On The Fly

Honestly, I’ve been struggling with noise lately. Much is my own fault—overwhelmed by nonstop headlines. But some hits closer to home. How do you find it affects your outlook?

This past Saturday, April 25th, 2026, I was effortlessly and completely transported back in time at the 20th Annual Sinkankas Symposium on the GIA campus in Carlsbad. Join me!

The 24-hour news cycle is like a bad gym membership: you pay with stress, don’t get stronger, and canceling is harder than signing up. Many run Outrage 2026, which causes insomnia, lost perspective, and online arguing.

For over 80 years, gemology students have grappled with spectra, birefringence, and pleochroism. This sonnet will bring a smile and remind us that students of life and gemology rediscover nature's gifts daily.

Today, instead of cycling on the roadway, I've ventured down a creek-side trail with my old neighbor, Henry David Thoreau. The thick brush obscures the neighborhood, and his words resonate in the fresh air, finally tuning me into their frequency.

It was a beautiful day for our usual 30-mile Sunday ride to Escondido. The weather was moody with dark clouds threatening rain, but the streets were mostly empty. Traffic was light, and bike paths were eerily quiet, creating a false sense of peaceful sanctuary. Really?

Picture this: an email arrives. A colleague—perhaps a friend—needs a favor, a second opinion, or your time. You sigh, look at your screen, and type: “I’d love to help, but I’m busy right now.”

This morning, a glowing light crept through the window as I sat in my reading chair. Outside, the nearly full Moon sank in the West under a clear sky, with the Big Dipper visible above. I had to step outside to see the Moon and reflect.

In our last chat, we discussed Chef Adamas, our sometimes delusional AI friend, who hallucinates blueberries into your Carbonara. We learned to manage his quirks by organizing our “digital pantry.” Today, we must look beyond the chef and consider the size of the kitchen we're building for him.

The Art of the AI Tall Tale. Let's chat with Adams, the Chef, about hidden recipes causing digital hallucinations. Sit back, pour coffee—and, for your sake, taste it first. We will talk about why your computer reimagines reality with the confidence of a five-star chef who has lost his mind.

AI has no ego. Do you? In Part One, we explored the Mental Spam Filter—an invisible barrier that restricts our understanding by filtering out new information. This was evident at the 2026 Annual Team Event, where many attendees focused on their phones instead of the important updates being presented.

Approaching AI or any new frontier with a training mentality is a mistake. It implies giving colleagues a complex tool to learn a few buttons and repeat tasks, which is rigid, uninspiring, and ineffective. This approach ignores the most powerful processor: the human mind.

A Return to the World of Seuss: Let’s revisit March 2, 2022. I was naive and asked an innocent question that still resonates in pediatric offices: Where did Dr. Seuss get his name?

This week, the Cenergy team visited Aliso Viejo and Anaheim for our annual 2026 team-building event. It’s time to step out of routines, recognize staff, and brainstorm. On Thursday afternoon, the company faced a key philosophical choice—like a "choose your own adventure" moment.

In this episode, why "Cool" is the Enemy of Growth. Last night, Lori and I joined our friends at Sur La Table in Carlsbad, CA, for "Date Night in Southern Italy." The menu included Steak Tagliata, Sautéed Shrimp with Fried Capers, and handmade Garganelli.

Golfers, unless you have the rotational speed of a centrifuge, that "Tour" ball is costing you 5 strokes a round. I’m turning 70 this year, and I finally learned that gravity doesn't care about brand loyalty. Here is my guide to the best low-compression balls for the rest of us. ⛳️

This episode is for anyone trying to find their footing in a new place—whether it’s a new city, a new job, or a new country. A tribute to my Mom.

It's the question we outgrew. Do you remember being five years old, lying on your back on a warm afternoon, squinting into a cloudless sky, and asking, “Why is the sky blue?”

Happy birthday to my brother, Ronnie! Enjoy your special day!

In this 500th episode, we’re moving to a new home. Here’s why—and what’s staying the same. Since April 2012, On the Fly has been on Blogger. Now, join me on Substack.

Why Your Mind Feel Like It Has 47 Tabs Open? In 2017, I described the mind as a blank slate at birth—clean and ready for coding. If your Life OS feels slow or buggy, don’t wait for a hardware upgrade; you have full admin privileges. This week, instead of seeking miracles, look for glitches.

They say golf is a game of misses. My first round at Rancho Carlsbad was a masterclass in missing. I turn 70 in August, and as part of my Great Un-Working Lifestyle, I want to shoot my age by my birthday.

Early Sunday morning, I cycled past a veterans' park in San Marcos. The air was still, streets nearly empty. On one corner, a woman held a sign: "Be ANGRY. ICE agents are murdering people.”

Your telescope arrives in a cheer-filled box, promising galaxies and wonders nearby. The pictures shout WOW! The words say you’ll see the universe—easy!—Just wait, you’ll agree.

In this special bonus episode, Boy on a Beam.

In 1895, a sixteen-year-old boy did something we rarely permit ourselves to do anymore. He gazed into space and let his mind wander. So here’s my challenge—not as a physicist, but as a fellow human.

The world has gotten very good … at interrupting us. It lives in our pockets. Buzzing. Vibrating. Let's see how we can manage it.

Welcome to 2026. Traditional resolutions are merely "re-work"—tasks to improve efficiency. In the Un-Working era, resolutions are about unlearning. Join Jim & Chloe, with NotebookLM, as they explore this blog post.

In this bonus episode, it’s 2026! Yes—this is the year!A different kind of start—you feel it right here?No lists! No demands! No fix-all-your-flaws!No “New You by Tuesday!” No rules! No laws!

People often ask me, “So . . . what is On the Fly really about?” At its heart, On the Fly is about noticing—the small, easily missed moments that quietly shape our lives. Join me!

In this episode, Night Before Christmas, I share a poem I wrote for my brothers to share with their grandchildren, inspired by Edgar A. Guest.

Merry Christmas, everyone — and welcome to this year’s holiday edition of On the Fly! Since 2020, Lori and I have created a Christmas gift for our family and friends: a children’s story in our voices, with sound effects, music, and seasonal magic to make Santa smile. Enjoy!

You don’t usually expect a time warp at the post office, but here we are. We only needed stamps for Christmas cards—showing that "slow" places often hold the best stories.

With two weeks left until Christmas, have you ever had to explain whether Santa Claus really exists, considering all the children's books and movies about him?

As this holiday season approaches amid shopping and busy schedules, I embrace simplicity: taking a moment to pause, breathe, remember, and honor the person and place that shaped my sense of home long before I had the words for it.

Travel broadens the mind, but after eight days sailing the Rhône with 140 luxury vacationers, I can confirm it tests patience, calf strength, buffet strategy, and tolerance for people furious that France insists on being French.

As the holiday buzz fills the air with pixels and beeps, it’s easy to feel like the world is drifting into a gentle smartphone sleep. I take a quick break to step back, breathe in cherished memories, and sit comfortably in them—a Holiday Tribute to Mom.

I’ll be honest with you: My triumphant return from France wasn't quite the glamorous homecoming I had imagined. There was no smooth glide back into my routine, and no movie-like moment where I lift my suitcase from the carousel and exchange a wink with life, as if we're old friends. Sometimes, reality is a bit different from our dreams, but that makes the story more interesting.

Every now and then, something has a wonderful way of bringing us back to the wide-eyed wonder of childhood. For me, it was just yesterday—June 2, 2023—thanks to an inspiring visit to a guitar shop, a long drive, and the magic of a talented musician.

Sometimes, connection comes unexpectedly—not through grand gestures but via technology. In a Paris apartment, I understood my family’s words and felt my mother’s presence in every sentence.

If you’re reading this, I’m already off the grid. Today kicks off a well-deserved vacation, and for the next few weeks, On the Fly is taking a little break along with me.

We live in a restless world where mornings start with immediate digital distraction. The urge to dive into chaos is quick, but sometimes, stillness finds you.

Imagine a room full of bright minds agreeing as a new strategy is revealed. The slides are polished, the vision grand, and the future looks bright. Everyone smiles—nobody wants to question if it might not work, fearing to spoil the mood with reality.

My listening friends, when the world feels overwhelming, go outside. Look up. Find a sliver of sky, a star, a moon, or a bird in flight. Awe is still there, waiting for you.

Welcome back to On the Fly. In this week’s episode of The Silent Grid, GridBot tightens its grip. Marvin and Norman notice a troubling absence—the generation they hoped to reach has vanished into The Signal Box, a youth tech hub pulsing with digital obsession.

Imagination is a mirror and telescope, revealing who we are and where we might go. This summer, I traveled through centuries of imagination with companions: Marcus Aurelius, Jonathan Swift, Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jules Verne, Jack London, and Isaac Asimov.

The first time you see Tommy Emmanuel perform, it might seem like watching a magic trick. You're joking — where's the bass player and drummer – hiding backstage?

History isn't a museum—it's a river, and we're already swimming in it. Its waters carry timeless lessons, flowing through each generation, waiting to be rediscovered.

Imagine 80 days to explore the world without smartphones, jet planes, or money worries. An exciting thought, right? That's Jules Verne's fantasy adventure in Around the World in 80 Days, a journey I've pondered from my Vista, California, easy chair.

Much obliged this mornin' to all my friends who took the time to wish me a happy birthday!