What color is your car? (part two)

Worldwide, besides the Americas, Europe and Asia, the trend remains the same white, black, gray, and silver account for around 80% of all new cars produced. Silver (my favorite color) has seen a steady decline in popularity worldwide over the past decade, with gray eating up its market share. 

While they still represent a tiny fraction of the market, colors like green, brown, and orange are seeing small increases in popularity in various regions, often linked to new vehicle segments like SUVs and electric vehicles. There’s not just the market share numbers I gave you however, there are other reasons why white is so dominant as a car color. 

Besides its large number and popularity, white as a color has some significant practical advantages that contribute to its widespread use, both for car manufacturers and consumers. As a solid, non-metallic color white is less expensive to produce than more complex formulations. In contrast, metallic, pearlescent, and other multi-stage paints require additional pigments, specialized additives like aluminum flakes or mica, and a more complex application process with multiple coats (e.g., a base coat, a mid-coat for the pearl effect, and a clear coat).

These factors increase both the material and labor costs. This is a key reason why many manufacturers offer "standard" white as a no-cost or low-cost option, while other colors, particularly metallic or unique shades, come with an extra charge. Basic white is also easy to apply and repair. 

White is also considered one of the easiest colors to apply evenly and with consistent results. It also hides imperfections, is highly forgiving and reflects a lot of light, which helps to hide minor surface flaws, such as dust, swirl marks, scratches, and minor dents. This makes the finishing process less demanding, (I would add that it makes the car much cooler under the sun as it reflects sun rays). 

Darker colors, especially black, act like a mirror, highlighting every imperfection and requiring a flawless application and trapping the heat. In summary, the high number of white vehicles on the road is not just a coincidence. It's a combination of consumer preference and the fact that it is a practical and cost-effective choice for both manufacturers to produce and for consumers to own and maintain. 

Now you can fully understand why a thoughtful saver like me drives a white car!

What color is your car? (part one)

Often, my wife says, “We seem to see a lot of white cars this year!” To which I respond: “You see car makers start building their inventory with white cars that are generally more popular and then, they produce the extra colors…” To me, that answer sounds a bit like an easy cop out and that’s why I wanted to know more about automobiles and their color rules if there’s such a thing. 

I embarked into much more research that I first wanted to do and this is what I found. Based on recent industry reports, white is the most popular color for cars and light trucks produced in the United States, and in North America generally. According to a 2023 report by BASF, 34% of new cars produced in North America were white. 

So-called grayscale colors (white, black, gray, and silver) made up 80% of used vehicle sales from model year 2023. This leaves around 20% of produced in all other "chromatic" colors (i.e. blue, red, green, etc.). 

In Europe, gray is number one has surpassed white. This trend is especially true in Germany. There’s also a strong preference for achromatic colors: The overall preference for neutral colors is even more pronounced in Europe, with over 80% of new cars being white, black, gray, or silver. Blue is popular in chromatic colors, with more blue cars in Europe compared to North America. 

In the Asia-Pacific region white is king, even more so than in America, with some countries like Japan and China seeing an even higher preference for white (some reports show over 40-50%). There’s also a rise of pearlescent white in that region. 

This said, gray is gaining and becoming more fashionable. Some reports indicate that certain Asian countries, particularly China, are starting to show a slightly higher preference for a wider variety of chromatic colors, including browns, beiges, and greens, especially in smaller vehicles and electric cars. 

In South America, white is also the most popular color, but the region likes also silver and gray. Red is strong as it has a higher percentage of red cars compared to other regions, second only to North America. Tomorrow, we’ll discover that there’s more to white than just a matter of taste, so please stay tuned!

Finish vs. Arrivée

Usually, the Anglo-Saxon culture is more positive than its French counterpart, at least this is my thinking based on half a century of observation. For instance, in sports events the goal is to reach a “Finish” line in English which signals termination or end with all the double-entendre this may imply. By contrast, the French language banner under which athletes reach their race goal is called “Arrivée” that simply means to arrive and is mostly without equivocal meaning.

In looking at these two expressions that tell the same idea, but could be construed as opposites, I’m not just comparing words; I’m teasing out how language sometimes reflects deeper attitudes toward effort, achievement, and closure. In the English language the word “Finish” carries a sense of completion, but also finality, even exhaustion. It’s the end of the road, the last breath, the curtain call. 

In English-speaking cultures, especially American ones, there’s often a strong emphasis on results, deadlines, and winning. “Finish strong” is a common mantra. The double meaning mentioned earlier, to finish as in to end or even to be finished, can evoke a kind of existential punctuation. It’s not just crossing a line; it’s closing a chapter. 

On the other hand, “Arrivée” could be heard as gentler, more neutral, even welcoming. It suggests arrival, presence, transition—not necessarily an end, but a point of passage. It could be that French culture places more value on process, experience, and nuance. The journey matters as much as the destination. Sure, there’s on ominous undertone to “arrive” in the word “arriviste” that refers to an ambitious person who uses any means necessary to gain success or social status. 

The use of that word weights little compared to “arrive” that means to reach a place. It doesn’t imply that something must stop. I’d conclude my observation by saying that Anglo-Saxon cultures often prize achievement, closure, and efficiency while France’s tradition may lean toward reflection, continuity, and presence. 

Even in how we talk about life stages, work, or travel, these linguistic frames shape our expectations. “Finishing” a career vs. “arriving” at retirement, see how different that feels? Perhaps we should all say: “To finish is to stop. To arrive is to begin again!” This line could be a great way to bridge my reflection into something more philosophical, perhaps even tying back to my last blog on dying happily. What if arriving at the end of life felt more like reaching a destination than being extinguished?

...And if we died happy?

In “Father and son”, one of my favorite Cat Stevens’ songs, a verse goes like this: “Look at me, I am old but I'm happy” and challenges the assumption that aging is declining and leads me to say “Sounds good, and from there what about dying happy?” 

This can be seen as the outcome of my recent blog on a similar subject and it just sounds like a much better alternative to the doom and gloom associated with death. It's certainly much preferable to most of the religious views I’ve heard about death, when it’s an inescapable step that we must fear because of its uncertainty, hellish consequences or for a very few lucky of us that lead a perfect existence, an eternal life of peaceful boredom in total seclusion from anything fun and exciting! 

So with this in mind, what does it take to die happy? While this is a rather provocative question, it’s one that deserves more than platitudes or tidy answers. “Dying happy” isn’t just a poetic notion; it’s a philosophical challenge, a personal reckoning, and maybe even a quiet rebellion against these fear-based narratives that often surround death. In Cat Stevens’ song it suggests that joy can deepen, even as the body slows. 

That’s a powerful lens for thinking about death: not as a tragic ending, but as the final chapter of a well-lived story. To die happy could mean feeling complete, perhaps not necessarily having done everything, but having done enough of what mattered. It’s also being at peace with our choices, our relationships, our regrets. Then there’s what we leave behind, our legacy, memories and enough kindness that can ripple outward. There’s also having loved and having been loved, maybe deeply, imperfectly, but truly. 

At that point, we are much better equipped to face death without dread, not because we’re fearless, but because we’ve brought some meaning into our lives. It shouldn’t be about perfection or sainthood, but about integration or the sense that our life, with all its mess and beauty, added up to something that felt real and worthwhile. 

The next obvious question is what will it take us to get there? Here’s where our curiosity and our reflective nature will have a chance to shine. Consider these ingredients, like choosing what matters, even in small ways, in what we say, what we forgive, what we pursue. It’s also about cultivating presence by being present, now and not always chasing or regretting something. 

I would add making peace with imperfection by accepting that some things will remain unresolved, and that we will be okay. We’ll also be able to add happiness by connecting meaningfully, with people, with ideas, with the world. Even the shortest moments of connection can echo very far. Finally it will be about letting go borrowed fears, especially those handed down to us by dogma or culture. Our own truth is worth more! 

Cooking and video editing

After viewing a video I made about a vacation trip, a good friend of mine said “Nice to be able to have a cameraman shooting film as you move around!” This comment brought home that generalized misconception that producing a video is all about shooting it, when there’s much more – in my opinion – about editing the final piece than just pointing and shooting one’s smartphone here and there!

Then, I realized that shooting a video and editing it is just like shopping for food and cooking a meal. Most people know how to more or less gather stuff at the store or in the veggie garden, but only a chosen few have the expertise and talent required to cook to perfection. If ingredients have been forgotten at shopping time, or are of less than great quality, or there is any kind of other problem the cook must creatively improvise and still deliver a delectable meal in spite of supply shortcomings. 

Only an expert chef will pull from their experience, knowledge and creativity to make a miracle happen. It’s exactly the same situation facing the video editor that must make do with less than stellar footage. Over the years, I have produced over 500 small videos and have learned through countless trials and errors, persistence, imitation and even books. 

Similar to certain fantastic cookbooks, “How to shoot video that doesn’t suck!” was a game-changing book for me that taught me the essential of editing and also influenced my picking the raw material I needed to tell the story I wanted to come through. 

Just as few dinner guests will understand the hours of preparation, seasoning, and presentation behind a gourmet dish, most viewers of a video have no idea how much time and thought went into crafting the final cut. 

The editor’s work is invisible—but it’s what makes the experience seamless, engaging, and emotionally rich. Sometimes, the footage I thought could be the main course turns out bland, while a throwaway clip becomes the secret sauce. 

Editing is where I taste, adjust, and re-imagine the recipe. It’s not just about assembling, it’s about transforming. I would also add that editing is also where emotion lives. A well-timed cut, a pause before a line of narration, a swell of music—are the spices that turn raw footage into a story that lingers. 

Just like a memorable dish, a good video leaves a feeling behind. The mission is to tell a great story with simple, well picked visuals, a good narration and music to match. So as you spread your director wings when you shoot a scene, be ready to spend 10 to 30 times more editing your final work than it took you to collect your initial footage!

Forty years in Park City!

Four decades ago, we entered Park City as a family of four, not knowing how this adventure in the unknown would pan out for all of us. Forty years today, time has flown super-fast and we’re still well anchored to the place.

My wife and I have now spent more than half of our lives in that magical town! This destination that we would now consider “final” has been part of our own version of the American Dream with its share of up and down, where the “Ups” have widely outpaced the “Down”, including only a tinge of nostalgia for very specific “French” things (family, friends, mushrooms and that’s about it). 

It’s true that 250 sunny days a year were part of the convincing part of that equation and that, in insight, this move has been extremely good to us. Even under the Trump regime, we remain convinced that if it doesn’t kill us it will make us that much stronger!

A remarkable tombstone

After years of walking everyday through the current Park City cemetery, not only can we attest that we’ve never seen any sign of life after death, and still that we’ve seen a huge variety of tombstones and other funeral monuments. 

On that particular topic, we find quite a few benches in lieu of tombstones where visitors can sit on to rest, pray or meditate.

Magpies that are legion in that peaceful space use them as perches but prefer standing on monuments that are high enough to give them a commanding view of their surroundings as those are marked with their droppings. 

Humans may use these too as a resting spot, but I have yet to see them do it. Then comes this “cube-headstone” that I find aesthetically pleasant, different and unique. 

The other striking element about its shape, is that no bird can comfortably stand on it to poo, and the great and best news of all is that no sane human being will ever think of sitting on that sharp cube!

I am Max…

Just like Evelyne and I, our son and his wife love cats. They've had three over the years, but when their last cat, Uli, died, they didn't need to find another one to replace him. Max arrived, "unattached," coming and going as he pleased as he picked a carefully defined group of homes in their small town outside Salt Lake City. 

Max was a big, super-friendly and charismatic cat who never attached himself to any particular home and was very good at "selling himself" to receive all the attention and services he needed, from petting, a sleeping area, food, and when the weather was really bad, a comfortable shelter. 

That lifestyle involves great risks, especially when traveling through the streets. At the beginning of August, Max was accidentally hit by a vehicle, and following ten days of intensive and costly care for the person who handled him then, our beloved Max could not survive his injury. 

That's why I made this short video, which memorializes the precious moments spent with this exceptional, unattached feline, whose loss deeply affected us all and whom we won’t forget anytime soon. 

An unwelcome inflation surcharge…

A few days ago as I was looking at my French retirement check, I was impressed that it’s going up every month in 2025 in spite of its rather very small amount in Euros, but I’m now getting 13% more over the time Trump has been in office! 

What does that mean? It simply signifies that the United States Dollar has gone down in value and with it the wealth of our Nation since Donald Trump has begun to uncontrollably play with tariffs. 

Since subtle but significant weakening of the dollar is likely to add soon to the inflation caused by tariffs like the 15% levied against imported goods from the European Community and also any other country’s currency that has similarly risen against the greenback. 

What we have not heard yet from so-called economists, is that these foreign exchange fluctuations won’t be felt right away as most importers are hedging against such currency fluctuations for a few month, but soon enough it will add to a wave of inflation created by these foolish custom duties!

Finding meaning in my own dreams?

French Prime Minister pumping gas...

Last week, I experienced a series of what I would say were senseless dreams. One of them was my meeting at some gas pump (???) with Francois Bayrou, the current French Prime Minister whom I mistook for his boss, by saying “Good afternoon Mr. President!” and I started to cheer him up in my own ways as he’s currently badly politically embattled. 

This prompted me to wonder, after all the years following Carl Jung’s theories on the subject, what was modern psychology and psychotherapy saying about the deep meaning of dreams? Evidently, I had not followed much of the aggregated knowledge on the subject since Jung’s time as the landscape of dream interpretation has evolved dramatically, but still the fascination with dreams as windows into the psyche remains with us. 

In his time, Jung saw dreams as expressions of the collective unconscious and symbolic messages from deep within, often carrying archetypal meaning. Today, many psychologists still value dreams for their symbolic and emotional content, but they’re more cautious about making interpretations of them as their focus has shifted toward personal meaning instead of fixed symbolism. 

In addition there have been biological theories suggesting that dreams are the brain’s attempt to make sense of random neural activity during rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. Yet, even this “randomness” often reflects emotional themes like fear, longing, or unresolved conflict, which can give dreams some psychological relevance. 

More recently the Finnish neuroscientist Antti Revonsuo proposed that dreams evolved to simulate threats, helping us rehearse responses to danger. Others see dreams as a form of emotional regulation, helping us process grief, trauma, or stress. For example, PTSD nightmares often reflect unprocessed trauma and are sometimes used as therapeutic targets in EMDR therapy, that stands for “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing”, a psychotherapy technique designed to help individuals process and recover from traumatic experiences and other distressing life events. 

While dream analysis is rare in today’s therapy, some psycho-dynamic and trauma-informed approaches still explore dreams, especially when clients bring them in. When this happens, the client’s own interpretation is prioritized over the therapist’s reading. Dreams are seen as metaphors for inner states, not puzzles to be solved. 

So, rather than offering universal truths, modern psychology treats dreams as personal narratives shaped by memory, emotion, and subconscious processing. They’re also viewed as symbolic reflections of current psychological states, like grief, anxiety, desire, or transformation. During change or crisis, dreams can also be seen like creative expressions of the mind’s attempt to make sense of things. 

In other worlds, while dreams still might be meaningful, their meaning is us to discover and not imposed from the outside. As for me, I take them as the result of my mind conducting some serious house-cleaning inside my confused and overstuffed gray matter!

The robot grocer

While we had my smartphone battery changed last week in Salt Lake City, we went into a nearby Harmon’s grocery store to check things out. These are beautiful stores that started as a fruit stand in 1932. This family-owned and operated supermarket chain has now grown to 19 locations throughout Utah. 

In a corner of the store, I noticed a sign introducing the “Tally” robots from a company called Simbe Robotics that have been deployed to scan inventory and verify prices in stores (the video below was filmed in Buffalo, NY). 

These robots with AI powered computer vision technology are combining cutting-edge computer vision with the Harmon’s stores’ intelligence platform to identify how items need to be replenished or re-priced without the unavoidable human errors thrown into the mix. 

We’ve seen the store robot in action and it seemed to like its job and wasn’t complaining one bit. Don’t look for a human inventory checker job at these stores any time soon, it’s too late! 

 

Ending on a very high note

The way I see things, I feel that our lives should progress at a crescendo and I’m always looking for tools, tricks or advice to keep on growing, so when it’s time, my life will end on the highest note possible. In theory this sounds like a fabulous way to keep on building a rich life based on quality, wisdom, and resonance until the final note is a joyous culmination and not a sad, depressing end. 

To that end – No pun intended! – I’ve tried to search for tools, mindsets, and practices that can help us grow toward that grand finale, of course as long as we stay in good bodily, mental and cognitive health. This might begin with cultivating a growth philosophy, including a commitment to lifelong learning, but continuously feeding our curiosity—whether it’s learning a foreign language, science, or the promises and nuances of artificial intelligence. 

Learning keeps our minds agile and our spirits engaged. Personally, that’s what writing a daily blog does for me. Another way to advance towards that goal is to align ourselves with purpose and legacy by researching, gathering and organizing family archives, documents photos and videos for future generations, or work on a digital time capsule. This activity honors our past and shapes how we’ll want to be remembered. 

Sharing our insights with younger people or peers is also part of that effort. Our blend of empathy and analytical clarity can be a gift others can learn from. This is also time to deepen our relationships by making a concerted effort to nurture old friendships and support loved ones. Even small gestures, like a well-timed message for a birthday or something else and a shared memory will go a long way in cementing and strengthening a strong network of active relationships. 

At the same time, let’s not be shy about engaging with emotionally rich films, books, and music. Let them stir our soul and reflect our journey. Keeping a clear head is also critical, meditating or other forms of mindfulness will help us stay grounded and in touch with the present moment, especially as life becomes more complex. Containing and controlling our “digital life” is also extremely important as we keep it to a minimum by maintaining a clean and measured tech ecosystem with apps that serve our goals and notifications that respect our peace. 

I could add to that list something I’ve never done, like an annual “Life Review” or some kind of retreat that could be a solo or shared ritual, to reflect, re-calibrate, and celebrate progress. Then, I would suggest having the courage to plan for the “last chapter” in a way that’s empowering and certainly not morbid, by designing how we want our final years to feel in ways of picking what we want to prioritize, where and how we’ll live and what we’ll still create!

A well-behaved Trump

Trump has never appeared so well-behaved as yesterday when he hosted President Zelensky, the NATO chief, Ursula Von der Leyen and five European heads of state.

There were his usual lies of course, like about the “six wars” he successfully terminated, but overall the man was unusually pleasant and had no nasty things to say about Clinton, Obama, Biden, Harris or even George Washington, a remarkable feat in itself! 

So, I’m asking the question. Is this metamorphosis a permanent miracle or a passing mirage with Donald Trump soon reverting to his normal self overflowing with nastiness that has been in modus operandi since 2015? 

Time will tell and from Macron to Zelinski, most of the perceptive people who know a bit about our rude and uncontrolled head of state, I bet that deep inside, they know that the monster will soon raise back his ugly head. All these Monday pleasantries were just an optical illusion!

The Devil and the Fool

Trump likes to do things fast and is so self-confident that he also loves to make off-the-cuff decisions, while Putin appears to be much more subdued, smarter, super-patient and surrounds himself with experienced, nefarious characters like his foreign minister Lavrov who makes his counterpart Rubio look like an altar boy. 

The problem with this is that Putin, the criminal and devil he is, won the red carpet welcome in Anchorage, while making Trump look like a goddamn fool. Sad day indeed for America and its authoritarian leader that loves to exempt himself from painstaking work and can’t stop himself from taking shortcuts. 

Will he ever learn?

Why do I still blog?

I have been blogging at least everyday in two languages for more than 18 years and I recently was wondering if maintaining that long streak in this particular endeavor was even worth it? 

I then remembered that I dove into it when I tore my left Achilles’s tendon while skiing, and took that excuse to engage myself in a regular writing practice, “just to get the feeling of it and because I liked telling written stories”. I always start by writing in English before I translate it to French. That latter version was added because I felt a need to keep on practicing my mother’s tongue. 

Yet, as that effort got underway I discovered to my amazement that writing could come very useful for answering the multitude of questions that went through my mind at any moment, and could thus feed my irrepressible curiosity. 

Whatever creativity I had also spilled into that daily routine and this is how this writing exercise progressively evolved into an outlet for my inquisitive and wandering mind to answer my relentless flow and question and, in the process, became even more essential to my inner satisfaction. 

I don’t monetize my blogs and I care much more about the quality of my readers than their sheer number, so for the time being, I’ll think all the elements are still there for me to carry on!

Biden’s unforgivable sin

My wife gets mad at the many Americans who last voted for Trump, while I’m much riled by the MAGA infected politicians that support the man fanatically. 

After recently reading “Original Sin” a book by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson that details how Biden’s selfishness along with a few famous and stupid supporters served Trump’s 2nd term on a silver platter, I found that the old Democrat politician rightly deserves the larger share of the blame for letting Trump re-invade the White House. 

It’s a behind-the-scenes account of President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection in 2024 despite huge concerns about his age and cognitive health. The book argues that this decision triggered a cascade of denial, gaslighting, and major missteps that ultimately opened the door to Donald Trump’s second term. 

The book also details Biden’s physical and mental decline, the consequences from Biden’s catastrophic performance in the June 2024 debate against Trump and his reluctant and long delayed withdrawal from the race and endorsement of Kamala Harris, who only had 107 days to campaign and ultimately lost an election that could have been won by someone capable like Newsome, Whitmer or Shapiro among others. 

What a shame for America and the entire World!

After watching “My Oxford Year”

The movie "My Oxford Year" that I watched this week on Netflix reminds me very much of "Love Story" I saw back in 1971. I liked it, but could not shake out the sense of having seen the easy copy of an original. There’s in fact lots of common elements between the two. 

For one thing, My Oxford Year’s director Iain Morris, has openly acknowledged Love Story as one of his favorite films and a key inspiration for the tone and emotional direction of My Oxford Year. He described wanting to make a romance film,” that was “hopeful, sad and romantic”—very much in the spirit of Love Story. 

Both movies share parallel themes, as they both take place in two prestigious universities, Harvard and Oxford, with an ambitious female student as the protagonist. Both films are romantic, intellectual and emotionally intense, featuring tragic the tragic illness of one of their main heroes and each story is about love in the face of loss and as a choice, even amid grief. 

The emotional atmosphere of Love Story with its young love, personal sacrifice, and the ache of impending loss, is clearly echoed in My Oxford Year. Even the structure of the narrative, where love deepens just as time runs out, feels like a modern homage or perhaps an updated version of a huge international cinematic success? 

Good judgment redefined

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the supreme importance of judgment as a yardstick. It plays a key role whether it’s used for picking or selecting a partner, a friend, a roommate, an employee, a boss, a politician, a doctor or a religious leader. It’s also use in making career, product or leisure decisions or product choices. 

What precipitated me into that introspection was perhaps the current city council primary elections in Park City. For each candidate I had to vote for, I went through the different traits I had covered in a blog, late last year: positive experience, common sense, logical reasoning. What stopped me thought my fuzzy concept about feelings that I didn’t feel belonged into this yardstick and I decided to substitute it for “Moral Compass”. 

A “moral compass” is this internal guide that helps us distinguish right from wrong and act accordingly. It’s shaped by a blend of personal values, cultural norms, life experiences, and—often—spiritual or philosophical beliefs. Its core elements begin with our conscience, or that inner voice or feeling that nudges us when something feels ethically off. It continues with a generous dose of empathy, or the ability to consider others’ perspectives and feelings before acting. 

Integrity also plays a key role in our moral compass as it enables us to act consistently with our values, even when it’s inconvenient. It ends with accountability or our willingness to take responsibility for our actions and their consequences. This means that lying, falsifying, cheating, denigrating or insulting are among a long list of elements that don’t belong in that sphere and should be a red line for everyone to see. 

For example, Trump, Putin or Hitler have absolutely no moral compass! In summary, good judgment is our ability to make wise, fair, and effective decisions by integrating knowledge, experience, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence—even under uncertainty or pressure. 

Again, good judgment is made of positive experience, common sense, logical reasoning and a robust moral compass. It’s not just about being "right," but about balancing logic, ethics, and practicality to achieve the best possible outcome.

A seasonal "burning" effort…

Our neighbor Mike hardly ever misses a “Burning Man” this annual festival of creativity that takes place in the middle of the Nevada desert and this year, with a bunch of friends they are making some serious improvements to their “Helibus” a crossbred school bus with a helicopter flanked by clouds and ended by a hanging double chairlift.

As it’s been since 1990, the event will be held in Black Rock City, Nevada, from August 24 to September 1. It originated in San Francisco in 1986, but due to city regulations, the event moved to Nevada 4 years later. The idea is to showcase Burning Man's global culture of art and innovation, inviting participants to dream, invent, and share ideas for the future. 

This year’s festival has been themed "Tomorrow Today," will imagine, build and explore the future referencing both utopian and dystopian visions. It encourages a focus on "protopia," a future of gradual, positive change, rather than extreme outcomes. Approximately 80,000 attendees are expected, according to the Burning Man Project, the maximum capacity set by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. 

We’ll try to follow and keep you up to date with “Helibus” contribution to that massive and popular effort...

The day I almost died

Last Friday as we were walking and were already engaged to go through the pedestrian crossing at a four-point stop road crossing, a Ford Mustang EV almost turned me into a flattened, dead rabbit. 

Reflexively, I instantly jumped back, the driver hit the brakes, but had I not dodged it, I wouldn’t have written this blog, instead my wife would have composed my obituary. 

The guy looked at me like a deer caught in the headlights, didn’t roll down his window, grimaced some words that remained inaudible to me and sped away. 

I pulled up my phone and was barely able to snap two pictures of the offending car. I’m sure I know what I will do with them, but I made out its Utah plate as G51 1YU.

What’s certain is that I’m grateful to be alive and well, so I’ll try to remember it next time, as a handy tool for self-preservation!

My new Nordica boots

A month or so ago I purchased a pair of Nordica mid-entry boot, in its HF Pro series (HF as in “hand-free” step in and out) , in order to resolve once and for growing my struggles in entering and exiting my current Nordica NXT N3 the best ski boots I ever owned. 

This says a lot when one knows that I spent four year at Lange and as many as the importer of Koflach ski boots before the brand fell into the Atomic orbit. What I mean is that I knew a few things about this particular product class to lend a certain credibility to my statement! 

As stated earlier, my problem with my old boot what that they’d become increasingly difficult for me to get in and out of, especially in cold weather, to the point that I dreaded the moment when back at my car, at the end of the ski day, I had to remove them. 

It’s also a fact that, as we grow older, we’re mysteriously beginning to lack the physical strength required to pry the shell open as needed. My friend Philippe Mollard who lives and skis in California, had experienced that challenge well into his early 80s had told me about his positive experience with his new Nordica HF boots and convinced me to give it a try. 

This said, I’ve always undersized my boot, fitting a big foot inside a smaller cavity that conventionally accepted, and I bought the same undersized shell size as my old NTXs. This move that many would question, forced me to practice getting in and out of my new acquisition at least a dozen time before I could do it fairly easily, including with the help of some Teflon spray for full-disclosure. 

Now, I can’t wait to try these on snow come next November! 

Reverting to being French

Last week, we received our brand-new French passports and national ID cards after a two-month wait. Ever since we became U.S. citizens in 1990, we’ve traveled exclusively with American documents, letting our French passports quietly expire. 

But with the current turmoil in Washington, D.C., we felt it prudent to reactivate our French identity—just in case things take a turn for the worse. 

We have no intention of leaving the U.S., or at least not North America. It would take sheer chaos or a complete societal breakdown for us to consider returning to the old country. 

Still, as recent years have shown, it’s wise to be prepared for any eventuality.

How dishonest Vail Resorts is?

On Tuesday I received an email from Vail Resorts alerting me about a soon to come payment date for the balance for our family passes. The amount for my wife was correctly posted while mine showed $1,075 due which wasn’t what I was expecting. It should have been much less. 

So the next day I call Vail Resorts’ customer service hidden away in the Philippines, and after the usual communication struggle, I finally got to state my case. I had booked my pass on April 13, paid my $49 deposit out of what was then a $1,051 grand total, and not $1,075 for the final amount. So in spite of telling the service person on the phone, I was told “You’ll only have to pay $1,026, after deducting your down payment of $49”. I said “No, the pass amount was $1,051 and not $1,075!” 

The person puts me on hold, checks around and comes back on the line acknowledging that I’m right, it will be $1,002 after deducting the deposit. Then, I go on: “That’s still not right, it’s not the amount I owe, do you show any other credit in the system?” The service person puts me on hold, gets back to me and says “No.”. 

Then I go, “This must be part of Vail Resorts deceptive tactics to ‘forget’ about its promises. I’m owed an extra $246 credit following the ski patrol strike!” I give the guy the promo code number, he puts me on hold again and a few minutes later returns on the line and says “Yes, you were right”. 

I then tell him that Vail Resorts acts like a bunch of thieves and ask him to confirm all that via email which he agrees to but didn’t do. Evidently, it would appear that Vail Resorts does that maliciously to evade the credit extended they hope their pass-holders will have forgotten by September. So much for the “Vail Resorts’ Epic Promise!”, just hot air as I had suspected! 

Cheating is definitely into Vail Resorts DNA. I wonder if some CRISPR gene editing might help?

Overestimation vs. Empathy

Fifty years ago, I took my bride-to-be to the top of Chesery, a rugged peak overlooking the back valley of my hometown near the Swiss border. We were young and soon to be married, and I assumed—naively—that she could handle the climb without issue, even though she’d never done any mountain hiking before.

The ascent was no small feat: 2,460 feet of vertical gain (750 meters), and my girlfriend, bless her, endured the full uphill grind and descent, earning a pair of blisters and a fair bit of frustration along the way. Looking back, I realize that moment was emblematic of a broader blind spot in my youth: the inability to truly place myself in someone else’s shoes. 

As a ski instructor, I often let my passion for the sport override my students’ comfort and skill levels, nudging them into runs that were clearly beyond their capabilities. It took time—and a few hard lessons—for me to learn that empathy isn’t just about kindness; it’s about restraint, about listening, about seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. 

Call it the exuberance of youth, or the slow education of experience. Either way, I’m grateful for the people who endured my early missteps and helped me grow into someone more attuned to others’ limits and needs.

Another watch for me…

My old Casio watch died at the end of July after 7 years and 2 month of flawless and accurate function to the second, thanks to its ability to pick up atomic time calibration signals transmitted in Germany (Mainflingen), England (Anthorn), the United States (Fort Collins), China (Shangqiu), and Japan (Fukushima, Fukuoka/Saga).

Yet, it all its remarkable precision only cost me 35 dollars! As I have prioritized results as long as they were not nefarious in nature, so why purchase a more expensive mechanical watch that isn’t as precise and for the most part must be regularly rewound or have its batteries changed frequently? 

Founded in 1946 in Japan, Casio Computer Co., makes calculators, mobile phones, digital cameras, electronic musical instruments, and watches. It launched the first electronic calculator in 1957 (I got a pocket-size one in 1975). Also an early digital camera innovator, during the 1980s and 1990s, it developed numerous affordable home electronic keyboards for musicians along with an impressive selection of mass-produced and well-priced digital watches. 

My relation with watches is complex and is one I explained at length in this blog. 

This said, I still own a smartwatch that I use occasionally when I need to measure distances during my travels outside our home, but I needed a replacement for my old Casio, so I returned to the source and got myself a G-Shock. 

It's Casio’s upscale and sporty brand, this time a bit heavier, still “Atomic” in terms of time-keeping, but now solar-energy powered! It took me one day to keep it going, as its screen arrived totally blank to my house and I had to call Casio to be told what I had to do to bring it up to life. Hopefully that one might last me until I take my last breath. We’ll see...

Little Bird, a compelling TV series

Recently we watched "Little Bird", a six-part Canadian drama series about Bezhig Little Bird, a woman forcibly removed from her Indigenous family in Saskatchewan as a child and adopted into a Jewish family in Montreal, being renamed in the process as Esther Rosenblum. 

The series follows her journey in her twenties as she searches for her birth family and uncovers the truth about her past and the infamous “Sixties Scoop”, a period where Indigenous children were taken from their families. It explores themes of white supremacist ideas, identity, loss, and the impact of trauma on individuals and families. 

Extremely powerful, the series explores the profound impact of trauma and loss on individuals and families during any colonialist abuse of power, while also highlighting themes of resilience and the enduring strength of family bonds. Shown only on PBS, this is one of the best series we’ve seen in a very long time. 

Are Canadian geese flying back already?

As of July 20, Canadian geese were seen in our Park City skies much earlier than usual, and I kind of wondered why their migration South began so early. The kind of observation that makes people say things like “This year the winter is gonna come early” or popular saying along these lines.

In fact, what seems to be an early fall migration period compared to a more traditional late September to November time-frame could be attributed to several factors. To begin with, studies suggest that climate change is affecting bird migration patterns, leading to shifts in timing, altered routes, and even changes in physical characteristics like body size and wing length. 

The specific timing of goose migration can be influenced by local weather conditions, food availability, and day length. Even if not undertaking a full migration, geese may make local movements or stopovers to find suitable feeding and resting areas, particularly if their usual habitats are disturbed or food resources become scarce which could be the case in the unusually dry summer we’ve been experiencing all over Park City and Utah this season. Also, a significant portion of Canadian geese, especially in urban or suburban areas, have become non-migratory and remain in the same location year-round. 

Finally, there’s what is called “Molting and Flight Training”. Molting means shedding old feathers to make way for a new growth. Adult geese undergo a molting period in the summer (June-July), during which they shed their flight feathers and are temporarily unable to fly. As new “pilots”, goslings also begin their flight training during the summer months, taking short, awkward flights in preparation for the upcoming fall migration. These activities might result in increased aerial activity during July. 

With these new facts I’ve just learned in mind, I’ll be a little bit more circumspect the next time I see Canadian geese flying over Park City as to their reasons for doing it. Between us, I’m a tad skeptical of the training necessitated by new feather or for educating new pilots… Frankly, I thought they were trying to cross over to Mexico before Trump had finalized his hefty tariffs, but that might just be another good reason among many!

Tesla’s AI customer support…

Like many, I have heard that Tesla's customer support was receiving mixed reviews, with some users praising its convenience and effectiveness, while others reporting significant frustrations. I had never used it until last week when “SmartThings” , an app newly installed on my Samsung Galaxy phone, messed up my car audio system, preventing me from listening to my music, using the GPS or my car telephone system. 

I first tried to solve the problem myself and one hour later when I couldn’t figure things out, I called Samsung support which is chat-based, something I find utterly annoying. After spending 45 minutes, nothing was resolved. All this work happened inside my car. 

Then I only had one option left, call Tesla. I did, and after moving through a series of annoying menus, I got a female voice on the phone who asked me what my problem was and alternating between the Tesla screen and my smartphone, made me try this, that, and that other thing, and after 26 minutes of seemingly fast and efficient trouble-shooting suddenly the phone conversation came through the car audio system! 

The problem was solved. Not at all the horrible situation I was fearing about Tesla’s support service. I was very impressed and since I had noticed that during the whole process the voice would continue while I was interrupting it, I asked that question to the “lady” who had solved my problem: “Are you a human or a robot?” 

The answer was: “I’m a virtual assistant”, it was indeed a robot… That made me think that AI can be formidable when correctly harnessed. I was at the same time amazed and worried for all the white collar workers of tomorrow that might no longer have a job because of it...

How does Bluetooth work?

Whether you know it or not, you may be using the technology called “Bluetooth” if you have a smartphone with wireless speaker or use it in conjunction with Apple or Android Auto among a host of devices and applications. 

So, in case you might be as curious as I am, here's a simple explanation of how it works. But before we get into it, note that the technology was invented by Dr. Jaap Haartsen, a Dutch who has worked for Ericsson in the US and in Sweden. In 1994, he was tasked with developing a short-range wireless technology to enhance mobile phone functionality, specifically for connecting to devices like headsets. 

Think of Bluetooth as a short-range walkie-talkie for devices. It lets gadgets talk to each other wirelessly using radio waves, as no internet or cables are needed. First, the Bluetooth device sends out a signal message saying “I’m here!”. When you are connecting it (or pairing) with another device, that one will hear it and say “Let’s connect.” 

Then, they both exchange secret codes to keep the connection secure. Once paired, they can send data back and forth like music, files, or commands. For our own security, everything they sent is scrambled so nobody else can listen in. They operate on the 2.4 GHz band, a frequency like our Wi-Fi or our kitchen’s microwaves. The downside of this mode of communication is that its range is limited, usually 10–30 feet, but can go up to 330 feet for high-power devices.

Finally, let’s remember that in the Bluetooth world its a Master to Slave relationship, where the former controls the connection (usually your phone) and the latter follows the master’s instructions (like for instance your headphones or a speaker). Now, happy and long-lasting Bluetooth connections!

What’s an Apple or Samsung Tag?

There are two very interesting products that you may have not yet heard about or that you might even own, but don’t really know how they work and what they can do for you. They’re Apple AirTag for Apple products and Samsung SmartTags for Samsung devices. Essentially, both devices are small trackers that help you find lost items (like a travel bag, a wallet, a purse or a briefcase). 

Both AirTags and SmartTags use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to communicate wirelessly with nearby, compatible smartphones. When your lost item is within a short range of your phone (usually about 30-400 feet, though it varies by device), the tracker and your phone can communicate directly via Bluetooth. You can then use the corresponding app (“Find My” for Apple, SmartThings “Find” for Samsung) on your phone to trigger a sound from the tag, helping you pinpoint its location, according to SafeWise.

But there’s another fantastic feature with these gizmos called Crowdsourced Finding (or network effect) and this is where things get really amazing. If your item with the tracker attached is outside the Bluetooth range of your own phone, it can still be located. Both Apple and Samsung have large networks of compatible devices (iPhones/iPads for Apple, Galaxy phones for Samsung). 

When a lost AirTag or SmartTag is in the vicinity of another device on its respective network, that device anonymously and securely relays the tag's location data to the cloud. Then, you can open your app (Find My or SmartThings Find) and see the last known location of your item on a map. Some of these two devices, like the Apple AirTag and Samsung SmartTag 2, also incorporate Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology that allows for extremely precise location tracking, down to a few centimeters. 

The main difference between the Apple and the Samsung Tags is their respective size. The SmartTag utilizes Samsung’s SmartThings Find network, while AirTag leverages Apple’s Find My network. While these two networks operate on similar principles, the Find My network is significantly larger than Samsung’s SmartThings 

Find network (at least in the US where Apple owns 61% of the market vs. 23% for Samsung. This means that if you're close to your lost item (and you have a compatible phone), you might see an arrow pointing you in the right direction, along with the distance to your item. Pretty amazing isn’t it? It won’t work with a phone that’s not an Apple or Samsung, and the only thing it won’t do is find your mind if you ever lose it!

Greedy General Contractors

Remember when you built or renovated a home? If you do, you got 3 bids from your architect and your contractor and had someone to pick from each category. Today, it seems, at least as far as the contractor is concerned, that you must pay for the bid, which seriously limits your need for a second and third opinion. So, what’s a homeowner to do? It’s true that the shift toward paid contractor bids has made the home renovation process more expensive and less flexible. 

This trend stems from labor shortages, rising material costs, and contractors protecting themselves from "tire-kickers." But I believe there still are ways to get multiple opinions without breaking the bank. I would begin by pre-qualifying contractors on the phone and asking these questions: "When would you be ready to start on my project? If the answer is ‘I’m booking jobs 4-6+ months out’ they’re too busy to bid for free.” "Do you charge for estimates? If so, is it credited toward the job?" “Can you provide a rough ballpark range for the project in lieu of detailed bid?" 

We can also leverage technology by using platforms like HomeAdvisor or Angi to explore the contractors available. As most contractors pay to join, their bids may be "free" to you (but vet carefully as quality varies vastly). 

Then we can make it easier for contractors to come up with a free estimate by using 2D/3D consumer tools, like RoomSketcher which can be subscribed to for less than $25 per month. Intuitive and easy-to-use, it can help us create floor plans by importing our architect blueprints to trace over. From there we can choose colors and materials, add furniture, labels, and symbols, and even save your favorite styles for future projects. 

Having these elements available can convince a contractor to develop a bid at no cost to us. If we absolutely have to pay, we should narrow the field to 2–3 serious candidates before requesting a detailed bid. Again, we ought to begin by requesting a "Ballpark Estimates" and ask for tiered ranges, like "Basic at $50K, Mid at $75K and Premium: at $100K") instead of line-item bids. This would be less work for the contractors and perhaps no cost, or at least less cost for us. We won’t let "Ballpark" steal from us. If the contractor can't give us even a range without payment, we’ll walk away. 

We’ll also make sure to demand verifiable references/photos: A paid bid should come with a portfolio and make it super EASY to contact reference. Resist time pressure to sign fast, time is on YOUR side. We should keep in mind that contractors charge a percentage of the overall cost of the job. These can vary a lot (10% to 12% for new construction, 12 to 20% for remodeling), so another good reason to talk to a good cross-section of contractors. 

Finally we should never forget to add a “Time Clause” (a penalty for not delivering the final product on or before a specific date as we’ll probably be renting a place or staying with friends or family) The bottom line is that you can still get multiple bids—it just takes smarter prep work. Focus on: Pre-qualifying contractors to avoid wasted fees. Standardizing specs (via an architect) to compare apples to apples. Paying only for serious contenders, with fees credited toward the job. 

As this tight market is now showing signs of slow down, be ready to way a bit more as I bet more and more contractors will soon be willing to bid for free.

Learning with Artificial Intelligence?

So many stupid and negative things are said daily about Artificial Intelligence (AI), that I would like to shine a more positive light on the subject. After hearing that AI allows for efficient language learning and conversation for students, at my turn, I have experienced it to my amazement. My obvious next question is whether there are other AI methods available to other topics outside of language learning? This seems to be the case and here’s a sample of what’s already available. 

Starting with general education, AI for Educators wants to transform K-12 education by creating a comprehensive technology platform, where its AI assistants act as knowledgeable colleagues for educators and friendly buddies for learners. It further aims to foster a dynamic, personalized, and collaborative educational experience for everyone in school or after school. 

In a purely technological field, Microsoft Learn is a free, online learning platform offered by Microsoft, designed to help individuals build their skills and knowledge in various Microsoft products and technologies using tools like Copilot and Minecraft. Auburn University offers a self-paced course for higher ed faculty on redesigning assignments, understanding student use of AI, and ethical considerations. 

AI in Education – FutureLearn, designed for teachers and students, by King’s College in London explores how AI can be embedded across subjects and curricula. ISTE AI Explorations offers beginner to advanced training for educators, including hands-on projects and ethical frameworks. AI in Education Certificate, at the University of San Diego offers a four-course program for educators and administrators focusing on curriculum design, student engagement, and policy leadership. 

AI Education for Teachers – Coursera, created by Macquarie University and IBM, this course blends design thinking, data fluency, and machine learning fundamentals. All these programs aren’t just about learning AI — they’re about using AI to rethink how we teach, assess, and help students. Many more are likely to sprout everywhere in the world just now and we’ll soon be ready to take advantage of the fascinating power of that technology if we’re up to learning something new. 

Fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride of discovery!