September 6, 2020 Not long ago, my non-emergency medical needs were exclusively met by visits to the primary care doctor or to a specialist. Given the time lost on a visit, growing co-pays and lead time needed to get an appointment, I really dreaded going to the doctor and put off some minor therapies, including […]
July 5, 2020 With the birth of our daughter, my wife began scrutinizing the products she was buying, aiming for “natural,” “organic,” and of course, “free of sulfates, parabens, and pthalates,” in order to limit the baby’s exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. That scrutiny progressed to products for the rest of the family. After all, […]
June 28, 2020 As a teenager in rural Portugal, I felt disconnected from the mainstream. No internet. No ability to drive to a store to get newspapers. The major innovation at the time was satellite TV which opened my eyes to Spanish, French, Italian and German content. Today, my experience would be different. However, for […]
June 14, 2020 The recent successful SpaceX transport of 2 astronauts into the International Space Station, rekindled the hopes of more progress in Space exploration for years to come. This time, space exploration will be mostly enabled and financed by the private sector. This is possible because advances in technology, including the development of reusable […]
June 7, 2020 As a little kid, I dreamed of getting a letter directed to me in the mail. Surprisingly, my parents dreaded getting the mail. When I asked them why, they explained they mostly received bills to pay. When times improved, my parents subscribed to Reader’s Digest magazine. Receiving that marked a fun treat […]
May 24, 2020 The ongoing pandemic is challenging business owners worldwide, particularly small and medium business owners (so-called Mom & Pop). Large businesses, particularly tech-enabled ones have adjusted well and some have even benefitted from the pandemic. It is tempting to put forward the thesis that the pandemic will lead to the inexorable march towards […]
April 12, 2020 When I was a kid, I used batteries for my best toys and for my portable AM/FM radio. They were expensive and my parents encouraged me to be very frugal in their use. Once a battery ran out, I usually had to wait for a few weeks to get a replacement. Since […]
April 5, 2020 After a few weeks of working from home, most of us are eager to return to “normal” life. Being able to socialize, enjoy nature walks, go to a show, enjoy a fitness or yoga class. Hopefully those days are not too far away. In the meantime we are grateful that we can […]
February 16, 2020 A Doctor, my Dad always instilled in me the importance of continuous learning. When I would complain about school work, he would show me the piles of papers he went through weekly to stay on top of the latest advances in medicine. Meanwhile at school I was mocked as a nerd, […]
February 9, 2020 As a kid, I had a constant stream of business ideas. My cousin and I would write stories, do arts and crafts and sell them on the streets of Portugal. We always sold out, thanks to our parents’ friends and some generous souls we met on the streets. As I grew the […]