Michael T. Starks

Author: admin

  • Desperado

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    It’s been a while since I’ve posted a song. Here’s my rendition of this classic song by the Eagles. I remember listening to this one over and over as a kid. It’s still one of my favorites. Of course, you’ve still got to listen to the original.

  • Discovering Artists

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    Recently, I stumbled upon the following video about Jon Batiste. I had never heard of him before this. I immediately wanted to know more about this artist! His joy and enthusiasm are infectious. I love how he provides feedback and music in response to this song he’s never heard before. So, I looked up some…

  • The Fibonacci Sequence

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    Here’s a cool explanation of why the Fibonacci sequence appears in nature. Note: The following assumes that you took the time to read this article by Dr. Katie Spalding. I previously hadn’t considered that there must be a “most irrational” number, and I certainly didn’t know it as “phi”. This is one of the things…

  • Wisdom at 55

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    I’m going to be 55 years old on November 5, 2024. For my birthday, I would like to see Kamala Harris elected as the next president of the United States of America. Is that too much to ask? I don’t feel like I’m particularly wise at this age. Still, I have learned a few things…

  • Discovering Lost Songs

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    I’m more than a little excited to learn about the Chopin waltz that has been discovered after nearly 200 years! You can hear Lang Lang play it here. This reminds me of Now and Then, a song that became the last “official” Beatles song. John was working on a demo in his apartment in New…

  • Many Traits

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    Today, I learned more about the DiSC system of preferred behaviors. My “type” is “iD” (for those in the know), which is unusual for the people in the research and development organization where I work. The most interesting thing about my assessment is that my “dot” is very close to the center. This means that…

  • Free Play (v2)

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    For years, I’ve talked to people about the value of playing make-believe as a kid. Growing up, I invited friends from the neighborhood to my tree house. It became a yacht navigating the world’s oceans, a spaceship taking us to distant stars, the headquarters of a vast network of spies, and a temporary home in…

  • What Matters Most?

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    Everyone is going to have a different answer to this question. Love, contribution, learning, connection, action, reflection… There are so many possible answers. Many things matter. Sometimes, I can pick out a single movie or song as my favorite. But I would never want to only be able to watch that one movie or listen…

  • Galaxy Zoo Now

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    Like many people, I’ve learned more about Artificial Intelligence (AI), from ChatGPT to Llama. Large Language Models (LLM’s) have become much better at a certain kind of pattern matching. It made me think about a project I participated in several years ago. Galaxy Zoo began as a way for thousands of volunteers to help astronomers…

  • Ethan Hawke

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    Ethan Hawke is one of my heroes who I’ve met in person. He was on a panel with Greta Gerwig at the Telluride Film Festival, probably in 2019. As he left the courthouse, I told him how much I admired his work. He was kind as he engaged in a short conversation with me before…