Most of my aware life involved computers. My dad had Pong when I was six. I had an Atari at 8, and by 12 I was enmeshed in the Commodore family. I grudgingly used Windows until I got out of the Army in 1999. As soon as I could, I switched to Linux. Even in law school, I sported a Linux-powered laptop (Gentoo). That changed when in 2009 I adopted Apple. I wanted to use Scrivener to write novels, and it was only available on Apple. I spent the next 15 years using Apple iPad and Mac desktops and laptops. Linux was too much of a fight, I thought. I installed Windows in 2017, twenty years after my last install, to play games. Why did I avoid Windows? They were the evil empire. My professional life was Linux, so it helped to be on the same platform. My Apple adoption was in part because the OS is BSD. But in 2023--24, Apple appeared to have wrested the evil flag from Microsoft. I'm typing this post on a Dell XPS 13" that dual boots Windows 11 and Ubuntu. I am excited to say it works perfectly with my Apple-only LG monitor via the firewire connector. Fifteen years since I used Linux as my daily driver. I'm taking it easy with Ubuntu 23.10. It just worked. Bluetooth connection with the Apple keyboard was a bit of a lift, but there's a lot more community support now than then. For the next 30 days, I'm going to try to drive the Linux only. I have Windows in case I run into a problem. I still have my Apple laptop. Apart from that, I've...

I do most of my goal-setting in October. What follows is my reflection on those goals and a revision to my plan to complete said goals. In 2013 and 2016, I used the "three word" concept to define what I hoped to accomplish over that year. In 2013, it was "write. right. lead." The three were intwined and focused on being a better father and writer. In 2016, it was "write. restore. realign." This spoke to my need to stop floundering as a writer and leader. The "restore" was about a 1972 Super Beetle that I helped find its final resting place. Before going further, I would be remiss if I did not confess that I failed on those goals. What could go wrong? It's 2024. My words are "focus. faith. fitness." I'm seeing a trend. I started 2023 strong. By April, however, things took a turn as I shifted to working on a writing application that rivals MS Word and Scrivener. I've explained this before, so I won't waste more words on that. • Focus. I want to focus on finishing the novels I planned to in 2023. That is four novels and a lot of writing. • Faith. My beliefs about reality are my foundation. A lot has been going on these past few years well beyond my control. I've been geo-politically aware or informed since 1979, but the last few years have gotten a bit too much. Fear is the word, and my counter to that is to focus on my faith. It all works out right in the end, even if it's not the outcome I would prefer. • Fitness. I've been up and down on...