Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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In a world where we can Tweet, Facebook or TikTok our opinions out near-instantly to the internet at large, we perhaps take for granted this ability to broadcast our thoughts so freely. So long as the idea you’re promoting isn’t criminal, doesn’t infringe on things like intellectual property and doesn’t violate a platforms terms of service, you’re free to put content out in whatever manner you’d like. The Supreme Court however, has recently been hearing arguments regarding holding platforms more responsible for what their users create. Thi...
Many people plan to take an early retirement, so when that day arrives, they’re ready for it. But what if you were to face an unplanned retirement? Would you be prepared to deal with the financial issues? It’s something worth thinking about, because any number of factors — illness, a spouse’s illness, downsizing, other issues —could lead to an abrupt departure from the workforce. But taking action while you’re still working may help you make the transition easier on yourself. Your first move, of course, should be to at least consider th...
Editor’s Note: This is part one of a five part series regarding E-Cigarettes. Answering yes to any of these questions means it’s time to get help quitting. Do you or someone you know: Need to vape as soon as you wake up or during class Feel anxious or irritable when you want to vape Have trouble concentrating or sleeping Keep vaping even though you know it’s bad for you Find yourself reaching for your vape without thinking about it Go out of the way to get e-cigarettes Get interrupted by thoughts about aping throughout the day How To Get Help...
Can I talk about this today? They do say half the battle of curing an addiction is admitting you have one. But you can't be cured if you don't really want to be. And I've convinced myself my case really isn't that bad...Dennis may think differently. I will admit to having caused two of our three daughters to become hooked on houseplants and/or container gardening as well. I believe it's genetic, though. My mother hooked me, as well as my sisters. I think my brother escaped unscathed. Maybe it's...
If you’re getting closer to retirement, you might be thinking more about Social Security. Specifically, can you count on it to contribute part of the income you’ll need as a retiree? There’s been an increase in alarming language surrounding the solvency of Social Security, but in reality, its prospects are not nearly as gloomy as you might have heard. Here’s the story: Under current law, Social Security is estimated to exhaust its trust funds by 2035, after which benefits could be cut by 20 percent, according to the 2022 Social Securit...
Nowadays, one can form a technology startup almost anywhere. The internet, global supply chains and remote workforces mean that you can thrive even in the most remote locations. It hasn’t always been that way, though. Indicative of this is the cluster of companies nestled together in northern California, which have become household names in the technology space. Google, Apple, Intel and Adobe all call the area home. Of course, we’re talking about Silicon Valley here, but how then did this global center for technology come to be? The his...
The weather recently has actually been pretty nice, especially for February. I secretly think Mother Nature is doing her best to soften us up for the next bit of nastiness we all know is coming. But when it's been as nice as this, it's easy to lie to ourselves and allow hope to grow that spring is closer than the calendar says. I'm among those who has allowed herself to believe that gardening weather is returning. So much lying to myself! Last week when we went into Markles (drain cleaner was...
We store so much of what matters most in our lives digitally nowadays. Photos, important documents, passwords and ultimately memories all reside on our computers and smart devices. In order to keep these things safe (or transport our data) we resort to saving our files in various places, such as on portable drives or the cloud. Where then is the most reliable place to store things, and is there such a thing as forever-proofing something digital which we simply couldn’t afford to lose? First, let’s breeze through some common but deeply his...
In the past year, we’ve seen some big swings in the financial markets. This volatility may make you feel as if you have little control over your investment success. But the truth is, you do have more control than you might think — as long as you don’t let fear guide your decisions. Investment-related fear can manifest itself in a few different ways: • Fear of loss – Some investors may emphasize avoiding losses more than achieving gains. Consequently, they might build portfolios they consider very low in risk, possibly containing a high perc...
Editor's Note: This column was submitted to the Glasgow Courier Jan. 29. We are back home from our hockey-watching trip to Quebec City, which is north of Maine, on the St Lawrence River. The grandsons got to compete on the ice rinks at LaVal University. The university hockey program, Rouge et Or (Red & Gold) folded in 1982-83. Quebec City hosted the original 1967 Canada Winter Games Hockey Tournament. Currently the Canadian Hockey Enterprises hosts the Quebec International PeeWee Hockey...
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about ChatGPT, OpenAI’s interactive artificial intelligence which allows a user to have eerily human conversations with an (almost) all-knowing artificial counterpart. Since then, it’s garnered significant interest both from other players in the field of AI, and the public leveraging its skills. Microsoft, of whom I suspect you have heard, even committed to a multibillion dollar investment in the tool and its parent company. ChatGPT has come out of the gate hot and has only gained speed since. The most sincere form...
When you’re working, you may spend decades contributing to retirement accounts such as your 401(k) and IRA. Once you’re retired, though, you’ll likely need to begin withdrawing from these accounts to help pay for your living expenses. In fact, you’ll be required to take money from them at a certain age — but that age requirement is changing, and it could lead to changes in your financial strategy. Let’s look at some background behind this development. You put in pre-tax dollars to a traditional IRA and 401(k), so your contributions can lower yo...
There aren’t many drawbacks to having a high income — but being unable to invest in a Roth IRA might be one of them. Are there strategies that allow high-income earners to contribute to this valuable retirement account? Before we delve into that question, let’s consider the rules. In 2023, you can contribute the full amount to a Roth IRA — $6,500, or $7,500 if you’re 50 or older — if your modified adjusted gross income is less than $138,000 (if you’re single) or $218,000 (if you’re married and filing jointly). If you earn more than these amou...
It’s unusual nowadays to buy something which doesn’t offer a “smart” version. Trash cans, coffee tables, thermostats; all can now be found with circuits and programming and wireless niceties which offer varying levels of convenience to users. The monetary cost of these devices handily rings up at the checkout, but what about other, less obvious costs? Batteries, silicon chips, wires. What makes up these electronics, where does it come from, and how do we ensure we’re being good stewards for future generations regarding its disposal? Silicon i...
Artificial intelligence is a field which has many practical applications in today’s worlds. Simplifying research, saving time, generating better predictive models; the list is almost endless. The recently released ChatGPT is making waves in this field, specifically with its powerful natural language processing (NLP) capabilities. It’s able to generate incredibly convincing responses to queries input by a user, enabling it to tell a story, explain a topic or naturally engage with a human in conversation. How does this new fangled technology work...
We’re off on another trip that involves our grandsons and hockey. This one, unfortunately, is not to warmer southern climes. There’s a bit of prideful boasting involved in this, since both boys were invited to compete in a tournament in Quebec City. The boys are 10 and 12 years old, and I’m still blown away at how far these Florida natives will travel to compete on ice. Us grandparents are also willing to travel that far to cheer for them. I’m sure I won’t be coming home with photos of botanical gardens. I’m writing this column a week early and...
As you know, inflation was big news throughout 2022. But will it continue in 2023? And looking even further ahead, how should you account for inflation in your long-term plans? In regard to the first question, many experts predict that inflation will cool off this year, though there are no guarantees. The high inflation of last year is thought to have been caused by some unusual factors, such as a spike in the demand for consumer goods as the world came out of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to supply chain issues. Also, the war in Ukraine...
A lot of us, myself included, grew up with the sights and sounds of certain video games being ubiquitous. The “waka-waka” of Pac-Man, Tetris’s definitive theme music, or guiding Link through another adventure in Hyrule. Most of us, whether we’ve grown out of it or not, can look back fondly at times we’ve spent borderline-unhealthy lengths of time gripping a controller. Nowadays, video games are a very different experience, and typically a far cry from the simplicity of the ones from our youth. What if there was a way to recapture those fee...
Last week I briefly mentioned there being so many varieties of palm trees at the Sunken Gardens. There were palm trees scattered throughout the gardens, a well as a palm grove. Many of them I'd never heard of. I thought I'd write about those this week, to keep us envisioning tropical climes and ignoring the cold and snow enveloping our corner of Montana. I'd thought I'd be able to do a quick online search for palms of Florida, but no, there are way too many types to cover. I'd said I was amazed...
It’s that time of year when many of us promise ourselves we’ll go to the gym more, or learn a new language, or take up a musical instrument, or any number of other worthy goals. But this year, when making New Year’s resolutions, why not also consider some financial ones? Here are a few to consider: • Don’t let inflation derail your investment strategy. As you know, inflation was the big financial story of 2022, hitting a 40-year high. And while it may moderate somewhat this year, it will likely still be higher than what we experienc...
During our last few days enjoying Florida, we made our usual trip to see the manatees. These aquatic mammals, also called sea cows, used to be mistaken for mythical mermaids. I think those sailors who saw sirens in these huge animals had been out to sea for much too long! (Manatees are the elephants of the sea, and far from siren-like.) There is a manatee sanctuary/viewing center at Apollo Beach, which is really close to where we stay while in Florida. The center is near (and maintained by) the...
Our voice is how the majority of us communicate. It’s personal, it’s identifiable by our loved ones, and it’s the product of our linguistic experience over the course of our lifetimes. This innate dependance on vocals also shows up when interacting with non-humans. Smart speakers, phones, our vehicles; even the most basic thing as calling to pay a bill could result in having a conversation with a voice which was never attached to a person. Why then is there such broadness in the quality of these voices? Why do some make us so wildly uncom...
Cast your mind back to the warmer climes of April. It’s then we learned that Tesla CEO Elon Musk had become the largest individual shareholder of popular social media platform, Twitter. Things after that got a little messy, but ultimately resulted in him becoming the sole private owner. The deal was cut and dried, and Musk got on with making the management changes and restructures to match his vision and leadership style. Why then, so many months later, is his ownership journey still making headlines? Are the stories of millions of users l...
As you may have read from previous columns, we are currently enjoying some time off from the usual northeastern Montana early winter weather. That cold invasion from Canada extended even deep into sunny Florida. People joked about Canada declaring war on the U.S. Of course, “cold” in Florida is much different from that found in our area, where it is expected to occur. We Montanans are usually much better equipped and prepared for the inconveniences associated with below zero weather. We know to have basic food provisions laid in. We have the pr...
We're on our annual winter trip to "sunny" Florida to have the Christmas holiday with our middle daughter and her family. So far, while we have seen the sun off and on, it hasn't been particularly warm. The beach trip may not happen (sorry, Todd). We didn't pack enough pants and long-sleeved shirts! We've already spent a day at an icy-cold hockey rink watching the middle grandson play in a couple games. (The oldest grandson, in college, has skipped hockey this winter.) We've also spent an...
