Syberberg’s Parsifal

One thing that bothers me about opera is that the stage directors are constantly getting into the act, injecting their often weird interpretations into productions, often to the point of destroying the intent of the composer and librettist. Certainly interpretation of a score has a place up to a point, but one can’t redo a Beethoven… Continue reading Syberberg’s Parsifal

Reacting to Terrorism in Nice

Every other year Cardiostim, a major international convention for cardiac electrophysiologists, is held in Nice, France. Starting in 2000, and up until I retired, I made it a point to attend this meeting. The sessions were fun, but more fun was the chance to get away from it all and enjoy the sunny ambiance of the… Continue reading Reacting to Terrorism in Nice

I’m a Better Computer Than Any Doctor

[Ed note: I couldn’t resist writing the following after reading this post on KevinMD.com by Dr. Keith Pochick. Please read it first. Apologies in advance.] I’m a Better Computer Than Any Doctor “I love you,” she said as she was leaving the room. “I, I um…” “Not you. Your computer.” She cast my computer, still… Continue reading I’m a Better Computer Than Any Doctor

The Trials and Tribulations of a Windows Developer

After a very long hiatus, I am back doing software development on a Microsoft Windows machine. I decided to port EP Calipers, an app for making electrocardiographic measurements that is available on Android, iOS and OS X, to Windows. Several users had written to me and asked me to do this. Ever eager to please,… Continue reading The Trials and Tribulations of a Windows Developer

Life Interrupted

I don’t mean to trivialize the plight of soldiers with the real thing, but I believe that after many years of carrying a pager (and later a smart phone qua pager) I have developed something akin to PTSD. I seem to have an excessive fright/flight response to the phone ringing, to sudden loud noises, and,… Continue reading Life Interrupted

Porting an iOS Project to the Mac

I just finished porting my electronic calipers mobile iOS app, EP Calipers, to the Mac. In doing so I decided to bite the bullet and change the programming language from the original Objective C (ObjC) to Apple’s new language, Swift. Here are some observations. The Swift programming language I’m comfortable now with Swift. Swift is… Continue reading Porting an iOS Project to the Mac

Is Apple Really Serious About Protecting Privacy?

I had thought the answer to the question of the title was “yes,” given Tim Cook’s stance on strong encryption. But if a recent experience at my local Apple Store is any guide, the theoretical views of the Apple CEO on privacy have not trickled down to daily practice at the Apple Stores. My wife’s… Continue reading Is Apple Really Serious About Protecting Privacy?