Bringing AI to the rescue

Recently, my solar panel system stopped producing. The cause was its inverter that turns AC into DC current which broke down. I contacted the installer, someone was sent at my house to find the inverter faulty but still under warranty and requested a return authorization. Ten days later they came to install a replacement one and everything was back to normal. 

It’s only another week later that I received and invoice for $670. At first they sent me just the amount, then as I requested an itemized bill, I realized that I was charged for elements that should have been free under warranty, so after reading again the contract I had signed 6 years ago, I realized that under warranty, the charges were questionable. 

That’s when I sent a clear explanation of the situation along with a PDF copy of my contract to AI and in 2 or 3 seconds received a complete analysis and a detailed course of action, including a letter to the installer spelling that I was requesting the annulment of the invoice. 

It took a few more back and forth with that AI and then another one, mostly to make sure I was on solid ground, until the installer agreed to cancel the bill. 

Had I asked an attorney to do that work, I would have received less quality help and been charged $2,000. Thank you AI!

Accidental death of a potgut

For those not familiar with the Rocky Mountains region, what's called a “potgut” is a rodent with a popular name derived from their apparent fat looking belly. a so-called ground squiirel. In fact, they are known in scientific circles as Uinta ground squirrels, are primarily herbivorous, and mostly eat grass, seeds, and leaves.

They disappear from view in August and return in April or May. In between, they are supposed to hibernate. Not a bad life! Their only problem is that they’re close to the ground and even though they can stand up on their hind-legs to see a bit farther, crossing a road can be a dangerous endeavor. Many get ran over that way. 

So yesterday, as we were walking, we saw one laying flattened in the gutter. A sad story that made me think “Do potguts go to Heaven?” So, I imagined our flat little fellow, showing up at the Pearly Gates and welcomed by Saint Peter. 

• St. Peter: Hi, who are you? 
• Potgut: I’m what they call a Potgut in Utah 
• St. Peter: Never heard of that… 
• Potgout: Do you speak Latin? 
• St. Peter: Yeah, I used to live in Rome… 
• Potgut: I’m a Urocitellus armatus 
• St. Peter: What happened to you? 
• Potgut: I got ran over by a Tesla driven well over the speed limit! 
• St. Peter: I see, that’s too bad, next time pay attention! Wait a second and let me see what I can do for you… I could put you upstairs, it’s the comfy version of Eternity… Here you go, there’s a tiny vacant corner available for you. 
• Potgut: I need a lot of sleep, is there a good bed there? 
• St. Peter: Well the company that dwells upstairs is pretty boring. not fun at all, so sleeping is a great option! 
• Potgut: Can I do it eternally? 
• St. Peter: Just tell the chambermaid when you get there and she’ll set you up! Let me get you your key...

From septuagenarian to octogenarian (Par Two)

While I agree with most of the general points discussed in my previous blog, my outlook to the transition from septuagenarian to octogenarian years is different in the way it adds to these steps. First, I remain acutely aware that the time left for me is disappearing quickly and becomes increasingly precious. Therefore I cannot waste it unproductively. 

This doesn’t mean that I plan to return to work, but each of my actions, even the ones seemingly unproductive, like meditating, sleeping well, or deep thinking are extremely valuable to me. This forces me to get many things done and by treating the use of my time as so precious, it turns into a skilled game from which I get mentally rewarded from it like all players do. 

Then, there is my view of the inexorable physical decline that is beyond my control and just a function of aging. While I don’t like this evolution I’m learning to accept it and transmute it into something positive. 

As a result, I recently decided to turn it on its head and aim for placing the rest of my life on a trajectory in “crescendo” until everything stops, so I’m not disappearing vanquished, but up into a rewarding kind of glory. Why? Because I see that remaining time like a chance to repair all that’s wrong or not so nice in myself. 

From turning fear into love, to learning skills that I still could use, from being a much better person to the people I come in contact with, either daily or occasionally. I keep busy filling the “negative holes” in my life with positive traits and still trying to get better at so many things that are leaving room for improvement. 

Expending this effort is not really hard, because I’ve long seen any obstacle as a hurdle challenging me to overcome it, and in the process, get better and learn something from these efforts that are a continuation of my competitive make-up. All this keeps me enormously busy and constantly behind the eight ball in a stimulating way. 

In conclusion, this outlook—gained over the years through mindfulness and disciplined meditation—keeps me going, making me wish that I will die one day filled with happiness and as healthy as possible for my age, physically, mentally and cognitively. So now, you’ve got the full program!

From septuagenarian to octogenarian (Part One)

In a few days my hometown friends that are my age will get together to share a big lunch at a restaurant located on the East shore of the lake of Montriond to reflect on their fleeting seventies (all of them were born in 1947 – a great year for wine – but many have already turned seventy-nine. That means one last year before turning eighty. 

Wow! While most of us never believed this would happen, that transition from septuagenarian to octogenarian is a profound milestone. It marks an official entry into late-stage adulthood where physiological shifts intersect with noticeable social change and deep emotional resilience, offering a unique blend of wisdom, slower pacing, and personal liberation if we only focus on the good sides of that life stage. 

Of course, it’s hard to accept and see the gradual decline experienced by our bodies in muscle mass and bone density, bringing a heightened emphasis on fall prevention, mobility support, and nutrition. Not just that, but our metabolism slows down, making the conservation of energy and regular, low-impact exercise more important than ever.

True, multiple studies show octogenarians reporting less worry, lower stress, and greater emotional stability than everyone younger than us. Years of fun, sometimes suffering and accumulated life experience create a natural aptitude for emotional regulation, mental stability and a more realistic view of how we see our changed situations. 

Gradually, many of us begin to develop a sharper appreciation for simple, everyday joys, prioritizing peace, appreciation over performance and perfection. Still, our available time is shrinking daily in ways that are so visible that it can be scary at times, as well as a similar shrinkage in our social circles because of natural loss or declining health limitations. 

Now, our connections become highly intentional. Octogenarians often favor deep, meaningful conversations over seeing a quantity of people. It’s also true that both retirement and reduced societal expectations provide the ultimate permission to pursue personal passions, self-discovery, hobbies, and community engagement at one's own pace and this to us also mean a healthy switch to quality over quantity. 

Tomorrow, I’ll try to explain how I prepare for that transition a bit differently...

Flying the American flag upside down

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito made himself infamous by flying the US flag upside down at his property in association with Trump’s "Stop the Steal" movement. Today, one of my neighbors did the same to protest the illegal action of our demented president, so this begs the question about the origin and meaning of such an action. 

Flying the American flag upside down has two primary meanings: it used to be officially a distress signal for extreme danger to life or property, but has now evolved into becoming a popular symbol of political protest. Indeed, under the US Flag Code, flying the flag upside down is a recognized signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property. 

Historically, this originated as a maritime distress signal, functioning similarly to an "SOS." However today, it has mostly morphed into a symbol of political protest. In recent years, the inverted flag has been widely adopted by individuals across the political spectrum to signal that they believe the country is in crisis, or to protest the actions or direction of the government. 

Because the intended meaning depends entirely on my neighbor's context, the safest way to determine why he flies his flag upside-down is to simply ask him, which I have yet to do. I guess I’m not concerned about his immediate safety, so I won’t be checking in to make sure he’s not experiencing an emergency. 

From what I know of him, he must simply be extremely mad at Trump and exhausted by his behavior. As for me, you might wonder how I fly my US flag? Simple, I don’t have one, I’m considering myself a citizen of the world. That’s all!

Four years worth of EV

Hard to believe, but I’ve been driving an electric car for more than four years! Time fly it’s true but when things go well it goes even faster, at least that's what my wife thinks as she still can’t believe we’ve had that car for so long. 

Consumption? Tires, probably, windshield wipers and cleaner and that’s it. Nothing aside from these. A touch screen replacing a multitude of buttons spread all over a cockpit takes some time to get used to, but once learned it’s no longer a problem!

The automobile starts on command regardless of how cold it’s outside, when I don’t forget to preheat it in my cold garage it feels warm and ready to take me anywhere I want to go. Its safety and self-driving features are both wonderful and addictive. 

After recently driving an ICE car for 1,300 miles, I would never switch back to a fossil fuel powered car or even a hybrid. There are also more and more chargers around, so refill anxiety is no longer a problem and the only negative about owning the car I own and love is that I still hate Elon Musk...

The evolving Avoriaz’s image (Part Two)

The reindeer as Avoriaz mascots were short lived when it was realized that they couldn’t find good sustenance and climate in Avoriaz, in fact a few ran away and had to be wrestled back from nearby Switerland. At the same time, as the resort grew in popularity, a switch has to be made to horse-drawn sleigh from the valley with their owner-conductors. 

That explain why the reindeer logo was dropped, even though the visual could have been switch to stylized silhouettes of skiers, snowboarders, mountain climbers, mountain bike riders, etc, as they exist Olympic-style. 

In addition, the local ski school caved in from the French ski instructor syndicate to adopt their national uniform, the town of Morzine forced also the issue of merging its name with Avoriaz creating a new logo and jettisoned all the previous Avoriaz specific branding. 

The “Festival du Film Fantastique” (Sci-Fi film festival) was also a flimsy attempt to attract the French celebrities to the resort and lost it reason of being as the lodging grew but not in terms of quality and amenities that well-to-do skiers were looking for. 

In the process, Avoriaz became the perfect product tour operators were looking for, sacrificing the more ritzy type of clientele targeted initially, thus accelerating the stagnation of its lodging quality that was quickly no longer in line with a more affluent clientele’s expectation. 

It’s also that Avoriaz found itself diluted with the giant interconnect “Portes de Soleil” that also blurred its unique image. The “British invasion” spurred by Easy Jet creating a hub in Geneva over the ashes of Swissair didn’t help either, bringing herds of loud and young kids to the mountain. 

With more care and a more robust strategy, Avoriaz could have remained a ski resort like Courchevel or St. Moritz in Switzerland, but the appeal of a quick, easy buck is probably what persuaded developer Gérard Brémond to change course and go with mass tourism (including Club Med) and alter his initial plans, so the rest is now history...