It involved a man who crashes his plane into the jungle. Then a second man, coming to rescu...

Thanksgiving

These days, we maintain a low-key Thanksgiving tradition.

During my early years, I clung to the notion of the big dinner with all the trimmings. We would invite family and friends around and I’d enjoy trying to explain the holiday to them, but they never really got it, and I can only do my “Creamed Corn” routine so many times. The joke is over, the tradition has worn thin, so there is no compelling reason to even make note of the day. But we still do.

It tastes like corn syrup and looks li...

Old Dog, Old Tricks

I have grandchildren. Three of them: two boys and one girl.

I generally say this while holding my hand out at waist level, as if they are still toddlers, when I should be holding it at head height. The oldest is now 14, and the girl is 9. The middle child, Charlie, is 12, and he is a writer.

I found this out last year when we visited them in the States. He was showing me a project he was working on involving photos of his dinosaurs taken with his mom’s phone, which he turned into a sort of...