Author: Steve Ainslie

In the real world, I find that most people exhibit a high degree of class, kindness and respect. I am frequently impressed with the kindness, courtesy and grace I observe everyday from neighbors, commuters, service workers, pool patrons and others whom I see regularly. People stop to help someone whose car breaks down. They hold…

The main reason I don’t use TikTok is because “What If I like it?” I have heard stories, read articles and listened to personal anecdotes of how addictive TikTok has become for teenagers and adults. Even the “oldsters” like me who use TikTok talk about how great the algorithm for serving up videos that match…

I’ve been thinking and dreaming about my wife a lot lately. Most of the dreams have been pleasant with us doing ordinary things today like we did when we were were younger and happy (and alive, in her case). I miss those days. Dating, love, family and relationships are discussed on almost every podcast I…

Watching the blatant hypocrisy, in-your-face grifting and lying by Trump and his sycophants is infuriating for people who don’t support him. Watching the gerontocracy, the hypocrisy, insider trading, nepotism and blatant lying of the Democratic elite generates a similar emotional reaction among the people who don’t support the Democrats. Is there waste, fraud and abuse…

I’ve been listening to a bunch of financial independence/early retirement podcasts lately and have noticed a common theme among people who retired in their 40s, 50s and even early 60s: They are struggling to find meaning and purpose. Like me, many had been ambitious career go-getters. Unlike me, all of them graduated from college, many…

My 40th year high school reunion is coming up in 2026. I was curious to see if there would be one. As far as I know, my class of ’86 has not had any official reunions yet. Since we had several hundred students and 40 is kind of a big year, I though there might…

I don’t watch shows or read books that feature torture, horror or extreme violence because they give me nightmares. I’d rather not expose my mind to thoughts of depravity, gore and abuse. It’s not good for my mental well being. For the past year, I’ve spent my evening hours before bed reading books, then browsing…

I have been a fan of computers since I first learned how to use WordPerfect in the early 90s. I couldn’t believe how easy it was type and make corrections vs. using a typewriter. Then, when I learned how to use Lotus to create spreadsheets, I was hooked. I could point, click, select edit, save…

Throughout my career in tech sales, I was exposed to new product launches, shifts in direction, mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, layoffs and other major changes in direction that were dictated from the C-level. Over the years, I learned that unless I had a direct alternative to affect the changes, my best approach was to take a…

There was a flash flood over the 4th of July weekend in Texas that killed 100+ people including 30 young children who were in summer camps. In the immediate aftermath politicians, government officials and pundits are pointing fingers at each other quickly assigning blame for the tragedy. I’ve been directly impacted by two hurricanes, one…