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  • Did You Earn Your AI? Applying the Long Division Principle to AI

    Did You Earn Your AI? Applying the Long Division Principle to AI

    📐 The Long Division Principle: Why AI Must Be a Graduation, Not a Shortcut

    In the rush to integrate Artificial Intelligence into every facet of our lives, especially education, we risk losing sight of a foundational truth—what I call The Long Division Principle.

    The principle is simple: You teach a kid long division before you give them a calculator.

    The Purpose of the Struggle

    Think back to those early math classes. The process of long division is often cumbersome. It’s a series of multi-step operations that demand careful attention, iterative checking, and a deep understanding of place value. In short, it’s a struggle.

    The modern calculator, or any basic spreadsheet function, makes this struggle instantly obsolete. So, why do we still force students through it?

    The answer is that the goal of the lesson isn’t the final number; it’s the process.

    Manual Process (Long Division)Calculator (AI)
    Builds: Mental scaffolding, number sense, logical sequencing, patience.Provides: Speed, accuracy, scale.
    Teaches: How the math works and why the answer is correct.Completes: The task instantly.
    Produces: The critical thinker and discerning mind.Produces: The efficient output.

    If a student is handed a calculator from day one, they achieve a correct answer, but they have no innate sense of whether that answer is reasonable. If they type $2 + $2 and the calculator says $5, they might accept it. They lack the intrinsic feel for the numbers that the manual struggle imparts.

    AI and the Crisis of Discernment

    This dynamic translates perfectly into the age of Generative AI. When we ask a Large Language Model to draft an essay, outline a marketing strategy, or summarize complex history, the AI is performing “long division” instantly.

    For those of us who came up the hard way—the pre-AI generation—we know what the raw effort of research, analysis, and writing feels like. When an AI presents us with a flawless, coherent output, our brain instantly runs a few checks:

    1. Plausibility Check: Does this sound right? I spent two hours researching this topic; I know the common pitfalls.
    2. Structural Check: Is the argument logical? I remember the pain of revising my own shaky outlines.
    3. BS Check: Are the sources or facts solid? I know where a general knowledge model is likely to hallucinate because I had to hunt for those obscure facts myself.

    Our prior struggle is our filter. It allows us to use AI as an amplifier, not a crutch. We are capable of discerning fact from elegant fiction because we learned to discern when we were the source of the effort.

    The Educational Imperative

    The educational challenge of the 2020s is ensuring that the next generation still develops this crucial filter. If students rely on AI to generate their work before they have internalized the standards of quality, research ethics, and logical reasoning, they become masters of output without an internal compass of truth.

    The Long Division Principle dictates a phased approach to AI integration:

    1. Phase 1: The Scaffolding (Manual Effort): Teach the fundamentals—research methodology, analytical writing, basic coding logic, and mathematical principles—without the AI. Force the manual labor to build the necessary intellectual scaffolding.
    2. Phase 2: The Amplifier (AI Integration): Once the core skills are mastered, introduce AI as a tool for speed, scale, and iteration. The student now uses the AI to complete tasks faster and to check their own critical analysis against the machine’s output.

    We must ensure that AI remains a graduation from the fundamental labor of learning, not a premature shortcut that bypasses the mental formation entirely. The ability to distinguish a good result from a plausible one is arguably the most critical skill in the AI age, and it is a skill earned, not downloaded.

    What Do You Think?

    We, the pre-AI generation, earned our right to use this incredible tool by putting in the hours. But what about the next generation?

    Do you believe schools are adequately teaching the “long division” required for students to truly master AI, or are we setting them up for a crisis of discernment?

    Join the conversation in the comments below, or share this post with an educator and ask:

    Did your students earn their AI?

  • Memory and Creativity: AI in Learning

    Memory and Creativity: AI in Learning

    I had a recurring fantasy back in college—a perfect, student-centric daydream. Forget late-night study sessions fueled by cold pizza and lukewarm coffee. My idea was simple: Wouldn’t it be incredible if they could just jam all the core curriculum—the quadratic formulas, the history dates, the periodic table, the grammar rules—straight into our heads?

    Think about the freedom that would bring. If we could instantly download all the basics, we’d be free to really learn—free to play, explore, create, and solve new problems without getting stuck memorizing facts.

    Today, that fantasy is no longer science fiction. It’s called Artificial Intelligence, and for people like me, it feels like a dream come true.

    From Cram Session to Instant Creation

    When I think about how I use AI now, that old college idea makes perfect sense. I don’t have to spend hours drafting a complex report or digging up obscure historical facts. I just put my rough ideas—my “shit,” as I call it—into the prompt box, and suddenly, a whole day’s work is done in seconds.

    AI acts as the ultimate external knowledge repository. It handles the “jamming.” It manages the facts, syntax, common structures, and basic research. It frees my cognitive energy to focus on the high-level tasks: the strategy, the discernment, the novel connection, and the final polish.

    The Crucial “Before” Clause

    But this is where I draw the line, and it leads me to the second big part of what I believe.

    I believe there is a fundamental difference between those of us who came up before AI became ubiquitous and those who will be educated solely with it.

    For those of us from before the AI era, we did the hard work. We wrote 10-page research papers with index cards. We did long division by hand. We memorized definitions and formulas the hard way. We earned our knowledge the tough way.

    All that struggle, research, and manual work wasn’t just about collecting facts. It helped us build a foundation for thinking. It taught us:

    • How to Discern: We learned to smell BS from a mile away because we knew what real research felt like.
    • How to Structure: We understand the logic behind an argument because we had to build it, sentence by sentence.
    • How to Verify: We know the difference between a factual claim and an opinion because we had to check primary sources.

    That’s why I say: Give us the AI, motherfuckers! We earned the calculator. We already built our mental muscles. We know what good work looks like because we struggled through making bad work first.

    The Long Division Principle

    This all boils down to a core tenet of education:

    You teach a kid long division before you give them a calculator.

    The calculator—or AI—is a great tool for getting more done and checking answers. But it’s the manual process, or education, that builds real understanding, context, and critical thinking.

    If a student learns to write only with AI, they might turn out polished writing, but do they really know how to build an argument? If they only use AI for math, do they really understand how the math works?

    AI doesn’t replace education. It’s the best tool for people who already know the basics.

    For the next generation, teachers face a huge challenge: How do you make sure students build real knowledge and critical thinking when the biggest shortcut ever is right there for them to use?

    For us, the alumni of the “hard way,” AI is the brain-jamming fantasy realized—a reward for all those years spent earning our right to finally focus on the fun stuff.

    DISCLAIMER:

    Everything above was written by AI. I typed a prompt into Google Gemini and then ran the output through Grammarly.

    It all began with a memory I was discussing with an old friend. Neither of us were very clear on the matter, and I suggested he have his daughters keep journals so they don’t suffer the same fate as us..

    “Memory sticks!” he suggested.

    That triggered a memory, and I copied that memory/idea into Google Gemini. Below is the prompt:

    Can you elaborate on this and turn it into a blog post?

    i had an idea in college that it would be great if they could just jam all the math, English, history, science, etc. into our heads.

    That would free us up to play and learn and create.

    That is how i use AI now, it s a cream come true. i just put shit in the prompt and bam, a day of work done in seconds.

    BUT, i also think that cats like us who went to skewl before AI learned to discern BS from fact – we put in the legwork already, give us the AI, motherfuckers.

    In other words, you teach a kid long division BEFORE giving them a calculator.

  • Why the Blue Jays Aren’t Truly ‘Canada’s Team’

    Why the Blue Jays Aren’t Truly ‘Canada’s Team’

    Canadians love to define themselves, often in contrast to our neighbours to the south. We pride ourselves on civility, on a certain progressive outlook, and yes, sometimes we enjoy an “Elbows Up” moment when discussing American politics. The rise of figures like Donald Trump often sparks a collective head-scratching north of the border, leading to pronouncements about how “that could never happen here.”

    But what happens when our own national narrative gets tangled in a decidedly un-Canadian knot of corporate power and sporting triumph?

    Enter the Toronto Blue Jays. “Canada’s team,” they proudly proclaim, and as they charge towards a potential World Series victory, the nation is indeed rallying. Flags fly, jerseys are donned, and a collective sense of pride swells from St. John’s to Victoria.

    Except for two rather significant details.

    The First Irony: The Corporate Hand

    The Blue Jays are owned by Rogers Communications. For many Canadians, the name evokes not warmth and fuzzy feelings, but rather exasperation over cell phone bills, internet outages, and a general sense of monolithic corporate control. Rogers is often high on the list of “most disliked corporations” in the country. They are the epitome of the corporate entity Canadians love to complain about. Many people refer to Rogers as “ROBBERS“.

    And yet, here we are. “Canada’s team,” a powerful marketing slogan, is doing exactly what it’s designed to do: uniting the country under a single banner, masking — or perhaps, cleverly leveraging — the underlying corporate ownership.

    Rogers stock has done quite well since their Toronto Blue Jays have done well in the playoffs:

    Rogers Communications Inc Cl B NV (RCI-B-T)

    The Second Irony: The Insult to True Canadian Teams

    This is where the marketing slogan moves from clever to frankly insulting. The “Canada’s team” label is aggressively applied to a Blue Jays roster that often features zero, or perhaps one or two, actual Canadian players. The stars, the coaches, the management—they are overwhelmingly American or from other countries, assembled through the global free market of MLB.

    A stunning act of corporate appropriation

    To take a team with such a low percentage of Canadian content and plaster the national identity all over it is a stunning act of corporate appropriation. It cheapens the meaning of “Canada’s team” by ignoring the actual completely Canadian teams who put everything on the line for the flag.

    Think about the 2002 Canadian Olympic Hockey Team—the true “Canada’s Team.” Every player, from Joe Sakic to Mario Lemieux, was Canadian. They weren’t just representing a city or a corporation; they were representing the country in a moment of pure, unadulterated national pride, with the entire world watching.

    Canada’s Gold winning 2002 hockey team represented parents getting up before down for years on end, making sacrifices that hit close to the bone. They represented a Canadian accomplishment – finally bringing home the gold after half a century, and it tool ALL of us.

    The 2002 Team Canada victory wasn’t a marketing tool; it was a cultural event.

    Blue Jays: A carefully engineered distraction

    By contrast, the Blue Jays’ moniker feels less like a rallying cry and more like a carefully engineered distraction. It asks Canadians to suspend their corporate grievances and forget the lack of Canadian representation on the field, all for the sake of the Rogers marketing department.

    This is the ultimate irony: We might criticize the US for embracing political figures who seem to ignore the common good, yet we readily embrace a corporate narrative that co-opts our national identity for profit, choosing a product (the Jays) over the principle (true Canadian representation).

    “Canada’s Team” is not what it seems

    As the Blue Jays chase their dream, let’s enjoy the ride. But let’s also perhaps ponder the subtle ways our own narratives of national pride and corporate skepticism intertwine. Because sometimes, “Canada’s team” is a lot more complicated—and a lot less Canadian—than it seems.

    The hangover is going to be expensive, Canada.

    PS: Is THIS Team Canada?



  • Unraveling the Sliwa Doctrine in the NYC Mayoral Debate

    Unraveling the Sliwa Doctrine in the NYC Mayoral Debate

    The Sliwa Doctrine: Cat-Jitsu, Leverage, and the Smug Smile

    The final debate for the N.Y.C. Mayoral race wasn’t a policy discussion; it was a bizarre, televised power struggle played out under fluorescent lights. Three men—a resume, a deer, and a Red Beret—battled for the soul of the city, but the real fight was happening on a sub-atomic level.

    My contact, a keen political observer, nailed the surface-level assessment:

    I thought Mamdani looked like a deer in headlights most of the night, interrupted on occasion with that smug smile of his, reminiscent of former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

    Sliwa is endlessly entertaining and talks a good game, but what has he done besides be a cat dad and create something that looks like a very early ICE iteration? (Guardian Angels).

    Cuomo is NOT someone I would “have a beer with”, but he knows his stuff and has a resume miles long.

    – Mayor McCheese

    All true. The Mamdani-Trudeau parallel is pure gold—that smile is a form of aggressive non-engagement. And Cuomo is the walking-talking LinkedIn profile that makes you feel both impressed and deeply tired.

    But the key, the secret of the debate, was revealed by rock star friend of mine, who has a knack for seeing the chaos beneath the calm. He replied:

    “I had an acoustic show recently where I pointed out that Sliwa was a master of submission, leverage and pressure points!”
    – rock star dude

    This is it. This is the Sliwa Doctrine.

    It wasn’t that Sliwa was just loud or entertaining; he was applying the ancient, forgotten arts of Cat-Jitsu. Every time he pivoted from an impossible question about municipal bonds to a rant about stray felines, it wasn’t a distraction—it was a leveraged takedown.

    Think about it:

    1. Submission: When Mamdani tried to pin him on a budget detail, Sliwa used a rapid-fire series of non-sequiturs about the MTA, forcing the moderator (and Mamdani) to submit to the topic change. He didn’t win the argument; he won the battleground.
    2. Pressure Points: Sliwa knows exactly where the public hurts. He doesn’t discuss complex zoning laws; he hits the specific pressure point of a fear-fueled narrative. It’s an emotional chokehold.
    3. Leverage: The Guardian Angels are his leverage. The cats are his leverage. He takes two seemingly disparate elements of his life and uses them to elevate his persona from “politician” to “unhinged folk hero.”

    My observer friend immediately understood the depth of this realization, delivering the perfect summation:

    Curtis the assassin. With him there is no fuckin’. Just kitty cattin’!

    This is the code of “Curtis the Assassin.” His political life is one of intense focus. There are no messy, distracting entanglements. There is only the mission, the red jacket, the pursuit of power, and the serene, judgmental gaze of his many, many rescue cats. His hands, capable of delivering a perfect armbar, are reserved only for gently stroking a calico’s ear.

    The other candidates were playing chess; Curtis Sliwa was petting a cat, waiting for the perfect moment to deploy the purr-powered, non-lethal, political equivalent of a Rōnin pressure point strike.

    New York City isn’t run by policy or competence. It’s run by those who understand the delicate balance of submission, leverage, and the power of kitty cattin’. The other candidates simply haven’t learned the lesson yet.

  • Case Study: Blue Knight Protection — Translating Complex Niche Services into Effective & Trustworthy Web Copy

    Case Study: Blue Knight Protection — Translating Complex Niche Services into Effective & Trustworthy Web Copy

    Project: Security Services Webpage Optimization

    Client: Blue Knight Protection (Private Investigation Services)
    Goal: Increase SERP visibility for high-value local keywords and drive more client calls by building trust and demonstrating expertise.
    My Role: Freelance Copywriter (Strategic Research & Content Creation)

    Challenge: Establishing Authority with Limited Input

    The client supplied only a webpage URL and four high-intent geographic keywords: “Private Investigator (PI) Calabasas, Malibu, Oxnard, Woodland Hills.”

    The objective was to turn a basic placeholder into a search-optimized, authoritative, and empathetic resource. This required overcoming two main challenges:

    1. SEO: Integrating high-value, location-specific keywords naturally.
    2. Authenticity: Communicating confidently about a complex, sensitive industry to clients who may be experiencing emotional distress.

    The Strategy: The Brand Journalist’s Research Mission

    Without AI tools, I used a thorough manual research process aligned with my three-phase approach to audience authenticity.

    1. Immersion: Finding the Client’s Emotional Driver and the Professional Vernacular

    • Manual Ethnography: I researched the client’s audience beyond demographics, focusing on their core pain points. Clients often seek a PI for sensitive issues such as infidelity, custody disputes, or asset searches. Their primary emotional driver is vulnerability and the need for discreet, reliable certainty.
    • Vocabulary Extraction: I studied industry roles, licensing, and legal limitations to build authority. I distinguished between general surveillance and legally admissible due diligence, and emphasized discretion rather than secrecy.

    2. Mapping: Translating Authority to Reassurance

    With authoritative language and client needs identified, I structured the copy to guide users from anxiety to confidence.

    • Tone Matrix: The copy maintained a professional, empathetic, and clear tone, prioritizing clarity and discretion over sensational language.
    • The “Why” vs. The “What”: I shifted the focus from what the PI does to why clients need these services, emphasizing reassurance and factual evidence for court proceedings. The copy positioned the PI as an objective partner in critical decisions, not as a spy.
    • Location Mapping: I integrated all four geographic keywords into subheadings and service areas to optimize for local SERP results while maintaining readability.

    3. Proactive Validation: Establishing Immediate Trust

    The final step was ensuring the copy eliminated any potential friction points for a vulnerable client. Key trust signals were emphasized: licensing, state-level compliance, and a strong, discreet call to action.

    Outcome and Impact

    The resulting webpage copy successfully achieved the project goals:

    • Improved SERP Performance: The strategic use of location and industry keywords immediately improved the page’s ranking for the targeted local search terms.
    • Enhanced Authority: The copy established Blue Knight Protection as a licensed, professional, and discreet provider, directly addressing the client’s need for trust and certainty.
    • Measurable Action: The content addressed client needs and provided a clear, low-friction contact path. Engagement and inquiries increased, leading Blue Knight to order seven additional service pages and secure more contracts.

    This project shows my skill to dive into any niche, conduct deep research, and turn complex or sensitive information into copy. The copy is both SEO-optimized and authentic for the audience—a skill set that is transferable to any vertical.

  • How to Efficiently Plant 100 Onions and 30 Garlic Cloves

    How to Efficiently Plant 100 Onions and 30 Garlic Cloves

    1. A friend of mind in England asked for gardening help on Facebook. “How long will it take to plant 100 onions and 30 approx garlics??“, she implored.
    2. I’d recently read an article in the NY Times entitled Satellites and Drones Are Unlocking Benefits ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ in Michigan Technology is helping farmers use land and fertilizer more strategically. Sometimes, the best practice is no chemicals at all.
    3. REM had a song called Gardening at Night

    Being a good friend, I went straight to ChatGPT for answers!

    ChatGPT is your gardening mentor:

    Good question — it depends a bit on how you’re planting (by hand vs. tool, pre-dug beds vs. breaking new ground), but here’s a realistic breakdown 👇

    🌱 Typical planting times

    TaskTime per unitTotal for your numbers
    Onions (sets or transplants)~20–30 seconds each~35–50 minutes for 100
    Garlic (cloves)~30–45 seconds each~15–25 minutes for 30

    🕒 Total estimated time

    ➡️ Roughly 50–75 minutes total (about an hour to an hour and a quarter), if your bed is prepped and ready.

    ⛏️ Things that change the timing:

    • Bed preparation (tilling, loosening soil, adding compost) can easily double the total time if not done yet.
    • Using a dibber or bulb planter speeds things up significantly.
    • Spacing and neatness: if you’re careful with rows and measurements, add 10–15 minutes.
    • Help: a second person halves the time!

    ✅ Quick version:
     If your soil’s ready and you’re just popping bulbs in → about 1 hour total.
    If you still need to prep the bed → plan for 2 hours.

    Would you like me to give a quick layout plan (spacing and row setup) to make it go faster and ensure good yields?

    You said:

    yes, please

    ChatGPT said:

    Perfect 👨‍🌾 — here’s a simple, efficient layout plan for planting 100 onions and ~30 garlic cloves, assuming a standard garden bed (about 1.2 m / 4 ft wide):

    🌿 Layout Overview

    You’ll plant in rows across the bed, leaving paths between beds if needed.
    This layout fits nicely in two 4×8 ft (1.2×2.4 m) beds or one long 4×12 ft bed.

    🧅 Onions (100 plants)

    📏 Spacing

    • Between onions: 4–5 in (10–12 cm)
    • Between rows: 8–10 in (20–25 cm)

    🪴 Layout

    • You can fit 4 rows per 4 ft bed width.
    • Each 8 ft row (≈2.4 m) holds ~20–25 onions.
    • 4 rows × 4 beds (or equivalent space) = 100 onions total.

    💡 Tip

    • Mark rows with string or a board edge.
    • Use a dibber or finger to poke holes ~1 in (2.5 cm) deep.
    • Pop the onion sets in, root side down, just covered with soil.

    🧄 Garlic (30 cloves)

    📏 Spacing

    • Between cloves: 6 in (15 cm)
    • Between rows: 10–12 in (25–30 cm)

    🪴 Layout

    • You can fit 3 rows across a 4 ft bed.
    • Each 6–7 ft row holds 10 cloves easily.
    • That’s 3 rows = 30 cloves.

    💡 Tip

    • Plant pointed end up, 2 in (5 cm) deep.
    • Mulch well (straw or leaves) to retain moisture and suppress weeds.

    🕒 Workflow suggestion (≈1 hour total)

    1. Prep & mark rows: 10 min
    2. Plant onions: 35–45 min
    3. Plant garlic: 15–20 min
    4. Water & clean up: 5–10 min

    → Total: about 1 hr 10 min relaxed pace, or ~1 hr if you’re efficient.

    Would you like me to make a simple diagram (top-down planting layout) showing spacing and row positions for both crops in one or two beds? It can really help you visualize it before planting.


  • Bridging the Gap: Why a Toronto-Detroit Rail Link is the Missing Piece of North American Prosperity

    Bridging the Gap: Why a Toronto-Detroit Rail Link is the Missing Piece of North American Prosperity

    The image of Michigan Central Station, restored and repurposed as Ford’s new innovation hub, is a powerful symbol of Detroit’s forward momentum. It’s also a painful reminder of a crucial connection we in Canada, particularly Ontario, have allowed to wither: the seamless rail link to the American industrial heartland.

    Governor Whitmer’s new train service near Michigan Central shows the results of visionary policy and private investment. For Canadians, it’s a prompt: Why stand still? Overambitious dreams of billion-dollar high-speed rail distract from critical but neglected connections.

    The Ghost of a Great Connection (And the Loss of a Living One)

    Back in the day, taking a train from Windsor directly to Detroit for a Tigers game was a routine affair—a natural artery connecting two sister cities. That original passenger rail line, along with the necessary Canadian station infrastructure, is gone. The existing rail tunnel under the Detroit River is now exclusively for freight.

    Reinstating this cross-border passenger service is the missing key to unlocking genuine economic synergy in the auto corridor. But while the dream of a new rail line persists, we’ve just seen a major step backward: the Mayor of Windsor just CANCELLED the Windsor/Detroit Tunnel Bus, severing a connection that lasted for over 100 years. This action—cutting a functional, century-old link—perfectly illustrates the lack of commitment to cross-border access that holds back any grander project.

    The Problem: Cost, Complexity, and Cross-Border Paralysis

    Bringing this grand route back faces significant hurdles that go far beyond engineering:

    1. The Infrastructure Challenge: Rebuilding a rail link between Windsor and Detroit for passenger use in 2025 is likely a multi-billion-dollar project. Considering the spiraling costs of large public works, the price tag for new cross-border tracks, updated customs facilities, and station construction would be astronomical. Yet, this is a price worth paying for a crucial piece of 21st-century North American infrastructure.
    2. The Border Hurdle: Securing and facilitating passenger transit across the world’s busiest international border is complex. Our two countries often struggle to coordinate on basic, fundamental needs. A successful Detroit-Windsor train requires seamless, efficient, and integrated border security and customs procedures—a challenge that has stalled similar proposals for decades.

    The Politics of Isolation: A Canadian Sticking Point

    The biggest obstacle to this vital link isn’t a cost analysis or an engineering report; it’s a political and cultural reluctance in Canada to embrace deeper integration with the United States.

    There is a significant and long-standing animosity toward the US within certain Canadian political circles. For some, particularly in the federal Liberal establishment, opening the country to easy access from the US is seen as a threat.

    This isn’t just about an anti-Trump stance; it’s a desire to keep what is perceived as a “playpen” closed off. Lowering the drawbridge and letting Canadians see a dynamic, vibrant, and highly-connected world outside the narrow vision promoted by Ottawa would be the end of their comfortable political “monarchy.” They fear that opening the border to faster travel and easier commerce would highlight perceived domestic failures and outdated policies.

    A Diminishing Vision: High-Speed Rail Along the Corridor

    This protective, inward-looking mindset is most clearly demonstrated in Canada’s approach to high-speed rail (HSR).

    Instead of prioritizing the most economically impactful route, the Canadian government’s vision for the Windsor/Quebec Corridor keeps shrinking:

    • It was once proposed to run from Windsor.
    • It then moved east to London.
    • Now, the focus is increasingly just on Toronto to Montreal.

    This shrinking vision prioritizes a Toronto-Montreal axis—the Liberal heartland—and effectively abandons the Western part of the auto corridor that anchors thousands of manufacturing jobs.

    The Transformational Link: Toronto-Detroit

    If Canada were serious about protecting its industrial base and boosting its economy, the absolute priority for HSR would be a focus on Toronto to Windsor/Detroit.

    • Economic Supercharger: Imagine the auto executives, engineers, and supply chain managers able to travel between Canada’s biggest city (Toronto), the regional assembly hubs (Oakville, Oshawa, Alliston), and the heart of North American automotive innovation (Detroit) in a fraction of the time. This is a massive, immediate win-win for job creation and industrial efficiency.
    • The Chicago Gateway: An easy rail link to Detroit isn’t just about Michigan. Detroit is the gateway to Chicago, America’s third-largest city, just five hours further west. Connecting Toronto to Detroit is, functionally, connecting Toronto to the entire Midwest industrial and commercial megalopolis.

    The people I talk to in Michigan dream of this link. They see the opportunity for seamless commerce and collaboration. Meanwhile, too many Canadian leaders seem content to cut the vital lines we already have and cling to a narrow, insular view of national development.

    To secure Canada’s future and unlock economic growth, we must make the Toronto-Detroit Rail Link a national priority. This requires restoring direct cross-border passenger rail service, coordinating customs and border operations for efficiency, and investing in modern infrastructure. Such action will strengthen our industrial base, create jobs, and connect Canada to North America’s key economic hubs. Now is the time to act and implement these steps.

    You might also enjoy:

    In the gig economy, even God drives a taxi

    A travel journey from Ann Arbor to Detroit unfolds unexpectedly, leading to a transformative conversation with a devout driver. They discuss sports officiating, parental involvement in sports, and the driver’s challenging upbringing. The conversation then turns to religion, and despite differing views, a deep connection is formed. The encounter leaves a lasting impression, symbolized by a gift exchange before embarking on the final leg of the journey to Toronto.

  • Why Cheap Chinese EVs Could Decimate Canada’s Auto Industry: The Zebra Mussel Threat

    Why Cheap Chinese EVs Could Decimate Canada’s Auto Industry: The Zebra Mussel Threat

    I asked Google Gemini to turn a social media reply that I made into a blog post. I think it turned out quite nicely, because my post was what matters most when working with AI: a quality prompt.

    I then ran Gemini’s response through Grammarly, and clicked “Citation Finder”. (Is it just me or does that icon look like a map of Ohio?) Grammarly surprised me with the quality of the citations it supplied, so i am including them below, beneath the end notes. Saving time is one of the great things about AI – it would have taken me forever to find the citations, and chances are i would have gone down a few rabbit holes in the process.

    My original rant supporting the maintaining of tariffs on cheap Chinese EVs:

    Google Gemini’s response:

    The Zebra Mussel Threat: Why Cheap Chinese EVs Could Decimate Canada’s Auto Industry

    It’s tempting to cheer for the arrival of cheap Chinese electric vehicles (EVs). Who doesn’t love a deal? A new, affordable EV seems like a win for consumers, a way to accelerate the transition to electric mobility without breaking the bank.

    But this short-term benefit, I argue, masks a catastrophic long-term threat. The influx of ultra-low-cost Chinese EVs isn’t a tide lifting all boats; it’s the automotive equivalent of zebra mussels in the Great Lakes.

    Short-Term Gains, Long-Term Destruction

    Zebra mussels are small and invasive, but  initially, they didn’t seem like a huge deal. Now, they’ve clogged water pipes, harmed native species, and caused $7 Billion in damage so far1. The cheap EV analogy is chillingly accurate.

    The immediate “woo hoo” of a deeply discounted electric car will quickly be drowned out by the noise of shuttered Canadian factories and a decimated domestic auto industry.

    We already have a stark example of this kind of economic invasion right on our main streets: Dollar Stores. While they offer undeniable short-term savings to consumers, their relentless expansion has systematically suffocated countless local mom-and-pop shops—the backbone of community economies.

    Furthermore, studies indicate that grocery stores close when dollar stores move in, and lower income households spend 15% less on produce. This results in nutritional inequality, as higher income households remain unaffected2.

    The benefit is felt on a single receipt; the damage is felt across an entire town.

    Canada would become more of an Economic Hinterland, Serfs to China

    If Canada’s traditional auto industry—a pillar of our manufacturing sector—is unable to compete with state-subsidized, low-cost Chinese imports, the consequences for the entire nation will be massive and, likely, irreversible.

    • Industrial Decimation: Our already-fragile industrial capacity will be further hollowed out. Thousands of high-paying, skilled manufacturing jobs will vanish, gutting the economic heart of provinces like Ontario.
    • The Hinterland Effect: Canada risks becoming even more of an economic hinterland, with our manufacturing and R&D functions outsourced. The economic center will shift even more decisively to China.
    • Economic Serfdom: Ultimately, we would become economic serfs, dependent on a single foreign power for our transportation needs.

    The Cost of a Chines Monopoly on EVs for Canada

    And here’s the kicker that should terrify every consumer: once China has effectively gained full control of our auto market—by eliminating or severely weakening domestic competition—those “cheap EVs” won’t stay cheap for long.

    A monopoly allows the price setter to set prices as they see fit. After the competition is gone and dependency is established, the prices for parts, service, and the vehicles themselves will almost certainly climb, leaving Canadian consumers with no viable alternative.

    We need to look beyond the alluring sticker price and recognize the long-term price we’d be paying: the irreversible loss of our industrial sovereignty and the health of our domestic economy.

    What do you think is the right balance between offering consumers affordable new EVs and protecting Canada’s vital domestic auto industry?

    1. https://www.canada.ca/en/fisheries-oceans/news/2021/03/invasive-mussels-found-in-moss-ball-products-in-canada.html ↩︎
    2. https://www-2.rotman.utoronto.ca/insightshub/sustainability-social-impact/dollar-store-expansion ↩︎

    Grammarly References:

    (2024). Fisheries and Oceans Canada conducts second roadside inspection blitz to prevent the spread of Zebra Mussels. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/fisheries-oceans/news/2024/08/fisheries-and-oceans-canada-conducts-second-roadside-inspection-blitz-to-prevent-the-spread-of-zebra-mussels.html

    (2024). Dollar Store Entry Affects Rural Grocery Stores More Than Urban. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2024/may/dollar-store-entry-affects-rural-grocery-stores-more-than-urban

    (2024). China Surtax Order (2024). Canada Gazette, Part 2, Volume 158, Number 21: China Surtax Order (2024). https://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2024/2024-10-09/html/sor-dors187-eng.html

    (2024). Canada implementing measures to protect Canadian workers and key economic sectors from unfair Chinese trade practices. Department of Finance Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2024/08/canada-implementing-measures-to-protect-canadian-workers-and-key-economic-sectors-from-unfair-chinese-trade-practices.html

    (2024). Canada announces consultation to protect Canadian workers and electric vehicle supply chains from unfair Chinese trade practices. Canada.ca. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2024/06/canada-announces-consultation-to-protect-canadian-workers-and-electric-vehicle-supply-chains-from-unfair-chinese-trade-practices.html

  • Why Accidental Bookmarks Hold More Value Than Author Notes

    Why Accidental Bookmarks Hold More Value Than Author Notes

    Somebody posted the above photo on Facebook with the caption “Found in a book“. People were praising the author for including it. Being a contrarian as usual, I added a snarky little comment:

    “i’d rather find a bookmark. or a half written love letter. or a shopping list”

    The i shared the image and my comment with Gemini, and asked it to expand on my comment. Here are the results:

    That’s a very human and insightful reaction. While the author’s “Note About AI” is a powerful statement about intellectual property and the origin of creativity, your preference highlights a completely different, often overlooked, value in physical books: their ability to capture ephemeral traces of human life.

    Your desire for a bookmark, a love letter, or a shopping list speaks to the charm of the book as a vessel for random, intimate human history.

    The Value of Human Ephemera

    Here’s an expansion on why those accidental inclusions are more compelling than a formal declaration:

    1. The Accidental Artifact

    The author’s note is a conscious, intentional statement—a political or ethical declaration. It tells you about the creation of the novel. The found objects, however, tell you about its consumption and its journey through the world.

    • A Shopping List: This isn’t just “milk and eggs.” It’s a peek into someone’s mundane, necessary life while they were simultaneously immersed in the world of the novel. It’s a moment where fiction and reality collided, an anchor to a specific date and time.
    • A Half-Written Love Letter: This is pure, raw human emotion—an unfinished thought or feeling, perhaps inspired or interrupted by the very story on the pages. It’s a spontaneous piece of literature, unedited and deeply personal, nestled inside a polished, published one.
    • A Faded Bookmark: It might be a concert ticket stub, a dried leaf, or a postcard. Whatever it is, it marks the exact point where a previous reader paused their life to enter another. It’s a direct, physical connection to a reader who was there before you.

    2. The Power of Mystery

    The “Note About AI” gives you the answer: No AI was used. It resolves a modern intellectual anxiety.

    The found object, by contrast, gives you a mystery.

    • Who wrote that note?
    • What happened to the person who needed those groceries?
    • Why did they stop reading on page 147?

    These artifacts transform the book from a singular transaction between author and reader into a continuous, multi-generational conversation between past readers, present readers, and the story itself. They are unintended annotations that feel far more personal and precious than any formal note ever could.

    What is the most unexpected, moving, or bizarre piece of human life you’ve ever found tucked inside the pages of a used book?

  • The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald: A Cultural Reflection

    The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald: A Cultural Reflection

    (This post began as a reply to the Jennifer Schuessler, author of the NY Times article In the Wake of the Edmund Fitzgerald. She asked “I’m curious to hear your thoughts about this most mythologized of shipwrecks, and about Lightfoot’s song — which based on my reporting is still on the jukebox in every bar around the Great Lakes.”)

    I live in Toronto, where Gordon Lightfoot is revered as a God, on par with Wayne Gretzky before The Great One went MAGA. When local politicians decided to change the name of Yonge-Dundas Square (Toronto’s version of Times Square) to something more culturally appropriate, most people wanted the new name to be Lightfoot Square.

    The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald was a monster song, and I remember my mom, uncles, and aunts talking about it a lot. Over the years the song has been covered by Canadian band Rheostatics to psychedelic freak-out legends Butthole Surfers.

    Welland Canal: Fine for Jacques Cousteau, not so fine for Edmund Fitzgerald

    I grew up in St. Catharines, directly across Lake Ontario from Toronto and about 14 miles west of the New York State border. The eastern boundary of St. Catharines is the Welland Canal, an engineering marvel that allows ships to avoid Niagara Falls and travel between Lakes Erie and Ontario.

    As a kid, I saw Jacques Cousteau’s ship, the Calypso, docked in the Canal. I also saw tall ships glide through it, but the Edmund Fitzgerald was too large to do the same.

    Jacque Cousteau, a French guy who invented SCUBA and explore the seas

    The Mariners Church in Detroit: where the bell rang 29 times

    I lived in Windsor, ON, for a few years, directly across the river from Detroit. The first thing you see in Detroit after emerging from the international tunnel and clearing US Customs is the Mariners Church, a beautiful welcome to America.

    I was walking past the Mariners Church on a nice summer day and saw someone throw a pop can on the church’s neatly manicured lawn. “Desecration!” I thought. Fuming, I took immediate action – I picked up the can and threw it in the trash!

    Inside the Mariners Church in Detroit

    Hart Plaza in Detroit: where the French arrived, and Black Americans escaped to freedom in Canada

    One New Year’s Day one year, I was hanging out in Hart Plaza, next to the Mariners Church. I stood beside the Underground Railroad monument, on the Detroit River’s edge. French explorers led by Antoine de la Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac landed near Hart Plaza in 1701 and established Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, now modern day Detroit.

    Fun Fact: Cadillac was the Governor of Louisiana from 1710-1716, but was fashionably late, only arriving at present day Mobile in 1713.

    Cadillac, a French guy who founded Detroit and was Governor of Louisiana

    It was an unseasonably warm 50 degrees, and foggy. Ice in the river struck the metal buoy, causing it to ding every so often. I thought of the church bell chiming 29 times. (30 times in May, 2023, one extra in memory of Gordon Lightfoot’s passing.)

    The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald represents respect, friendship, and freedom.

    Primordial indeed.