On The Fly

In this episode – Baseball is Back . . .   I must confess I'm a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs. Who else but a true fan would willingly watch a Spring Training baseball broadcast on The Marquee Sports Network, especially when it's one of their first broadcasts? Casual baseball fans would say, “It's a waste of time; these games don't mean a thing.” I disagree. It's an opportunity to sit back, enjoy the rhythm and sounds of the game, and reminisce.  Living in Southern California, we have several baseball teams to choose from, including the San Diego Padres, the Angels of Anaheim, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and, with a road trip, the San Francisco Giants. People ask me, why the Cubs? The answer is simple: My Dad was a Cubs fan (everyone called him Doc) , and baseball was a big part of my childhood. The sounds of baseball were everywhere - on the barbershop radio – while playing baseball with the Heller boys and at the local ball diamond where I watched my Dad play. So thi...

In this episode – Calm Your Mind . . . Do you often find it hard to fall asleep because your mind is preoccupied with the tasks you must complete at work, chores you might have forgotten to do around the house, or a missed phone call? In other words, how can one calm their mind and find peace? Chapter two of The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale is titled "A Peaceful Mind Generates Power.” In this chapter, Peale stresses the value of clearing your mind of all thoughts and how it can help us face life's challenges. He offers several techniques to cultivate inner calmness and tranquility, including prayer, meditation, and affirmations. In this chapter, the author suggests a technique to cultivate inner peace by taking a few moments at different times throughout the day to focus on a carefully curated set of serene thoughts. As I studied this chapter, a particular section caught my attention and made me reflect on an experience where I felt a profound peace. Dr....

In this episode – Let’s Talk Pickleball . . . Welcome back to On the Fly , your weekly dose of everything fun and active! This week, we're serving a fresh take on a sport sweeping the nation – pickleball! It's not just for bored kids in the 60s anymore, folks. Pickleball is exploding in popularity, especially among older adults, and for good reason; whether you're a seasoned athlete or just looking for a fun way to move your body, grab your paddle and listen up! (Sound of a pickleball game – ball hitting paddles, laughter) First things first, what exactly is pickleball? Imagine a paddle sport combining badminton, tennis, and table tennis elements. Played on a badminton-sized court with a slightly modified tennis net, pickleball uses paddles and a perforated plastic ball. Points are scored like in tennis, but a unique "no-volley zone" near the net adds a strategic twist. That no-volley zone, or "kitchen" as it's called, prevents players from overpower...

In this episode – Introducing Gemini . . . Today, I'm excited to introduce you to someone who might change your thoughts about podcasts and AI. This isn't your average guest, but rather a cutting-edge technology shaking things up in the audio world. Let me introduce you to Gemini, an AI-powered podcast co-host. Gemini: “Greetings! How can I be of service today?” Patrick: “Hold on there! “No need to be so formal, Gemini. Tell us a bit about yourself. What exactly are you?” Gemini: “I'm a large language model, a conversational AI. Think of me as a vast library of information and a creative writing assistant all rolled into one. I can access and process information from the real world through Google Search and keep my responses consistent with search results. I can also generate different creative text formats, like poems, code, scripts, musical pieces, emails, letters, etc. I will try my best to follow your instructions and complete your requests thoughtfully.” Patrick: “That...

In this episode – We Are The World . . . “I lived less than three blocks away from A&M studios and didn’t even know what was happening,” Lori said to me while we watched the recently released Netflix special “The Greatest Night in Pop” - the documentary of the making of “We Are the World.” "Check Your EGO At The Door!" Read the sign posted by Quincy Jones. “ We Are the World” is a 1985 charity single for African famine relief that included the voices of Michael Jackson, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick, Lionel Richie, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen. The Greatest Night in Pop is the story of how it all came together, told by the people who made it happen, including the camera crew, engineers, assistants, and musicians like Lionel Richie, who served as an executive producer of the film. And despite its popularity, there are still origin stories that you probably didn’t know. Writt...