Month: January 2026

Understanding Misinformation on U.S. Travel

January 30, 2026

Amazing how much misinformation permeates reality today. My coffee buddy told me not to enter the United States because I’ll have trouble at the border. I told him I am going to visit friends and family in the Carolinas and Florida, which triggered a long rant from him about why he does not visit the US these days. To cut a long story short, we had no trouble at all at the border. The official at the gate wished us a good trip south after a brief, friendly conversation.

Why did my friend have a negative impression of travelling south? He must have seen too many headlines about border agents harassing tourists, read too many articles on the internet about tight immigration policies into the US, and probably seen too many digital media videos on how US immigration agents manhandle travellers.

Confirming the bad publicity surrounding travel to the US, I met a Dutch fellow in the Everglades in Florida who said that travellers from Europe must hand over their cell phones to US immigration officers for a scan of their digital accounts to see if anything there reflects negaitvely on President Trump. If any such messages are found on their phones, they may be banned from visiting the US for a couple of years, he told me.

In our conversation, I learned that he has a condo in Naples that he has not been able to rent due to the significant decline in visitors this year that he attributed to the current US official position towards foreigners and visitors. I read recently that there is a proposal to launch a search program for critical views of Trump on the digital accounts of US visitors, but it is not in effect yet. This type of misinformation is pervasive and spreads by word of mouth.

Misinformation also happened in my family. When we travelled to Florida years ago, my mother, who lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, warned us against swimming off the coast of Florida for all the crocodiles there. Well, there are no crocodiles where we traveled. I do not know where my mother obtained her information.

The subject of how much people are misinformed is discussed in a recent book by Hans Rosling, entitled “Factfulness”. The author conducted numerous surveys worldwide on people’s opinions and knowledge about common topics such as population size and growth. The author concluded that people are ignorant, less than thirty percent were the correct answers in his surveys.

Rosling describes numerous reasons for people’s ignorance; for example, people tend to project the future based on straight-line projections. The world’s population doubled or grew from four to eight billion over the last fifty years. Projecting the doubling of the population over the next fifty years would bring the world’s population to sixteen billion by 1976. The author’s projection, based on economic, family formation and fertility trends, projects the world population peaking at around 11 billion people.

Rosling’s work is data driven. He cites statistics from many sources (such as those from the United Nations) supplemented by the surveys he has conducted. I am not sure that data and surveys together provide an adequate picture and would suggest that, in addition, direct observations may help shed light on reality. For example, if you watch the major TV channels today, you cannot avoid seeing the chaotic environment in Minneapolis. So, you may jump on the idea that Minneapolis is typical of the entire US. But the US is a big country, and life goes on without federal agents interfering in most places.

We traveled in December to North Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee, and have not witnessed any civil disruptions. Stayed a few days in Winston-Salem, Durham, and Charlotte in North Carolina, Orlando and Everglades City in Florida, and Decatur, Tennessee, and had a great time meeting friendly people. Real-time experience defies what you see on TV.

I am not saying that my experience provides an accurate picture of what is going on in the US. What I am saying is that, in addition to what you see and read in the media, it should be complemented by other sources of information, including personal observation and common sense.

And reflecting on my view of life in the US is but a small part of reality. We traveled in a few cities, met a few people, and I’d be the first to admit that my observations are limited in number. But what I learned is that what you see in the media is just one part of the big picture, and the best way to find out what is going on is to travel, to gain a better picture of reality.

Why Standing Desks Improve Typing and Kit Assembly Experiences

January 27, 2026

The clerk at the reception desk worked standing at an elevated desk for typing. I asked her how she liked standing and typing. I had just bought a desk that moves up and down and adjusts to accommodate both sitting and standing positions. The professional advice is that typing while standing is good for your health and can improve typing speed. Apparently, one is more focused, energized and alert while standing. Blood circulation is also better, and you are likely to lose weight because standing eats up more calories than sitting. At least, that is what I read in the literature and triggered me to buy a stand-up desk.

The receptionist said she enjoyed typing while standing, so I shared my experience buying and assembling a stand-up table kit. The kit arrived with clear instructions for 17 steps, requiring screws plus extras, and perfectly aligned predrilled holes. This was a relief because I’ve struggled with other kits missing parts or with misaligned holes.

As I finished my story, the receptionist shared her own experience. In one of her previous jobs, she had the challenge of reassembling returned products in a furniture department store, often missing pieces.

I could not help but describe an earlier experience I had putting together a kit. It was Christmas time, and we bought one of our young children a large rocking horse that came in a box. On Christmas Eve, and after the children went to bed, I started assembling the rocking horse around midnight. Assisted by drinks and a few hours of struggling with instructions and pieces that either did not fit or were left over, I had the rocking horse assembled. I was ready to move the horse into the living room where the Xmas tree was. To my consternation, the fully built rocking horse was too big to fit through the door! A most unsatisfying experience that led me to swear off ever building another toy. The only available option was to take the horse apart, move it into the living room, and then reassemble it.

Come to think of it, many of my attempts at assembling products that come in large boxes leave me feeling incompetent and frustrated. They take many hours, including reading multi-step instructions in small print, often accompanied by drinks to relieve stress. The last big assembly was a BBQ that took four hours. It took a case of beer with an obliging friend who, luckily, followed instructions, to complete the assembly. In other cases, I studied all the provided pieces before assembling the products intuitively, with varying success.

I am typing this blog standing at my new table, elevated to its highest position. So far, so good. I do not feel tired. I am not sure if I am more focused, energized, or typing faster. Maybe I’m faster, but I am making more grammatical and spelling mistakes. It’s a new experience. Resting my elbows on the table feels comfortable and I think I’ll get used to it.

Exploring the Value of Personal Interaction in Today’s Digital World

January 20, 2026

At the local box store I visited, the young salesperson from Gujarat showed me a slew of laptops and described their capacities. He was very knowledgeable. In the ensuing conversation, I learned that he is a graduate student in engineering and has been seeking a permanent job while pursuing his studies. I prefer to make informed decisions, so I told him I’ll go home and review the computers he recommended online.

On driving home, I stopped at another box store and had a similar experience with another salesperson, another immigrant, this one from Africa. The computer sales personnel in both box stores were immigrants, to my surprise. Many immigrant students pursue studies in science and engineering and support themselves financially by selling technical products.

He showed me several suitable laptops: lightweight, with a terabyte of storage, lots of RAM, and a fast chip. My preferred model was only available as open box, with a 10% discount. I wanted to check online reviews and asked the salesperson to hold the open-box model overnight.

When I returned the next day to buy the model based on the good reviews, the Christmas sale was still on, but the open box model was unavailable. Instead, they found a new one and, after some discussion, offered me the same 10% discount due to their earlier promise.

While waiting to finalize the sale, I noticed a sign advertising the credit card for this box store. According to the ad, you get a 10% discount on your first purchase. Wow! I decided to get another credit card and filled out the paperwork to receive my additional 10% discount on the computer.

I thought about the process of buying a laptop, driving home. No question that I spent hours talking with numerous salespeople, a time-consuming process. But I learned from the conversations, and, more importantly, I enjoyed them. It was satisfying to speak with people rather than scan websites like Amazon and buy a laptop online.

Although a stretch, this experience contrasts with a recent coffee purchase at McDonald’s, where I just went up to the screen to order, then waited, and picked up the coffee at the counter without speaking to anyone. I found it much more satisfying to purchase merchandise by talking with people. But I understand that businesses may prefer cutting out people-to-people communication to streamline the sales process and speed up business transactions.

The other thought that crossed my mind was whether businesses like to cater to retired people who may have time on their hands to study promotions and sales.  They can be selective in their buying habits and are often more demanding customers than younger people with jobs and families.

On reflection, I found talking with people while transacting business was thoroughly satisfying. I wondered whether the trend to simplify business transactions by moving them online would have negative consequences for conversational skills and social interaction (I fail to see the digital world, or what is called social media, as a replacement for face-to-face contact, including Zoom). Remote work is gaining popularity, especially since Covid, and with consumer goods available online, one can stay home and get by without face-to-face interaction with the outside world for months. Would this trend lead to more isolation and loneliness?

Ordering Made Easy: Exploring Architecture and Interior Design

January 13, 2026

I tried to purchase coffee on the order screen at McDonald’s yesterday. After three attempts at pushing the wrong buttons, I got it right. But it took more than twenty screen taps to get my simple order. To start with, choices were “here or takeout”; then pick one item from dozens of food and drink options; then “hot or cold” from numerous drink choices; then coffee size – three options; then what to put in the coffee; and then pay on the screen or at the cashier. I mean, I could have ordered it verbally by saying, “Small black coffee, please.” Four words. No matter. The screen works for all orders, and the more screens there are, the more people can order simultaneously.

I still prefer to speak with someone when ordering; I prefer a social interaction. As a result, I often end up at Starbucks or Tim Hortons, where one must order by speaking with a barista or server.

Surprisingly, there were many middle-aged people at this outlet next to Algonquin College in the early afternoon. I expected more students instead. And the people occupied the seats around the perimeter, sitting at tables for two and four, leaving the large communal tables in the middle of the restaurant empty.

Yes, I read that McDonald’s new interior design, called Luna, was developed by an Amsterdam consultant. According to the architect, the design concept encourages socializing, saying hello to people, and facilitating conversations. That is the theory, although I did not see people greeting each other and engaging in conversations.

The Luna design concept features large communal tables that are high and surrounded by barstools, as well as smaller tables around the perimeter. There are 10 or more stools around each large rectangular table. I did not see anyone sitting at these tables. But the furniture design and the colors were pleasing. The walls are painted brown, interspersed with grey accents. According to the designers, it is a subdued atmosphere with no bright colors.

And I did not see a children’s play area, a space I had seen years ago at many McDonald’s outlets. Clearly, McDonald’s moved on to cater to an older clientele. It may be a response to demographic changes, or the older age group may be financially better able to eat there.

I remember the original McDonald’s, with its huge Golden Arches to catch drivers’ attention on the highway. Then the company decided to blend the architecture into the residential areas, perhaps encouraged by zoning bylaws, coming up with the Mansard roof, which blends into the neighborhood. And now, the buildings seem to be simple rectangles, with the logo still intact and small Golden Arches along the fascia. These buildings could just as easily be office buildings, such as medical or insurance businesses. I saw how easily these McDonald’s structures could be converted into offices should the neighborhood’s demographics change and the outlet lose business.

I like the new interior designs, though not so much the exterior; the buildings are boxes with dull colors. I don’t know how the designers arrived at designing such boring buildings. Did they envision a plain, innocuous look that would correspond to the challenging economic and political conditions of the last few years, combined with the recent Covid pandemic?

However, I find McDonald’s an attractive stop on the highway, as their food quality is consistently good and they have kept their menu items up to date to satisfy regional tastes. For example, they offer sausage gravy in the southern states. I always look for sausage gravy, a favorite of mine, and I had some at a South Carolina McDonald’s that was excellent. Now, I am not commenting on the nutritional value of their food; that is a different issue.

I make stops at McDonald’s whenever I’m traveling on the highway. But it is certainly not equal to home-cooked meals in terms of nutritional value or compared to a comfortable home environment. But boy, is it ever tasty to chomp into a Big Mac with fries, occasionally? Despite the calories and fat!

Navigating Municipal Services: Recycling Dilemmas

January 7, 2026

Do you live in a city with municipal services such as water, sewer, electricity, and waste collection? And if you do, have you ever had trouble with any services? Today was my turn.

This morning, before seven o’clock, I put out the garbage for collection. I won’t bore you with the complicated schedule of what gets picked up when — let’s just say you practically need a college degree to figure out which type of waste goes into which color bin on which day of the week.

So out went the blue bin with glass and plastics, the green bin with compost, and two black garbage bags containing all other garbage except paper, which is collected on alternate weeks. When I stepped outside an hour later, two more black garbage bags had magically appeared beside mine. Someone had the audacity to drop their garbage at my curb.

Normally, that wouldn’t matter, but in their infinite wisdom, the city fathers have decided that we must recycle more and now only pick up three black garbage bags every two weeks. I decided to wait and see whether the collectors would take all four bags. Of course, they didn’t — one bag was left sitting on my driveway.

I was annoyed. I suspected the neighbor across the street, because next to us is a large rental complex with huge open dumpsters, so the tenants wouldn’t need to sneak extra bags onto someone else’s curb. Our immediate neighbors don’t produce much garbage, and we know them well. The couple next door and the small family across the street have even asked us in the past to put out their bins when they’re away. That left, by process of elimination, the neighbors one house down on the opposite side of the street.

My suspicion grew when I remembered that over the weekend, they had four cars in their driveway and another four parked along the curb in front of our house. When I took out my garbage, I also noticed a pile of bins and bags on their driveway. One gets the impression they might be running a B&B out of that house — there are always different cars coming and going, some staying for weeks, others only a few days. I even searched online to see if I could identify the owner or occupants but found nothing.

Frustrated, I picked up the extra bag and placed it squarely in the middle of their driveway. Let them deal with it. When I checked later that night, the bag was gone and a car was parked there instead.

Was I right to return the bag? Should I have knocked on their door to discuss it? I honestly don’t know. I don’t know any of the people living there, and with the constant flow of vehicles, it’s impossible to tell who lives there. Maybe I overreacted — but at the time, it certainly didn’t feel like it.

The lesson to learn is that recycling does work. Once you separate paper, glass, plastics, food and garden trash, there is not much garbage left. So, the next time I find garbage on my driveway I did not place there, I’ll go across the street and try to talk with the residents there about recycling.