The Bell Curve of Life: 2026

Friday, October 23, 2026

Mateo and Mission Hills High School Marching Band

We had a chance to watch Mateo perform as a part of the Mission Hills High School Marching Band this month. It was a lot of fun to watch!

That's him heading towards us.

Another shot of him.

Getting ready with the rest of the band.

A shot of him without his hat.

The entire band did a great job. It probably helped that our team won.

The horn section.

It was almost the perfect temperature.

After the performance.

Friday, October 2, 2026

The First Photographs of People Born in the 1700s

Private Mail between Bronze Age Kings by Irving Finkel

History of the World - The Bronze Age

The Uruk Period (4000 - 2900 BCE)

Ashurbanipal - The First Library in the World

The Ark Before Noah by Irving Finkel

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Major Discoveries at Gobekli Tepe

Gobekli Tepe - new discoveries as of Summer 2026

Exploring Gobekli Tepe with Klaus Schmidt

Gobekli Tepe Theory from Irving Finkel

Flood Stories Throughout History Including Noah's Ark

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Building a Hedge Row

If there's a bustle in your hedge row, don't be alarmed now

Misconceptions About Human Evolution

Q&A on Mayan Civilization with Dr Ed Barnhart

Mayan Ball Game by Dr. Ed Barnhart

Mayan Ball Game Explained in 5 Minutes

Thousand Body Discovery from Medieval Times

Thousand-Year-Old Execution Site

Lost Civilizations of South America

Eric Cline on the Real Armageddon

Jeff Bezos Predicts Labor Shortage

Mike Stonebraker on the History of Databases

Barbara Liskov on Software Development

10,600 Year Old Textiles Found

Transitional Species Homo Habilis

Monday, August 24, 2026

Using LIDAR to find Mayan Cities

Lost Civilizations of Maya, Aztec, and Inca

Civilization Collapse is Scheduled

Bronze Age Collapse caused by 300-year Drought

Map of the World According to the Babylonians

Palenque Discoveries You Haven't Seen Before

Napoleon's Final Years in Exile

This man concisely explains a few points about conversations that I've slowly been learning over the years. I wish I had watched this video a few decades ago - I could have had better conversations much earlier in my life.

Show Genuine Interest

If you haven't read the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People", I highly recommend it. Though it is about a century old, the thoughts expressed in the book are as true today as they were then.

This video doesn't refer to the book, but it does cover an important topic in the book: "Become Genuinely Interested in Other People". I've always been interested in others, but have been improving how I go about that and will continue to do so.

Better Man

Anyone watching has probably noticed that the posts to this blog have been changing.

That is a result of a few things. First, my grandkids are now at an age where they don't really want their grandfather posting about them, so I will respect that. Well, for the most part anyway. :)

Second, now that I'm retired I have the time to look into things I've always wanted to research. That includes many topics including history, architecture, art, music, and self-improvement. Upcoming blog posts will cover these topics as it is a convenient place to hold onto great information I've found on these topics.

This post will be the first labeled "Self-Improvement" and there is not a better song to represent that topic than this Pearl Jam song. Not that I stay out until 4am or anything, but I will indeed try to be a better man.

Do You Have Tinnitus?

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Why We Elect Idiot Politicians

It makes sense now. Not that I like it.

Sunday, July 12, 2026

Chris Stapleton Concert

We went to see Chris Stapleton on Saturday night - what a great show! We were in our seats early so we could relax and get comfortable.

It worked - the beer and wine did the trick!

He had a simple stage setup - with music as fantastic as his, that is all that is needed.

The last time I saw that many cowboy hats and boots in one place was when I lived in Oklahoma!

He played every song we expected and we were very pleased to hear them.

He can sure belt out a tune!

Chris was at the top of his game.

And it showed.

I believe he said that is his wife at the mic.

He is a man of few words between songs - he lets the music do the talking.

All too soon, it was over.

Let's rewind and see the opening act: Molly Tuttle.

Molly has a strong bluegrass sound to her music. We liked it so much we are going to buy some of her music!

She played original material as well as songs from Joni Mitchell and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Arts & Architecture Magazine Case Study Houses

The Case Study Houses were residential home designs sponsored by Arts & Architecture magazine during the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s. They were intended to showcase inexpensive ideas for home designs during the housing boom after the end of World War II.

John Entenza from Arts and Architecture magazine led the effort which led to 36 designs that resulted in 25 constructed homes, mostly in Southern California.

[NOTE: Blogspot has a bug that causes videos to be displayed in unpredictable sizes on mobile devices. This post is best viewed from a computer instead of a mobile device]

Case Study House 1 by JR Davidson

10152 Toluca Lake Avenue, Los Angeles

Article on Case Study House 1

Case Study House 2 by Sumner Spaulding and John Rex

857 Chapea Road, Pasadena

Article on Case Study House 2

Case Study House 3 by William Wurster and Theodore Bernardi

13187 Calon Road, Los Angeles (no longer exists)

Article on Case Study House 3

Case Study House 4 "Greenbelt House" by Ralph Rapson

(never built)

Article on Case Study House 4

Drawings of Case Study House 4

Case Study House 5 "Loggia House" by Whitney R. Smith

(never built)

Article on Case Study House 5

Drawings of Case Study House 5

Case Study House 6 "Omega" by Richard Neutra

(never built)

Article on Case Study House 6

Drawings of Case Study House 6

Case Study House 7 by Thornton Abell

6236 N Deerfield Avenue, San Gabriel

Article on Case Study House 7

Case Study House 8 "Eames House" by Charles and Ray Eames

203 Chautauqua Way, Pacific Palisades

Article on Case Study House 8

Article on Case Study House 8 by Eames Foundation

Case Study House 9 "Entenza House" by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen

205 Chautauqua Way, Pacific Palisades

Article on Case Study House 9

Article on Case Study House 9 by Eames Foundation

Case Study House 10 by Kemper Nomland and Kemper Nomland Jr

711 San Rafael Avenue, Pasadena (heavily modified)

Article on Case Study House 10

Article on Case Study House 10 after modifications

Case Study House 11 by JR Davidson

540 S Barrington Avenue, Los Angeles (no longer exists)

Article on Case Study House 11

Case Study House 12 "Lath House" by Whitney R. Smith

(never built)

Article on Case Study House 12

Drawings of Case Study House 12

Case Study House 13 "Alpha House" by Richard Neutra

(thought to have never been built, discovered in South Pasadena)

Article on Case Study House 13

Case Study House 13 for sale in Pasadena

Drawings of Case Study House 13

Case Study House 14

I can find no information on this house.

Case Study House 15 by JR Davidson

4755 Lasheart Drie, La Canada Flintridge

Case Study House 16 by Rodney Walker

10617 Encino Drive, Oak View, CA

9945 Beverly Grove Drive, Beverly Hills (no longer exists)

Article on Case Study House 16 by Walker

Photos of Case Study House 16 by Walker

Case Study House 16 (duplicate number) "Salzman House" by Craig Ellwood

1811 Bel Air Road, Los Angeles

Photos of Case Study House 16 by Ellwood

Case Study House 16 by Ellwood for sale

Case Study House 16 by Ellwood application for Historic-Cultural Monument

Case Study House 17 by Rodney Walker

7861 Woodrow Wilson Drive, Hollywood

Article on Case Study House 17 by Walker

Case Study House 17 (duplicate number) by Craig Ellwood

9554 Hidden Valley Road, Beverly Hills (heavily modified)

Article on Case Study House 17 by Ellwood

Photos on Case Study House 17 by Ellwood

Case Study House 18 "West House" by Rodney Walker

199 Chautauqua Way, Pacific Palisades

Case Study House 18 by Walker for sale

Case Study House 18 (duplicate number) "Fields House" by Craig Ellwood

1129 Miradero Road, Beverly Hills (no longer exists)

Article on Case Study House 18 by Ellwood

Case Study House 19 by Don Knorr

(never built)

Article on Case Study House 19

Case Study House 20 "Stuart Bailey House" by Richard Neutra

219 Chautauqua Boulevard, Pacific Palisades

Article on Case Study House 20 by Neutra

Second Article on Case Study House 20 by Neutra

Case Study House 20 (duplicate number) "Bass House" by C Buff, C Straub, D Hensman

2275 North Santa Rosa Avenue, Altadena

Article on Case Study House 20 by Buff, Straub, Hensman

Second Article on Case Study House 20 by Buff, Straub, Hensman

Photo of Case Study House 20 by Buff, Straub, Hensman

Case Study House 21 by Richard Neutra

(never built)

Case Study House 21 (duplicate number) "Walter Bailey House" by Pierre Koenig

9038 Wonderland Park Avenue, Los Angeles

Article on Case Study House 21 by Koenig

Case Study House 22 "Stahl House" by Pierre Koenig

1635 Woods Drive, Los Angeles

Article on Case Study House 22 by Koenig this is the most famous Case Study House

Case Study House 23A"Triad" by Killingsworth, Brady, Smith & Associates

2342 Rue de Anne, La Jolla

Article on Case Study House 23A

Photo of Case Study House 23A

Case Study House 23B "Triad" by Killingsworth, Brady, Smith & Associates

2343 Rue de Anne, La Jolla (heavily modified)

Article on Case Study House 23B

Case Study House 23C "Triad" by Killingsworth, Brady, Smith & Associates

2329 Rue de Anne, La Jolla

Article on Case Study House 23C

Note the following video discusses mostly 23C but covers all three Triad houses. The initial view is of 23A.

Case Study House 24 "Eichler Homes" by A. Quincy Jones and Frederick E. Emmons

(never built)

Article on Case Study House 24 by Jones and Emmons

Photos of Case Study House 24 by Jones and Emmons

Case Study House 25 "Frank House" by Killingsworth, Brady, Smith & Associates

82 Rivo Alto Canal, Long Beach

Article on Case Study House 25 by Killingsworth, Brady, Smith & Associates

Case Study House 25 for sale

Case Study House 26 "Harrison House" by Beverly 'David" Thorne

177 San Marino Drive, San Rafael

Article on Case Study House 26 by Thorne

Article on Case Study House 26 by Thorne after modifications

Case Study House 27 by Campbell and Wong

(never built)

Case Study House 28 "Janss/Pacific Case Study House" by C Buff and D Hensman

489 Oak Creek Drive, Thousand Oaks

Article on Case Study House 28 by Buff and Hensman

Second Article on Case Study House 28 by Buff and Hensman

Case Study Apartment 1 by Alfred N Beadle and Alan A Daily

Phoenix, Arizona

Article on Case Study Apartment 1 by Beadle and Daily

Photos of Case Study Apartment 1 by Beadle and Daily

Case Study Apartment 2 "Whitmore Apartments" by Killingsworth, Brady, Smith and Associates

(never built)

Photos of Case Study Apartment 2

Case Study House 1950 by Raphael Soriano

1080 Ravoli Drive, Pacific Palisades (no longer exists)

Article on Case Study House 1950 by Soriano

Photos of Case Study House 1950 by Soriano

Saturday, June 6, 2026

How Can We Tell if a Stock Market Correction or Bear Market is Near?

With stock markets at or near all-time highs, it is natural to begin considering when the next significant downturn will happen.

Here are some thoughts on the topic. I don't agree with everything said, but there are some very good points in these videos. Take from them what you want!

"Permabear" Jeremy Grantham on Why Wall Street Won't Tell You

Sasha on What's Goin' On Right Now

Jamie Dimon on the World Right Now

My favorite investors are Warren Buffet, Charlie Munger and Jack Bogle. As I run across great videos of them, I will include them below.

Changes to Index Fund Inclusion Rules

In or around May 2026, some index funds have made significant changes to how they determine what stocks to include in their indexes.

I am not real thrilled with these rule changes and it will likely affect which index funds I invest in going forward.

In case you haven't heard about these changes, watch a few of the videos below so you can make up your own mind.

Space X IPO and the S&P 500

Who Changed Rules Right Before SpaceX IPO

If I come across videos with additional info, I will add them below.

Where To Park Cash

Let's discuss relatively safe places to park money. By "relatively safe", I mean with low to no risk of significant decline in value and accessible for withdrawal within just a few days (under a week in most cases).

Most investors consider options such as savings accounts, CDs, US Treasuries and bonds.

Savings accounts can be accessed the fastest in most cases, but often don't offer returns that keep pace with inflation.

CDs typically offer higher returns, but usually still don't keep up with inflation.

Short-term US treasuries, aka t-bills, keep up with inflation but don't do much more than that.

Longer-term US treasuries can return more than inflation, but also come with higher risk of loss in value if you sell them before maturity or hold them in an ETF type of environment.

Investment-grade bonds offer even better returns but also come with a high risk of significant loss in value in some time periods - especially when interest rates are rising.

Note all of the thoughts above are my opinions and are not meant as advice to you - study publicly available information and reach your own conclusions.

Below are some good videos on the topic.

What are bonds?