Friday Donuts

 Friends, In a divided world with a myriad points of view and sensitivities; a world where anything you say can cross a secret line or trip an invisible landmine, how do you keep your words from being taken the wrong way? At the risk of sounding corny, I believe that when your heart is in the right place your words will be well perceived and well received. A well-intended message, like a fresh donut made with good ingredients, may not always be pretty, but it usually hits the spot. So, enjoy a hot cup of Joe and a fresh donut, and try to worry less about what you should say. I know your heart is in the right place (behind and slightly to the left of your sternum—now that was corny). Happy Friday! Now that's corny!

Friends, Despite writing about donuts (sort of) for over 20 years, I don’t believe in sugar coating, after all, honesty is the best policy. Gilding, on the other hand I’m good with. Take the church of the Society of Jesus in Quito, (AKA La Compañía). Built in fits and starts between 1597 and 1765, the volcanic rock baroque facade conceals a spectacular interior. I had the chance to go inside this week and although I had heard about the gold leaf work inside, the descriptions had not done it justice. The details from floor to ceiling transport you to another world, perhaps that’s the point. If you’re ever there, be sure to visit. And while you’re there stop by one of the many panaderías … if you’re lucky they might even have a donut. Happy Friday!

  Friends, Last night, I planned to watch the lunar eclipse. The clouds had other plans. Fortunately, this realization came to me before bedtime, so I only missed the show, not my beauty rest. With 23 years until the next big one, there’s plenty of time to plan. If I’m still around on New Year’s Eve 2048, I might try purchasing some Broadway Donuts from Long Beach, California to watch the cosmic event. Somehow, the real-life Sadie’s Donuts of Dexter fame feels like an appropriate treat to watch a blood moon. For now, I guess I’ll settle for some Dunkin’ and photos of the real thing. Monday's moon... no blood. ​Happy Friday!

Friends, Photons, the embodiment of pure light, travel so fast they don’t experience time. And yet, a group of scientists at the University of Birmingham have produced a visualization of a single photon … a snapshot of the fastest thing in the known universe. If the images flooding the web are to be trusted, it resembles a yellow frosted donut (I favor my description over the paper’s “membrane-like shell of a hollow cylinder”). In hindsight, it just makes sense. Donuts taste like pure sunshine. They brighten your day and bring a smile to your face. They warm your soul and make you feel good all over. So, take a bite (hopefully you haven’t given them up for lent) and let the light fill your being. Happy Friday! A single photon. Photo Credit: Phys.org

Friends, Remember that time I had  AI write the Friday Donut blog ? That was two years ago, a more innocent time when ChatGPT was a novelty. I remember the mix of amazement and fear while experimenting first-hand with the object of all that hype on this very medium. While I have reluctantly embraced GenAI for work, I have not used it as a writing aid for this blog. It feels like cheating – besides, I don’t need to increase my productivity, and I regularly meet my extravagant adjective quota. I have, however, given some thought to the role of AI in society. The way I see it; the bottom line is AI is acceptable as a tool at the service of humanity. So long as AI is attempting to make it faster and more convenient for us. So long as the content it produces is for humans to consume. So long as there is a person at the end of the line, I’m OK with AI. The minute AI starts creating content for AI, that’ll be the time to start worrying. In the meantime, enjoy your donut and be nice to you...

Friends, Do you ever find yourself starting to say a word, realizing it’s the wrong choice and trying to change it while speaking — making it worse? For me, it’s happened more times than I care to admit. A recurring faux pas for me occurs at the part of the mass where the congregation says “when we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim your death, o Lord, until you come again”. For some reason my brain wants to say “profess” instead of “proclaim” — which would essentially mean the same thing. Unfortunately, in my clumsy attempts to fix my mistake mid-word, what comes out sounds like “profane” — totally the wrong vibe. Good thing the entire congregation is saying the same thing in unison. If someone heard me they might think the priest was consecrating a donut, instead of the host. Happy Friday!