Michael T. Starks

Author: admin

  • Isolation Patterns

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    When I was growing up (in the 1970’s), we would often get together with my dad’s large family or my mom’s family. Kids, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all spent a decent amount of time together. Have I provided that experience to our kids? Not nearly to the same degree. I got to know…

  • Process vs. Product

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    Process comes first. You can never create a great product without first developing a good process. You may not find a great process. It’s likely your process is going to change over time. But creation depends on process. In a YouTube video, Romantical (Jonah Feingold) says, “Create the thing. Release the thing, and move on.”…

  • Journey

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    Journey is one of my favorite bands. On Monday, April 6, 2026, I got to see them LIVE at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I had never seen them before. The best part was being there with Kris and Melodie, who also enjoyed the show! I recognized most of the…

  • My R2-D2 Calendar

    —

    by

    admin
    in , ,

    I’ve come to love this R2-D2 calendar! Sure, I like that it’s a fun Star Wars toy that makes several different R2-D2 sounds when you select the day of the month. But I’m more intrigued by the mathematical questions it poses. For example, what is the minimum number of blue items needed to represent every…

  • Finding Your Purpose

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    Sometimes I write to share my thoughts on what other people have written. Today, I got an email from Mark Manson. He says, “We live in a culture obsessed with discovering your one true purpose—a billion-dollar self-help industry, countless TED talks, and graduation speeches that promise every person a unique, singular calling. Yet surveys show…

  • Alcohol

    —

    by

    admin
    in , ,

    I don’t think of myself as an alcoholic. Even though I realize that I drink more alcohol than is typically suggested for me to be as healthy as I would like. When I look at my aunts, uncles, friends, and other family members, I recognize that I’m not alone in wanting to drink alcohol to…

  • The Academy Awards

    —

    by

    admin
    in , , ,

    Ahead of time, I correctly guessed 14 of the 21 Academy Awards granted today. That’s two-thirds, or 66%: not a good grade from an academic POV! But it’s also not bad. My movie sensibilities at least track with the people voting. Have I seen ALL of the movies nominated? No. Especially not the shorts. But…

  • Creative Juice

    —

    by

    admin
    in , ,

    This morning, I recalled the phrase “Is the juice worth the squeeze?” While it’s been used for decades, a related phrase gained popularity in 2004 after appearing in the movie The Girl Next Door. In a pivotal scene, Timothy Olyphant’s character says, “Always know if the juice is worth the squeeze.” I love how this…

  • Time vs. Energy

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    There are many times I’ve lamented the fact that I don’t have enough time to do it all. While time is a constraint, it’s not the most important one. Energy is what matters! There are things that we’re excited to work on. They wake us up! They keep us engaged. We should do more of…

  • Agency

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    Humans have agency. From what I’ve seen so far, I’m not convinced that AI agents have agency. AI agents need to be programmed. They follow a very specific set of steps that need to be defined by humans. While this may change in the future, I think now is the time for humans to initiate…