technology

The Complete Guide For Seniors And Others Who Want To Upgrade Their Computing Devices (Tablets and Laptops). Save Money, Get What You Really Need!

I wrote this post to educate seniors about the various computing options available. This information would be helpful for anyone who wants to understand this topic better or needs to replace their existing computing device. However, if you are looking for the bottom line, go to the last section of this post. In this post, I’ll only discuss portable options, specifically tablets, and laptops, as these seem to be the devices many seniors desire.

If you are a senior citizen in 2024, you likely have a computing device. However, consider updating that gadget before the proposed upcoming tariffs are implemented, as they could dramatically increase the cost of all electronics. With so many choices, deciding how to maximize your cost vs. benefit ratio can be challenging. For many, buying a $3000 computer is out of the question. However, those same individuals likely don’t want a $50 computer from Temu. I hope this post will help you sort things out.

Not long ago, having a PC and an internet connection was a luxury. That time has passed. Most of us carry the internet with us on our smartphones. For some, that is all the connectivity they need; however, if you do any type of personal computer work, from writing stories to online shopping, or if you use the internet for media consumption, or if you do any sort of work from home, you will benefit from using a larger device.

In 2024, the many options available may confuse the average senior. Should you spend $25 on a reconditioned school Chromebook or over $6000 on a top-of-the-line MacBook Pro? For most, the answer lies in between.

Tablets

Everyone knows of Apple’s iPad, but several other tablet types use operating systems that are different from Apple’s iOS.

A tablet is a perfect choice for media consumption.  You can watch Netflix and Hulu, stream music, view YouTube videos, and catch up on Facebook.  You can also do home business tasks like shopping and banking or talk to the grandkids via a video chat app. Tablets allow you to keep a calendar, address book, and set reminders. You can easily catch up on your email correspondences. Typing short messages using a tablet’s on-screen keyboard is possible, but buying an external keyboard is best if you plan to type long documents.  

Some keyboards can be purchased as part of a tablet case, which is a convenient choice.  Naturally, these keyboards will be smaller than standard, making typing very long documents frustrating for some (my sister, Nancy, hates using a tablet keyboard, while I have no problem using one).  Some tablets allow users to connect peripherals, like a monitor or a mouse, to them. You can print from a tablet if you have the right printer. Some gaming is possible on tablets.  Complex games require premium tablets with fast processors and storage for large gaming apps. 

Most tablets have excellent battery life. They are great for everyone who prefers a more visual/hands-on approach to computing. Their small size makes them perfect for browsing in an easy chair or bed, and they tend to be less intimidating than large computer systems.

Each family of devices allows you to download additional programs, called apps, from their respective app stores.  Some apps are free, some charge a one-time fee, and others require a monthly subscription fee, so read the app’s description carefully.  You can get apps that do many things, from word processing to games. For instance, you can download the free Facebook app to access Facebook easily.

Tablet Families

Fire Tablet Family

Amazon sells these tablets using a “razor and blade” philosophy. At the turn of the last century, Gillette popularized the safety razor, which they sold at a very reasonable price. These quality grooming tools were made so well that I still can use a razor made in 1953, my birth year (yep, I have one). Gilette didn’t care if they made money on the razors; they were interested in customers buying their overpriced blades.  

Amazon’s objective has been to use the cheapest components to make an acceptable tablet and sell it at a bargain price.  They fill the tablet with Amazon-specific apps and encourage the user to buy everything from books to toilet paper using the tablet. Most of their tablets support Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant.  

A virtual assistant uses AI (artificial intelligence) to answer your questions.  For example, you could say, “Hey Alexa, what is today’s weather.”  Alexa would then give you the forecast. 

The majority of Amazon tablets are usable but of lower quality. The exception is the Fire Max 11, which combines better-quality components at a reasonable price.

Amazon uses a “forked” (heavily modified) version of Google’s Android operating system. 

An operating system is the main computer program that allows all other programs to work.  Examples of operating systems are:

Fire OS for Fire tablets 

Windows OS for Windows computers 

Mac OS for Apple computers

Chrome OS for Chromebook computers

Android OS for Android phones and tablets

Linux OS for many things

iOS for iPhone-for iPhones

iOS for iPads-for iPad tablets  (optimized for tablets)

Operating systems are developed for different purposes.  For example, Chrome OS is designed to work with low-powered computers, while Mac OS is designed to run very complicated programs on speedy computers. 

Amazon’s software engineers modified Google’s free Android OS to create Fire OS. Fire OS is a closed OS that only runs on Fire devices, forcing users to use Amazon’s ecosystem. 

A computer ecosystem is a group of related technological things. In this case, Fire OS runs programs from the Fire app store, uses Alexa as its virtual assistant, and is preloaded with Amazon apps. 

Some apps, like the excellent free Google apps, Instagram, and Dropbox, are unavailable as they are not in the Amazon Fire app store. I also checked to see if my doctor’s office app, called MyChart, or my banking app was available in the Fire store; they were not.  However, Fire tablets support many other apps, like Netflix, Facebook, TikTok, and Zoom. 

You can access some unsupported programs by connecting with their website versions using “Silk,” Amazon’s proprietary web browser. Still, the experience may not be as good as when using a dedicated app. Additionally, some websites are designed to work best on popular browsers like Chrome, Edge, or Safari, which are unavailable in the Fire app store.

A browser is a program that allows the user to access and interact with the Internet. The first graphical browser, Mosaic, was released in 1993. The development of browsers changed the way people use the internet.  In the early 1990s, I could only access the internet using a text-based program called Gopher.  It was clunky and not interactive.  Browsers brought a graphical interface to the internet, allowing for other features like hyperlinks. Hyperlinks allow the user to click on a link on a webpage and be instantly taken to a different spot on that page or another page in the World Wide Web (WWW). Every time you view a website full of photos and graphics, thank your browser.  Browsers brought the internet to everyday citizens.

You can side-load the Google Play store to access millions of apps, including those created by Google. Side-loading is a hack used to install apps that are not available on the Fire app store. Although this procedure is relatively straightforward, it does involve a number of steps and temporarily connecting a Windows computer to the tablet; some report difficulty implementing all of this. This option may not be reasonable for a senior who wants to use a tablet right out of the box.

Most Fire-based tablets have an expansion slot for a micro-SD card, allowing you to dramatically and inexpensively increase your device’s storage capacity. This additional storage is best used for data like photos, movie files, and documents. However, some apps will allow you to run them off external storage. However, they may run slower when doing this.

Fire tablets offer unlimited cloud storage for photos.  

Cloud storage means that photo files are saved on Amazon’s massive remote computers, not on the device. You must have an internet connection to store and retrieve the images, which is not usually a problem in today’s Wi-Fi-filled world. 

A word of caution: Google Drive used to offer free cloud storage for photos. Once the service became popular, it started charging for it. Amazon may do the same in the future.

Fire devices are best for those who spend a lot of time in the Amazon ecosystem and use apps available in the Fire app store, such as Facebook and Netflix. If that is you, you can score a reasonable tablet at a good price. At this time, the Fire Max 11 is a good choice. It is selling for a fantastic sale price of $139.99, a 39% discount from its usual price.

The Amazon Fire Max 11 is an upgrade from other Fire tablets and can be had for a reasonable price.

The Android Tablet Family

Android OS is free, so dozens of tablet manufacturers use it as their operating system. This has led to some good products and some truly terrible ones.  

The Android OS has been around for a long time and is constantly being updated. Reputable tablet manufacturers post updates for their tablets. However, for other tablet brands, you may be stuck with the OS version that the tablet was shipped with. Updates not only bring new features and stability but also supply security patches. 

Some manufacturers sell a range of devices from bargain level to high-end. Mid-priced Android tablets may offer more dollar value than a comparable Apple iPad.

Some Android tablets pair well with Android phones, specifically Samsung tablets paired with Samsung phones. The Google Play store has millions of apps for just about any need. Notably, all Google-created apps are available and free. Stick with apps from the Google Play store, as other sites may have malware-filled programs. 

Malware is software designed to do destructive things, like infect your device with a virus or steal private information from you. 

Most Android tablets use Google Assistant, a very powerful virtual assistant. You can also download Alexa (Amazon’s virtual assistant) and use that app.

Many Android tablets have an expansion slot for a microSD card, allowing you to increase your device’s storage capacity inexpensively. This additional storage is best for data like photos, movies, and documents.  Some apps will allow you to run them off this external storage.  However, they may run slower when doing this.

Apps like Google Docs (word processor) and Sheets (spreadsheets) store their documents in the cloud-based Google Drive. Google gives all users a small amount of storage space for free, and their paid starter plans are inexpensive.

Most Samsung tablets have a Dex feature, which makes the tablet look more like a desktop when connected to external peripherals, like a Bluetooth keyboard. Some will even let you connect an external monitor.

Remember that Android is an operating system designed primarily for phones, not tablets.  This may lead to some issues when running some apps on a tablet. 

A decent Android tablet may be a good choice if you already use an Android phone.  Additionally, it is possible to find a functional Android tablet at lower prices than an iPad.

It is difficult to give a specific recommendation for an Android tablet as there are so many, and they change frequently. Consider a brand-name tablet with 4 GB or more RAM and at least 64 GB storage. If you save a lot of large files, like many movies, go for more storage (or add an inexpensive microSD card). If you play many complex games, go for a faster processor, more RAM, and storage—i.e., a high-end tablet. Remember that streaming movies and music does not permanently use storage space on your tablet. It may use a bit for buffering, but that is not permanent. 

The higher-end units within a brand’s range will have better screens, faster processors, and better construction.  They may have more features, like a stylus or the ability to connect an external monitor.  However, a budget/mid-range, brand-name tablet will do the job for many.  

Go to a store like Best Buy for a hands-on experience before you buy. Regarding inexpensive Android tablets, I have read good things about the Walmart Onn 12.1, the Samsung A9 Plus, and the Lenovo M11 Android tablets.  These budget tablets aren’t the latest or greatest, but they work.  Currently, these tables can be had for less than $200. Samsung tablets have the best reputation for software updates of the three. Lastly, some caution is advised with brand X Android tablets, which may contain malware pre-installed at the factory.

The Samsung A9 Plus offers a lot of value and is currently on sale.

The Apple iPad Family

This is the gold standard when it comes to tablets. iPads come in various price points, from a reasonable $350 to several thousand dollars. Higher prices provide better “everything,” from displays to memory to powerful processors. 

iPads are stable and built to last. They are enjoyable to use because they are refined and designed to be user-friendly.

Millions of apps are available in the iOS app store, and you can do anything with them. However, like other tablets, iPads are best for consuming media, viewing social media, and performing tasks like email, shopping, and banking. Naturally, there are games adapted for iPads. Your personal information may be better protected with Apple products, as Google’s primary business is selling user data. 

If you plan on using an iPad as your only device, it is best to buy a keyboard case. Apple keyboard cases are excellent and sophisticated, but they are highly priced.  You can purchase off-brand keyboard cases for significantly less. They won’t be as good, but they will do the job. 

You can download Google Apps, like Google Docs and Gmail, on an iPad. They can be used offline but work best when connected to the internet. You can also download Amazon apps like the Kindle app, which allows you to order and read ebooks (books converted to an electronic form) from Amazon.

Apple supplies many useful apps for free, including Pages, a word processor; iMovie, a simple yet robust video editor; and Photos, a good photo editor that runs without an internet connection. Apple also includes other apps like FaceTime for video chat, Apple Messenger, a sophisticated texting app, and Notes, which allows you to save anything from your mom’s secret meatloaf recipe to a PDF file of your washing machine’s quick-start guide. iPads are the number one selling tablet, so all the usual apps from Facebook to YouTube are available.

Apple’s virtual assistant is Siri, but you can add Google Assistant and Alexa via their respective apps. 

Apple apps synchronize with other Apple devices, so you can start a word-processing document on your tablet and finish it on your Mac. This ability makes an iPad a clear choice if you already use other Apple devices, like an iPhone or Mac computer. 

A few years ago, Apple separated iPad iOS from their phone iOS. Although many similarities exist between the two operating systems, iPad apps can utilize the iPad’s additional size and other capabilities. iPads have become more computer-like and now allow a variety of peripherals, including keyboards, hard drives, and monitors, to be connected to them. Modern iPads can use a stylus, which varies from model to model. iPad iOS includes features that make it more functional for “real” work.  However, iPads are not as comprehensive as a traditional computer for most business applications. With that said, many business applications have specifically been written for the iPad.

The reasonably priced basic $350 iPad will do the job for most seniors.  If you keep a lot of movies on your iPad, buy one with more storage. If you plan on regularly doing complex jobs on an iPad, like 4K movie editing, go with one of the higher-end models. The iPad Air M2 is incredibly powerful for the price. The top-of-the-line iPads are called iPad Pros. They are costly and are overkill for most seniors.

My sister Carol changed from a laptop to a basic iPad several years ago and hasn’t looked back. She can use FaceTime, send text messages and emails, watch YouTube videos, stay up-to-date on Facebook, and quickly check up on various news sites.  iPads generally have excellent build quality and long battery life.  Since they are built well, they usually work for years. You can only download apps from Apple’s app store, which is monitored to prevent viruses and other malware.  Millions of apps are available for just about anything you could think of. 

The excellent basic iPad starts at around $350 and is enough for most. You can often find this model for less on sites like Amazon. The current “generation” of the basic iPad is the 10th generation. You can order all iPad versions with more internal storage but at a steep price. Unless you use massive apps or need the storage space for other reasons, 64 GB of memory will likely serve you. Using iCloud, Apple’s cloud storage service, you can store documents and photos. Apple provides a small amount of free cloud storage, and basic plans are inexpensive, with 50 GB of storage costing only 99 cents/month. iPads do not have micro-SD slots, so you are stuck with the amount of internal storage that you buy at the onset. 

You can also buy a refurbished iPad from Apple (https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/ipad) or last year’s model at considerable savings without sacrificing much performance. Avoid very old iPads resold from sketchy companies. Even if they work, their battery may be on its last legs, and they are expensive to replace.

I would buy an iPad if I were interested in getting a new tablet. However, if cost is an issue or if you use an Android phone, a good basic Android tablet is a reasonable choice. Amazon Fire tables are great if you can get a good deal and heavily use Amazon services. 

iPads have long been the tablet of choice due to their quality and ease of use.

Laptop Families

The Chromebook family

When Chromebooks were introduced 15 years ago, they were a joke. They were very cheaply made with puny processors and tiny amounts of storage.  They were a glorified web browser. However, Google has consistently improved Chrome OS into an efficient operating system that runs well on lower-powered (and therefore less expensive) machines.  

Six years ago, I did a deep dive into Chromebooks and reviewed several units selling in the $100 to $300 price range.  None of the units were sexy; they had so-so displays, mushy keyboards, and small trackpads.  However, they were all perfectly functional.  Many browser-based programs (programs accessed through a computer’s web browser) were also available, allowing me to write long documents, create spreadsheets, do my banking, watch YouTube videos, listen to Spotify, and even manage this website.

In those days, browser-based photo editing apps like Google Photos had limited abilities but were still useful. However, Google Photos is more powerful now and even has AI functionality. The only thing that was impractical for me to do on those older units was video editing. However, I could record and upload a simple video to YouTube using a Chromebook.

A few years ago, I recommended a Chromebook to my father-in-law, who has been quite happy with it. Before that acquisition, he had been using inexpensive Windows machines and had constant issues with slowdowns, crashes, and other problems.  

Chromebooks update easily, and their performance is surprisingly fast since they are primarily web-based. Two of my kids were given Chromebooks by their schools, and they used them until graduation from high school. My daughter felt she was never hampered by using one during those years.

Schools love Chromebooks because they are inexpensive and easily managed by their IT team. Viruses are not an issue if you only use Chrome OS. Since Chromebooks are primarily cloud-based, students who forget their Chromebooks can be given a loaner. When they sign in, the loaner is configured exactly like the computer they forgot, including their assignments and apps. 

Chromebooks are most useful when connected to the internet, but they can run some programs in situ (directly on the computer).  Chromebooks can now run many Android apps, giving users many more options, including additional games and even some basic video editing.  However, video editing requires a lot of internal computing power, so don’t expect miracles.  

Chromebooks recently added the ability to run Linux programs, many of which are free and powerful.  There are Linux versions of Audacity, which is a DAW (for audio recording), and Gimp, which is a free powerful photo editor with much of the functionality of Photoshop. Here, too, you will be limited by the lower processing power of Chromebooks.

Some Chromebooks have a microSD slot, allowing memory expansion. However, this option is phasing out on newer models. Documents, photos, and the like are stored in Google’s cloud service, Google Drive. Google gives a small amount of this storage for free, and basic storage plans are available for a small monthly fee. 

The ability to use Android and Linux apps opens up additional potential for Chromebooks but also holds additional risk, as downloads may contain malware. This is especially true if you download programs from sketchy sites. 

A basic, inexpensive Chromebook will be fine if you spend most of your time using browser-based applications. If you want to run many Android apps and/or Linux programs, you will need a Chromebook with a faster processor, more storage, and a better display.  This year, Google introduced Chromebook Plus Chromebooks, which have more powerful processors, more storage, a better display, and a better webcam. These models can also use Gemini, Google’s advanced AI (artificial intelligence) program.  For a Chromebook Plus model, expect to pay $250-400.  You can pay much more for a premium Chromebook, but at higher prices, most are better off buying a traditional laptop.

Some Chromebooks offer touch screens and can fold backward to create a tablet. However, they are bulky and not nearly as comfy as traditional tablets. A touch screen may be handy if you run many Android apps, as many are designed to be controlled by touch on Android phones. 

Chromebooks allow many peripherals, including printers, scanners, monitors, and external drives.  However, you must check the web to see if your device supports Chrome OS.  You can check the device’s website for compatibility or simply Google, “Is XXX compatible with Chrome OS.” Some peripheral manufacturers don’t make specific drivers for Chromebooks. You may be stuck using a generic driver that may not offer as much functionality as the dedicated drivers written for Windows or Mac OS.  However, most users will get enough useability from a peripheral device if it is compatible with the Chrome OS.  

Editor’s Note:  I just tried to print using my Epson printer using an updated Chromebook, which was significantly easier than when I did this 6 years ago. Chrome OS found the printer and connected with it with a click.  However, its functionality was reduced; for instance, I had no option to print double-sided. 

Battery life on most Chromebooks is excellent.

At this time, I would only buy a basic Chromebook if money was very tight.  Instead, I would spend $250-$400 on a Chromebook Plus Chromebook as everything about them will be better. I would avoid refurbished Chromebooks on eBay as some previously lived as school Chromebooks, and you can only imagine how they were treated.  A Chromebook will give you a laptop experience and an excellent price point.  Many are durable, and since their processing is mainly done in the cloud, they don’t slow down over time like Windows computers.

Chromebook Plus computers offer value, excellent battery life, and useability for casual computer users.

The Windows family

You can buy a Windows computer for a few hundred dollars, but they are trash. Companies introduced these ultra-cheap Windows computers to capture the Chromebook market.  What they produced were horrible, slow, and clunky computers.  I tested one when I explored Chromebooks around 6 years ago.  I’m sure things have improved, but that computer was the worst experience I have ever had using a computer, including the first computer I ever owned, a Commodore 64, gifted to me in 1983! Expect to spend around $500 or more on a basic functional Windows OS computer. For around $1000, you can get a quite nice Windows machine.

Windows computers have many positives as well as some negatives.

The Windows operating system is highly robust and was made to run complicated programs using the computer’s built-in hardware.  Windows computers can do complex tasks like editing photos in Photoshop and video editing using Adobe Premiere. You can run these complex programs on a $500 Windows computer. However,  you will be limited and get better performance with a more expensive Windows computer with a fast processor, lots of RAM, and a big and fast SSD drive.  

Another Windows advantage is that some software only runs on Windows, the most popular operating system for laptops. In the day, every place I worked at used EMR (Electronic Medical Record) software that ran only on Windows. However, more specialty software is now cloud-based and will run on many machines via a web browser. My wife uses an EMR software called “Simple Practice,” which is browser-based and can be used on devices from Chromebooks to Macs. 

There is a broader variety of software programs for Windows machines.  Pick any category, and you will find more software titles than those available for other systems, including Mac OS.

Some Windows laptops have touch screens.

On the negative side, because there are so many Windows computers, they are targeted by malware.  Because there are so many manufacturers and models of laptops, some models run Windows better than others.  With its many features, Windows tends to be bloated and requires more expensive/faster everything for optimal performance. 

Windows updates can be long, buggy, and frustrating. If you haven’t updated your computer in a while, it may take a very long time to update. I have had Windows laptops running well, but after an update or a new Windows OS version, they slowed down and became highly frustrating.

Windows machines tend to get slower over time, often forcing users to buy a new machine after several years.  Naturally, the more premium the machine, the longer it will remain functional.  

Cheaper machines can have poor battery life, and less expensive Windows machines may also be bulky and heavy. If you are not tech-savvy, you may do better with a different OS system.

What to buy? For a user with simple needs, go for a $500-$700 computer. Don’t buy a machine with a traditional hard drive; get one with an SSD (solid state drive) of 256 GB or larger (these are now commonplace) and at least 8GB of RAM (more is better). If you are out and about with your computer, try getting one that is 3 pounds or less. Naturally, if you are into editing 4K videos or playing the latest and most complicated games, you will need a higher-end unit, but that is beyond the objectives of this post. 

Windows laptops can be amazing machines, but expect to spend at least $500 for a basic model, as lower-priced ones will likely disappoint.

The MacBook family

MacBooks have become increasingly popular.  Mac OS is a comprehensive OS, just like Windows.  However, Apple designs Mac OS and also builds Mac computers, allowing them to be optimized for each other.  MacBooks are famous for their stability, reliability, and longevity.

They are also more expensive than a comparable Windows machine, but they will likely last longer and continue to run well throughout their life.

MacBooks are not upgradable, and ordering a model with more RAM or storage quickly escalates costs.

Although there are fewer software choices than Windows, much of the available software for the Mac OS is excellent and stable. Macs are used professionally for every application, including movie editing, photo editing, CAD, and other advanced needs. You should be able to find great software, except for specific specialty software that only runs on Windows. However, as I stated in the Windows section of this post, more and more specialty software is becoming browser-based and works on many different operating systems.

I did a lot of video editing in the early days of video editing on computers.  Buying a video editing Windows computer then was extremely expensive, so I taught myself how to build my own.  I built many Windows computers for myself and my friends but switched to Macs over 15 years ago.  Their combination of software and hardware allows me to do things on my laptop without constantly trying to figure out how to tweak a program to stop it from crashing (as I did on my Windows machines). Macs just work. Macs are the best full-featured laptop for most of us.

All Macs come with software, including a terrific office suite and simple but useful movie and photo editors. Macs include an excellent texting program called iMessage and an amazing video conferencing tool called FaceTime. Naturally, calendar, appointment, and note-taking apps are also included. 

In 2020, Apple switched from using Intel processors (the computer’s brain) to processors of its design. These “M” chips are more energy efficient, often process faster, and very capable. The “M” processor is a game changer, making even the most basic MacBook Air a mighty machine.

My favorite thing about MacBooks is their integration with other Apple products.  I can send and receive iMessages, take and make phone calls from my computer, easily view photos taken on my iPhone on my Mac, edit a word processing document created on my computer on my iPhone or tablet, and so much more.  I am a fanboy of Macs.

What is the downside? Price. A basic MacBook Air will start at around $1000 and go up from there. A powerful MacBook Pro that is all spec’d out can cost many thousands of dollars. Additionally, MacBooks are not upgradable, so you need to buy a computer that will meet your needs now and in the future (MacBooks tend to be usable for a long time).  

If you want a traditional computer but can’t afford the latest MacBook model, buying an older model with an “M” series chip is reasonable.  M3 and M4 chips are being used at the time of this writing.  However, a MacBook Air with basic specs and an M1 chip is still an excellent machine.  I just checked the Walmart website, and they are selling NEW 2020 MacBook Airs with an M1 chip and 256 GB of storage for an amazingly low $650.  You can buy a renewed Air with an M2 chip on Amazon for around $720. These super-powerful machines will serve the needs of all but the most demanding users. 

The MacBook Pro is the next model up from the MacBook Air. You would know if you needed such a powerful computer; most seniors don’t. 

For a basic MacBook Air, 8 GB of RAM is acceptable, and many users will be just fine with 256 GB of storage. I’m typing this post on a 2020 MacBook Air with an M1 processor, and it does everything I need a computer to do. If this were a Windows machine, I would likely have already replaced it. I have had this computer for almost five years and have only used 150 GB of storage. However, I archive thousands of photos to an external hard drive. 

Editors note:  I’m an enthusiast photographer who does some professional work.  I take a lot of photos using professional gear, which I back up to an external drive.  My iPhone photos are backed up to the cloud. 

iCloud, Apple’s cloud storage service, allows you to store files, documents, and photos. Apple provides a small amount of free cloud storage, and basic plans are inexpensive, with 50 GB of storage costing only 99 cents/month. You can also expand your storage locally using a flash drive or an external SSD. All your Apple devices can access files stored in the cloud.

The MacBook Air is a fantastic computer that should last a very long time.

So what is the bottom line?  

Consider a tablet for non-technical people who consume a lot of media, use social media, and want maximum portability.  My pick is the iPad, but an Android tablet could be a choice if you already have an Android phone or if you need the best bang for the buck. Fire tables are suitable for those who spend a lot of time in the Amazon ecosystem.

If you want the layout of a laptop but your needs are simple, go with a Chromebook Plus laptop. Software and security issues are managed automatically. The Chrome OS is simple, so your computer should work well for quite some time.  For a very inexpensive price, you will get a full-sized laptop that will allow you to do everything from online banking, to watching Netflix movies, to video chatting with the grandkids. I use the Google Office Suite for the majority of my writing.  In fact, I’m using it right now to write this blog post.  This suite is free and accessible via a web browser to all computer operating systems, including Chromebooks. I have used this Office Suite to author complex documents, create complicated spreadsheets, and make “PowerPoint” like presentation slides for talks I have given hundreds of people. Did is say it was FREE?  (I guess I did)

If you plan to run programs directly on your computer or do a lot of photo editing or simple video editing, I suggest a MacBook Air with an “M” processing chip. These are excellent computers and a joy to use. My friend still uses his 2017 MacBook to run a business in December 2024. MacBooks are built to last. 

You can buy Airs that are new but an older model for an excellent price. Check websites like Walmart and Amazon. Additionally, look at the Apple website’s refurbished section. Avoid shady sellers pushing old units with Intel microprocessors, as that is old tech. The average user won’t notice much difference from a Mac with a “M” chip built a few years ago. If you are running high-demand programs, buy the best laptop you can afford. 

If you need to run software only available for Windows, get a Windows computer but spend at least $500 (you may need to pay considerably more depending on the software needs). 

Also, Windows computers are better for serious gamers. Remember that complex games usually require high-end systems. True gaming laptops can be very pricey, so don’t believe an advert claiming that a $500 Windows laptop is a gaming laptop.

Having a computing device has become a necessity in today’s world. I hope that this post has demystified this topic for you. 

Peace

Mike

Images are from Amazon and are being used for educational purposes only.

psychiatry, psychology

How Corporate and Governmental Greed Used The Distance Rule To Control You and Your Beliefs.

The following is my personal opinion.

Over the years, I have observed a phenomenon in various situations: I have dubbed it the Distance Rule. The rule is simple: the greater you can separate yourself from a person or group, the easier it is to justify or ignore harmful actions against that person or group. 

The converse rule, which I call the Closeness Rule, also applies.  The more one can relate to a person or group, the more difficult it is to justify harmful actions against that person or group.  

There is a qualifier.  These rules apply to individuals who have a moral center.  Those with sociopathic tendencies will do whatever is in their best interest, as their ability to empathize with another person is absent.  

Lastly, there is the phenomenon that I call Convenient Sociopathy, where it is so advantageous for an individual or organization to dehumanize an individual or group that they find a rationale to do so, often using the Distance Rule. Think of the corporation Enron, which regularly turned off electric power to parts of California, which caused harm to the most vulnerable while increasing the wealth of Enron’s shareholders. 

Entire nations can use these rules, often employing propaganda to reach a goal. This tactic is always seen in war situations.  During WWII, American propaganda portrayed both the Japanese and German citizens as bloodthirsty monsters, making it easier for US soldiers and the homefront to unite against them.  Naturally, similar campaigns were launched against Americans in those countries.  

Additionally, a systematic propaganda campaign was developed against non-Arians in Germany in the 1930s, and specific efforts by Germany, Italy, and Spain were developed to eliminate a particular minority population, the Jews.

Other groups were also targeted, from Eastern Europeans, to Romani, to gays, to those with physical, mental, and psychological issues. Creating an emotional distance between these groups and the general population allowed ordinary citizens to do the most horrific things to human beings.

It is easy to devise a method to separate one group from another. However, this process is more effective if the aggressor uses an easy-to-identify characteristic such as race, religion, economic status, education level, sexual orientation, or nationality. The aggressor’s goal is to gain power and control. That power can be expressed in privilege, wealth, or other forms of domination. 

A common characteristic of serial killers is that they dehumanize their victims, using the Distance Rule to turn them into objects for gratification. This can be seen in predators who kill for sexual thrills, such as John Wayne Gacy and the BTK killer Dennis Rader.  

The ability to distance from others to justify a behavior can be seen in less global ways. As a psychotherapist, I would see patients use the Distance Rule to create an emotional separation from a spouse when they enter into an affair relationship.  At the same time, I would witness them using the Closeness Rule to idealize the affair partner as further justification for their actions. I have never heard a person active in an affair say something like, “My spouse is great, but I decided to cheat on them anyway.”  Typically, an excuse is made focusing on their spouse’s flaws, lack of sexual response, inattentiveness, or whatever.  Likewise, the AP is usually characterized in an ideal way as the one “who understands me,” the one “I can talk to,” or the one “who appreciates my sexual prowess.” 

This Distance Rule is commonly seen in the corporate world and was promulgated by Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric. Before Mr. Welch, most large corporations’ strategies were for long-term, steady growth. Giving a workforce a sense of stability and rewarding them for their loyalty was part of that growth equation. Jack’s focus was very different. He saw a corporation as a profit-generating machine for stockholders and felt that the role of a corporation was to benefit those individuals. So be it if a job could be done less expensively in another country. A division that was not as profitable as another one should be closed and damn to the factory workers and communities that they lived in. Using that method, Jack made a lot of money for GE’s shareholders and himself.

GE survived as a corporation. However, this Distancing Rule sometimes destroys not only lives but also corporations. One example of that phenomenon is former Sunbeam CEO Albert Dunlap, known as Chainsaw Al for his business practices.  

Sunbeam Corporation was a 100-year-old company that made small appliances under the Sunbeam and Oster brands. These were well-regarded US-made appliances. My mother used a Sunbeam Mixer daily from the 1950s until the 1970s, when she was gifted a Kitchenade Mixer. That original Sunbeam Mixmaster was a quality product.  However, due to mismanagement, Sunbeam was less profitable than possible, so they brought in Chainsaw Al to improve the bottom line. Al fired around 50% of Sunbeam employees, closed down most of Sunbeam’s factories, and reduced their product line, destroying the lives of many.  Robert Reich, then secretary of labor, noted, “There is no excuse for treating employees as if they are disposable pieces of equipment,” Chainsaw Al promoted stock options, which meant that any profit for Sunbeam shareholders would also benefit him.  He was incentivized to do whatever it took to inflate Sunbeam’s stock, and that is precisely what he did, using fraudulent and illegal tactics that resulted in Sunbeam filing bankruptcy in 2001. Al left the corporate world with millions in his pockets despite paying off federal fines and penalties for his illegal practices. His fines were a small price to pay. Sunbeam was sold several times to larger entities, and Newell Brands now owns it. You can still find Sunbeam-branded products, including a crap version of the Mixmaster, which is now manufactured in China. No one aspires to have a new Mixmaster as the once legendary product has fallen far from grace.

The top 1% of income earners are those so isolated from the general population that the populace can become an object to achieve further gain rather than human beings with lives, families, and aspirations. 

I know of a university student who was given an internship at Amazon.  She was treated well in that temporary position, but she was appalled that workers were treated like machines.  For instance, lower-level workers were written up if they ever sat down.  Can you imagine?

Educated professionals can also be treated like commodities. For decades, we have been told that the secret to success was to become educated. Universities grew and prospered as US tuition reached stratospheric proportions.  Students studied complex STEM disciplines like engineering and computer science with the promise of a secure and financially stable life. Currently, many of these individuals can’t find jobs or have been laid off as they try to cope with massive student debt, excessive mortgages, and rising inflation.  

A particularly heinous practice in the US has been incentivizing shareholder profits in health care.  Let me first say this clearly: there is no justification to murder another person. However, I can understand the anger and rage placed on corporations that enrich themselves by acting as the unnecessary middleman in an industry that is supposed to help people and not cause harm.

We have been sold a bill of goods that says our health system is the best in the world; it is not.  Did you know that citizens in 48 other countries, including Costa Rica and Albania, have greater longevity than in the US?  Did you know that many citizens in countries with universal health care are happy with it and can’t imagine the healthcare shenanigans that happen in the US?  Did you know that medical debt is the number one reason for bankruptcy in the US?  Did you know all developed countries except the US have healthcare for all? It is accepted as a benefit of an enlightened society, just like free education, fire departments, and public libraries. No one says, “I don’t want my kids to learn how to read and write because it will turn our country into a socialist state!”

Many attempts have been made to establish universal health care in the US starting in the 1800s, including efforts from Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Harry Truman.  Are you aware that beyond profit interests, one reason for this not happening was racism?  Efforts for universal healthcare in the US started after the Civil War, but they were shot down by politicians, mainly from the South, as universal healthcare would have to include blacks.  White legislators noted, “Free assistance of any kind would breed dependence, and when that came to black infirmity (Ed note: sickness), hard labor is a better salve than white medicine.”  This should not be shocking as blacks have been excluded from many social reforms.  Large numbers of blacks were excluded from the 1935 Social Security Act, and structural discrimination limited black’s access to the GI Bill.

Private health insurance became a popular perk used by companies to entice workers during WWII when wages were frozen. This perk became a factor in amplifying the health insurance industry. 

Somehow, PR has made us believe that healthcare isn’t a right but a privilege.  To that end, 27 million US citizens are uninsured despite programs like Medicaid and the Affordable Health Care Act. This impacts all of us and our economy and is often the case due to governmental barriers at the state level.

Traditional Medicare is a government-run healthcare program that its users generally like.  Its administrative costs are 10 times less than private health insurance programs like Medicare Advantage. Traditional Medicare has a near-zero denial rate for accepted procedures. Lastly, its network of hospitals and doctors is vastly more expansive than any Medicare Advantage program.  Medicare Advantage subscribers often give up traditional Medicare and sign up with a private insurance company because they are promised trivial perks. Getting free stuff sounds terrific until you have a significant and expensive need and your Advantage program denies or delays approval.  

Regular private health insurance also practices these tactics.  A loved one of mine had a spinal fusion, and we were told that she would be in the hospital for 4-5 days due to the complexity of the procedure. After 24 hours, the insurance company was pushing for discharge, and despite my efforts, my loved one was discharged at 36 hours. My loved one wasn’t making sense, could barely stand, and was in terrific pain. We had to provide complete nursing care at home for many days.  Thankfully, I’m retired and have the knowledge and family support to take on that role.  How many others don’t have those resources?

Medicare Advantage programs are under government investigation for fraudulent billing practices and denial of claims. It has been proven that Medicare Advantage offers a lower quality of care while costing the government more than traditional Medicare.  So why are seniors always being pushed to go with an Advantage program?  Well, there is a reason that insurance companies spent over $117,000,00.00 in campaign contributions and lobbying efforts in 2024. We already have government health insurance in conventional Medicare, and it works quite well, but it doesn’t make a profit for shareholders and CEOs.

By using the Distance Rule, insurance clients become objects to be manipulated to increase profits for shareholders and employees of the company.  The recent tragedy of the murder of the CEO of United Health Care brought to the forefront the level of corruption in the industry.  Yes, that CEO was being investigated for insider trading.  Yes, he made 10 million dollars in his last year’s salary.  Yes, he illegally sold 15 million dollars of UHC stocks when he knew the stock was about to tank due to an FTC investigation.  That is horrible, but nothing compared to a 32% denial of claims by UHC.  That means almost one-third of requests from mammograms to life-saving surgeries were denied. Those denials were made by a computer program, not a medical expert, and that software is reported to be wrong 90% of the time! Consider the consequences and damage to our society by turning human beings into objects that can be manipulated to gain corporate profit. 

You may think insurance company denials are based on preventing evil doctors from performing unnecessary procedures, but that is not true. Some of the most significant legal investigations involving health care are due to insurance companies’ fraudulent billing of Medicare/Medicaid. Additionally, many doctors have stories of insurance companies denying payment even after getting pre-approved for a procedure. When insurance companies do pay, they can delay payment for months, causing hardship for practices with large overheads . Many rural and less endowed hospitals have been forced to close because of these and other practices, leaving entire communities without health care.

Insurance companies know that only about 0.2% of denials are ever appealed.  Clients may not know that they have that right to appeal or may not have the psychological energy to launch such a process during their health crisis.  Recently, our family had to face an insurance denial.  A loved one was diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening condition that was so complicated that it required traveling to a university hospital. A very long, complex, and potentially dangerous operation needed to be performed, and the university hospital got pre-approval for the procedure from the insurance company.  The operation took over 7.5 hours and involved a team of the hospital’s top doctors, including department chairs. Yet, 6 months after the operation, we received a bill for thousands of dollars as the insurance company denied a PART of the operation. I’m a physician; how do you deny PART of a pre-approved operation for a life-threatening condition?  That makes little sense. I did appeal the decision and was rejected twice by the insurance company.  I eventually filed a complaint with my state’s insurance commission before the charges were reversed. If only 0.2% appeal an insurance denial, how many of those 0.2% also know you can file a complaint to a regulatory commission?  Likely, not many.  Bonus for the insurance company. 

In our modern society, individuals are becoming more isolated from each other. People work from home, friends connect via text messages, and groups isolate themselves due to their ever-widening economic status. All of this makes it easier to apply the Distance Rule.

I live in an affluent community. I see entire families dining at expensive restaurants on weekdays. It is a place where people walk down pristine walking paths sporting designer clothes.  A place where many belong to a gym because they rarely do productive physical exercise.  It is a wonderful place to live, and I’m very grateful that I am fortunate to have called my town my home.  However, a short drive in almost any direction can take me to a different place.  A place where poverty is evident.  Where grocery stores don’t exist. Where schools are places of violence.  A place where poverty drives crime, addiction, and fear.  I generally avoid those places, as most of my neighbors do.  We don’t have to think about the plight of those human beings; they are far away, making it easy to objectify them.  Objects that we can blame and then ignore. “That’s not my problem.  Look at how successful I am,” we say—ignoring the opportunities that we have had. That is how things work in our society.  If it doesn’t directly impact the individual, it is ignored.  However, as we continue to distance ourselves from others on all levels, the result is that we will also eventually suffer. 

I was raised in a working-class neighborhood but managed to attend one of the country’s best medical schools.  Everyone who works hard enough can do the same, right?  Wrong.  I had many advantages in my favor.  I lived in a stable home and never worried that we would be evicted.  There was always food on the table.  Both sides of my family are academically oriented.  My parents strongly emphasized the importance of education.  I didn’t have the advantages of some, but I had many more benefits than many.  This enabled me to use my only gift, my ability to think, to my advantage.  Would that be the case if I was always hungry or afraid to go to school because I could be shot?  I don’t think so.  

Yet, it is still easy for me to objectify others using the Distance Rule.  I have to actively put myself in the shoes of others. I have conservative friends and family, and I make an effort to understand their positions.  I have working-class friends whose reality differs from mine, and I try to put myself in their shoes. When I drive through a poor neighborhood, I try to comprehend those people’s obstacles.  When dealing with a persecuted minority, I imagine what their life must be like on a day-to-day basis.

Recently, I have had someone I know come out as trans.  She possesses the courage and resolve that few, including myself, have.  However, as a minority, she will suffer from the Distance Rule. In my professional life, I have worked with trans people.  They represent an extremely tiny percentage of the population.  Their wish is simple; they want to have freedom to live their life and to be left alone.  There is NO evidence that they want to convert others to their position or that they get off from entering a bathroom. They just don’t want to be persecuted.  Yet, look at how easy it has been to use the Distance Rule to objectify them and make them into an object of hate. Why do this? If you want to control a group, find another vulnerable group they can fear and hate and then promise to protect the majority group from that imaginary threat. A method as old as time.

We live in a society where the distance between different groups grows daily.  That distance may be measured in terms of physical distance, monetary distance, educational distance, belief distance, racial distance, sexual orientation distance, liberal vs conservative distance, and just about any other separation you can think of. Consider this quote from our Pledge of Allegiance, “One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”  Think of the power and wisdom of that statement.  When we apply the Distance Rule, we negate this promise.  In the short term, it makes our lives easier.  In the short term, it allows others to manipulate us and makes some richer.  But what about the long term?  What about our country and its promise to treat all fairly? In a country that should be the greatest on earth, such separations make the rich richer and the poor poorer. This can only lead to eventual collapse and disaster. That is common sense. Did you know that the three wealthiest individuals in the US have more money than the lowest 50 percent of the population? Three individuals have more wealth than the combined worth of 167 million humans. Their distance from that population is unfathomable. 

Government and industry leaders have employed the Distance Rule to split populations so they could manipulate them and extract power and wealth from them.  Why do we buy such a ridiculous concept that hurts everyone except for a few at the top? 

If you accept even ten percent of the premise of this post, it is incumbent on you to move from passive acceptance of the status quo to active pursuit of a better way.  You need to reject the Distance Rule and embrace the Closeness Rule. You need to look at how we are all more similar than different. At the same time, it is imperative to accept those slight differences that we do have and not buy into the manipulation of others who use minor differences as weapons to separate us.  

Find common similarities between you and someone different from you.  Listen to their dreams and their life struggles. You don’t have to adopt their ideas; they don’t have to convert to yours.  It is OK to be different. At the same time, open your mind, as you may find that some of your beliefs may change as you understand who they are as human beings. In turn, they may do likewise. Focus on the humanity of others. Immanuel Kant developed the Categorical Imperative in the late 1700s. The Golden Rule is as old as time. We know what we need to do, but we are manipulated to do otherwise.

A talking point from this last election was, “Are you better off than you were 4 years ago?”  It was a powerful point and likely won the presidency.  However, it was a manipulation because the statement should have been, “Are you better off than you were 40 years ago.”  For most, the answer would have been “No.”  But that reason is not because of the immigrants, or blacks, or trans people, or whatever.  It is because wealth has steadily moved from the poor to the rich.  That is the reality that the 1% doesn’t want you to know. They effectively used the Distance Rule to deflect blame onto vulnerable groups that can’t defend themselves. Remember, we are always stronger when we work together.  We are weaker when we allow others to separate us into groups, as that weakness can be exploited to all our detriment. 

Peace,

Mike

best kitchen appliances, Uncategorized

Why Newer Appliances Constantly Break, And What To Do About it.

We have a holiday tradition at Kunaland; our appliances seem to break down, and this year was no exception.

When I moved into my home over 35 years ago, the previous owners left a fridge and a stove. After I bit, I updated both to fancy stainless steel versions and placed the original appliances in the basement.  They served us well there, especially the fridge, which was constantly plugged in and used as our grocery overflow center.  It stopped cooling a few months ago, and sat dormant.  My initial plan was to become more conservative and live with one fridge.  However, the sacrifice never got easier. With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I contacted my appliance repair man, who gave me various tips as I replaced everything from the defrost timer to a startup capacitor, all to no avail.  My ancient fridge had reached its end of life.

One week before Thanksgiving, my 20-year-old dishwasher started to act up.  I originally had purchased a brand with a high-reliability rating, and that appliance had only been repaired once (for a door latch) all that time.  However, it was stopping mid-cycle and was not draining water.  The only way I could get it to re-initialize was to go into the basement, turn off its circuit breaker for 5 minutes, and then turn it back on.  This suggested that a logic board was failing, which was an expensive repair.  It was time to say goodbye to that unit, too. 

I had to replace two major appliances, but both had served me well.  That can’t be said of other newer and more expensive appliances I have had to replace in my 30+ years of living in my home.

I replaced the original stove and refrigerator with fancy and higher-end stainless steel units from Kenmore. In less than 10 years, both had multiple repairs and quickly reached their end of life. They were replaced by a Kenmore induction stove and a Samsung French door refrigerator.  The Kenmore lasted around ten years, but that was with multiple service calls.  Finally, its main logic board had to be replaced, but Sears was no longer stocking that board, and the unit had to be scrapped.  Worse was the Samsung fridge, which was a nightmare.  I fixed the unit multiple times and also had numerous repair calls.  Finally, the freezer door fell off (no, we don’t abuse our appliances), which was so costly that the repairman advised us to junk the fridge.  We replaced the Kenmore Induction stove with a GE Induction stove and the Samsung fridge with a Whirlpool French door refrigerator. So far, the GE stove has been OK, but the Whirlpool has required a number of service calls.  It also has a habit of freezing behind the crisper door, which it did on Thanksgiving.  This warms the fridge compartment to the point of food spoiling.  The only option is to remove everything from the fridge and freezer, unplug the unit, and let it defrost for 24 hours.  This is happening on a refrigerator that costs well over $2000.00.   

My parents bought a single-door Kenmore fridge in 1950. It was our primary fridge for over 20 years until someone gave us their old (late 50s) but larger two-door fridge. The Kenmore fridge went into the basement and continued operating until the mid-1970s when we moved and left it behind. The same applies to their old and inexpensive Crown brand stove. Neither appliance required any service during their very long lives.

Our appliance guy has encouraged us to keep our ancient washer and dryer, noting, “Most new appliances are junk. They require constant repair, and often parts are unavailable, forcing the consumer to buy a new machine.”  It does seem like he is right.  Appliances that were built to last for decades in the past barely make it to 10 years, and that is with constant repairs in the interim.  Yet, they are more expensive and tout endless, and often unnecessary, bells and whistles. 

My wife and kids love the in-door water and ice maker on our fridge, but I have been told that these additions are a major point of failure. The fancy gaskets and flaps used to lower fridge energy costs frequently malfunction (I fixed the ones on the Samsung fridge at least half a dozen times).  Computer logic boards are often placed in high-stress areas, like directly above a stove’s oven, causing them to fail. Unlike mechanical parts used for generations of appliances, logic boards are unique to a small set of models.  They are stocked in limited numbers, and after a short period, they become unavailable, making a fixable appliance obsolete. 

Mechanical parts have also undergone a crapifacation. The newer and more energy-efficient linear compressors on LG fridges are so failure-prone that LG is now facing a class action lawsuit. Whirlpool is facing a class action lawsuit for defective wiring of their fridges. Samsung is facing a lawsuit stating that their washers corrode faster than they should. Bosch just settled a lawsuit for electronic panels on their appliances that were failing prematurely. Electrolux/Frigidaire is being sued because their washing machines are prone to mold issues, resulting in excessive service calls. LG and Kenmore are being sued for refrigerators failing early. As I researched this post, I just discovered that last year, the owners of my fridge model received a settlement for defective refrigerator evaporators freezing up, which is precisely the problem that requires me to “defrost” my frost-free fridge.  Sadly, I’m past the deadline. I’m sure that there are more lawsuits out there. However, these listings make the point that major expensive appliances are failing at an abnormally high rate. 

Computer-controlled appliances give us features that we likely don’t need. For instance, my stove and dishwasher can be controlled via WiFi.  Has that made my life any better? No. My fridge has a panel that allows me to electronically control things like the size of my ice cubes and the fridge’s temperature.  Do I need to control the ice cube size? No.  Does my fancy electronic temperature display provide me any benefit that a more straightforward mechanical control didn’t? No.  My old washer and dryer have simple dials. Do I yearn for a spaceship-level computerized control panel?  No.  

Many of these new features are sold to consumers as advancements created to improve one’s life or energy usage. However, any benefit seems relatively marginal to me, and any energy saving is offset by repair costs as well as the cost of replacing these appliances earlier. Further, the environmental, material, and energy costs of manufacturing huge appliances would negate societal benefits.

Of course, I understand that some older appliance components, like toxic refrigerants, had to change. However, manufacturers have used energy and environmental mandates as an excuse to make shoddy products that are more expensive and fail faster, punishing both the consumer and the environment. The goal seems to be  planned obsolescence and shareholder profits, in my opinion.    

Here are some tips from appliance repairmen that may help with future appliance purchases:  

Avoid complicated fridges, especially those with indoor water/ice makers, as they consistently break.  At this time, Samsung and LG refrigerators should be avoided as they malfunction more often than other brands. Some repairmen advise getting the most basic fridge possible; you can still buy simple top freezer fridges with mechanical controls.  However, even these units likely use cheaper components, like Chinese-made compressors.

When I replaced our basement fridge, I went with a brand-name unit that was as basic as I could find it. This GE fridge has mechanical controls and no ice maker.

Regarding washers and dryers, there is a consensus that new top and front loaders wash clothes less effectively and break down faster than older machines. Front loaders are especially prone to mold issues. Don’t be fooled by the enormous drums on newer top loaders. Most new washers will only partially fill with water and take longer to complete a cycle.  Users note that they need to wash smaller loads despite the giant size of their washer’s drums. Additionally, top loaders that use impeller plates instead of a traditional agitator are prone to overloading and going out of balance.  Since they use cheap components, such actions can quickly destroy the washer’s suspension system.  Several repairmen cited LG top loaders as being of higher quality than typical home washers. Most repairmen noted that the costly Speed Queen brand was significantly better in terms of cleaning ability, durability, and reliability than consumer brands. Additionally, the commercial version (not the home version) of the Maytag washer is built to a higher standard than most, but not as high as Speed Queen.

Speed Queen washers may look basic, but they are built better and clean better than newer models. Expect to pay more for these qualities.

 

Dishwashers also fail quicker than they used to.  The one brand that was thought of more highly than the others was Bosch.

When our 20 year dishwasher died I replaced it with a Bosch purchased on a Black Friday sale.

Stoves should last a very long time, but they often fail due to logic boards placed directly above the hot oven.  Would you store your computer on a hot stove?  Of course not, but that is precisely what manufacturers do with their logic boards (the main computer board for the appliance).  Consumer Reports polled their subscribers, and they rated GE (now owned by the Chinese corporation Hairer), LG, and Frigidaire as more reliable.  While Samsung, Maytag, and Kitchenade were less reliable. 

GE stoves seemed to be more reliable than some other brands based on a CR survey. Basic is better as bells and whistles tend to break down.

Brands like Kenmore, Insignia, and Criterion are typically made by various third-party companies in Asia like Haier, Daewoo, and Midea. Kenmore used to be considered good quality when its appliances were made by the US companies Whirlpool and Frigidaire, but then it shifted its manufacturing to LG and Samsung, later to Hairer, and now to Daewoo. Repairmen have noted that each change has generally resulted in less reliable products. 

Chinese manufacturers like Haier, which makes appliances for US companies like Best Buy, are now introducing their own product lines into the US market.  It is still being determined if these products are better quality than those units that they make for US brands.  Additionally, repairmen have noted that some repair parts have been difficult to get for these products. That may improve over time.

Elite brands like GE’s Monogram, Viking, and Thermador are more complex and tend to break down more frequently per repairmen.  However, owners seem to like these fancy appliances. 

The best advice is to fix your old appliances when possible and, when necessary, purchase the most reliable new ones that you can afford.  The more bells and whistles you have on any appliance, the more things that can break.

Peace

Mike

cooking, cooking appliances energy savings., Cooking in a dorm room, cooking in a van, cooking without a kitchen, Hotel room cooking, small electric appliances, Uncategorized

Why Pressure Cookers Remain King

I enjoy being retired because I can explore obscure topics without feeling guilty that I should be doing “real work.”

In my last post, I investigated the energy efficiency of tabletop cooking appliances and was surprised by how energy-efficient pressure cookers were. Some were over eight times more energy efficient than a large crock pot I tested. That was amazing, so I thought I would research them more.

Pressure cookers have always remained popular in countries with high energy costs or limited energy resources. However, they became less common in the US market after microwave ovens and crock pots gained popularity in the 1970s. However, they have had a significant resurgence since the introduction of the Instant Pot in 2010.  

In the late 1600s, Denis Papin developed a primitive pressure cooker called the Steam Digester. It was used to extract fat and break down animal bones.  

The Steam Digestor-Image from Wikipedia.

In 1857, Louis Pasteur published his first paper on the role of bacteria in fermentation, heralding an understanding of the role of microorganisms in cheese production and milk spoilage.  His research led to the germ theory and the role of microorganisms in disease.  

By the late 1800s, manufacturers were using pressurized steam to sterilize the contents of canned foods. In 1905, the National Pressure Cooker Company (now National Presto Industries)  started manufacturing large pressure canners for commercial operations. In 1917, the USDA established a canning pressure of 15 PSI as the standard. The USDA deemed pressure canning the only way to safely can low-acid foods (meats, beans, etc.). Canner retorts are the predecessors of the home pressure cooker.

Alfred Vischer introduced the first home pressure cooker, the Flex-Seal Speed Cooker, in 1938. However, the Presto pressure cooker, introduced at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, was the one that caught the attention of homemakers. The Presto was revolutionary as it utilized a simple twist on the pressure lid instead of relying on screws or clamps. The 1930s were a time when home kitchens were starting to modernize.  One can only imagine the significance of the pressure cooker, a device that could cook food three to ten times faster than conventional methods. Pressure cookers became a hit, similar to the home microwave oven’s popularity when they became affordable in the 1970s. The original Presto Pressure Cookers were made of aluminum.

The Flex-Seal Speed Coooker-Image from eBay seller.

World War II ended consumer manufacturing as industries were reassigned to the war effort, but demand for pressure cookers remained high. Presto stopped manufacturing pressure cookers but continued manufacturing retort canners, deemed necessary for the homefront war effort. However, they were made of steel, as aluminum was too crucial for the war. 

Companies in the US resumed production of home pressure cookers in 1945.  Since there was a high demand for pressure cookers, multiple manufacturers took on the task.  Some companies were more concerned with profit than safety and produced unsafe units. Stories about pressure cookers exploding are from this time.

Any kitchen tool can be dangerous, from a dull kitchen knife to a saucepan left unattended on a stove. Modern pressure cookers are kitchen tools, so they fit into this list. However, they have multiple safety features built in and are very safe if used according to common sense and the provided instructions.  

My pressured story

I grew up in a household that used a pressure cooker several times a week.  My mom made the most amazing soups, stews, goulash, chicken paprikash, chop suey, pot roast, swiss steak, and so much more in her Model 40 Presto aluminum pressure cooker. The cooker was built like a tank, and she also used it as a regular pot by leaving off the pressure regulator.  It was the gadget of choice to make popcorn as its thick base made burning popcorn less likely. 

This is exactly how I remember my mother’s Presto Model 40. Purchased some time in the 1940s and still in active service 80 years later. Image from an eBay seller.

This old-style unit operated slightly differently from more modern cookers.  You waited until a stream of steam came out of the vent tube before popping on the regulator, which seemed to have a spring design as it allowed you to cook at several pressures.  I’ll talk more about regulators later in this post. 

My mom used that 4-quart cooker to feed a family of seven until the mid-1970s when she bought an aluminum 6-quart Presto. She continued to use both pots depending on her cooking needs. The new pot had the more familiar “jiggler” style pressure regulator.  Both required very little maintenance.  Every year or two, my mom would send me to our local 5 and 10 store to buy a rubber gasket, and I also recall going there once to buy a rubber pressure plug.  Both purchases were inexpensive.

This Presto is very similar to the 6-quart cooker that my mom bought in the 1970s. It was functional when I inherited it, but its flakey paint made me not use it. Image from an eBay seller.

When my mom passed, my sister got the Presto model 40 and continued to use it regularly until 2017, when her operator error destroyed it. Since the Model 40 was produced in the 1940s, that pot lasted almost 80 years! I was given the 6-quart Presto but didn’t use it much.  The yellow paint on its exterior was badly flaked and looked ugly.  Instead, I bought a new stainless steel pressure cooker and continued the family cooking tradition.

I’m a gadget guy, so I have many kitchen appliances. I find learning how to use them enjoyable. During my adult life, I have used all sorts of pressure cookers in various situations, including when I camp.  I am sold on them and know they are both speedy and efficient.  However, I didn’t realize how energy-saving they were until I researched my last post. 

In that post, I discovered stove-top and electric (think Instant Pot) pressure cookers were significantly more efficient than slow cookers. I always thought the Crock Pot was the small appliance energy king.

Why are pressure cookers beneficial?

  • They cook 3 to 10 times faster than standard cooking methods.
  • They are one of the most energy-efficient cooking appliances.
  • They retain nutrients more than many other cooking methods. 
  • They are highly versatile and can cook anything from a hearty bean soup to a delicate cheesecake.
  • They can transform tough cuts of meat into tender, delectable dinners.
  • They can cook multiple foods at once without mixing flavors.
  • Dehydrated foods like dried beans can be cooked without pre-soaking.

How can they cook as fast as they do?

Pressure cookers require liquid, which they boil and turn into steam.  That steam pushes out the air in the cooking vessel, at which point the pot seals and pressure builds in the pot.  

Liquid water is always trying to turn into a gas. If you pour some water on your driveway, it will evaporate into a gas.  You can accelerate that evaporation process by adding energy to the water in the form of heat.  The water will boil, and you can see the evaporation process as steam. Water boils at sea level at 212F (100C).  No matter how much energy you supply to the pot, the liquid water will never exceed 212F. It is at equilibrium with atmospheric pressure pushing it down at 15 PSI (pounds per square inch). 

Water will boil at a lower temperature at high elevations where the atmospheric pressure is less than 15 PSI, and the converse is also true. If there were a way to increase the atmospheric pressure above 15 PSI, water would boil at a higher temperature.  A pressure cooker can do just that.

The atmospheric pressure at sea level is 15 PSI. A standard American stove-top pressure cooker operates at two times this atmospheric pressure (15 PSI + 15 PSI = 30 PSI), allowing the water in the vessel to be heated to 250F (121C) instead of 212F (100C), and this cooks food faster.

PSI’s impact on the boiling point of water. Image from hippressurecooking.com

But why does a pressure cooker cook foods faster than an oven, which can reach 400F and beyond? Food cooked in an oven has an insulating layer of cooler air around it, slowing down the cooking process. Convection ovens use a fan to break through that insulating layer partially, so they cook faster than conventional ovens. Pressure cookers eliminate the air-insulating layer by pushing it out and replacing it with scorching steam.

Additionally, all foods are mostly water. A carrot is around 88% water, and a pot roast is around 70% water. Under normal atmospheric pressure, this internal water can only be heated to 212F at sea level (just like the water in the pot itself).  However, it can reach higher temperatures under pressure, allowing food to cook faster.  That additional heat breaks down connective tissue faster, which is how a tough pot roast can turn into a delectable dinner in only an hour of cooking. 

I just told you that water’s boiling point depends on atmospheric pressure and that water boils at a lower temperature at higher altitudes as there is less atmospheric pressure. This reduction in boiling temperature can lengthen the time it takes to cook something in a pot, and the same is valid for using a pressure cooker at high altitudes. A US stove-top pressure cooker will increase the pressure in the cooking vessel by 15 PSI above the outside pressure. The general rule is you need to add around 5% more cooking time for every 1,000 feet above 2,000 feet elevation. If you are cooking something that requires 60 minutes of pressure cooking time at sea level, it may take 63 minutes at 3000 feet above sea level. 

Secret Added Time.

It may sound impressive that a pressure cooker can cook something in less time needed by traditional methods, but that time is calculated after the appliance has reached pressure. The liquid has to boil and create steam for this to be accomplished, and depending on the volume of liquid in the pot, that may take a bit. As a loose rule of thumb, assume around ten minutes to reach pressure, at which point timing begins. If a dish says it will be done in 15 minutes, add the boiling/pressure-building time.  That would be 10 min (pressure building time) + 15 min (pressure cooking time) or 25 minutes total cook time.

Quick Release vs. Natural Release.

The heat is turned off at the end of pressure cooking time, but the food continues to cook. Recipes will either tell you to let the pressure come down naturally or to release it quickly. 

In a natural release, you let the pressure come down naturally. Often, this means waiting 10 minutes and then doing a quick release. Food will continue to cook in this mode, but slower. Meats, like beef, can become dry if you do a quick release, as the change in pressure will pull moisture out of them. A natural or slow release prevents this.  

A quick release is most commonly done by tilting a jiggler-type regulator or moving a lever on a spring-type regulator (see your instruction book). Some old stove-top books may tell you to put the base in a pan of water or to carefully run cool water on the lid.  A quick-release stops cooking and is used for many delicate foods, like fish and vegetables. Editor’s Note:  NEVER place the base of an electric cooker in a pan of water, and NEVER run cool water on the lid of an electric cooker.  You will destroy it if you do. 

Different manufacturers use different pressure standards.

A word of caution: US stove-top cookers typically pressurize at 15 PSI, modeled after USDA requirements for sterilizing foods. Their operating temperature is 250F (121C).  European stove-top cookers often pressurize to 13 PSI; their operating temperature will be 245 F (118C), not 250 F. Some Chinese stove-top pressure cookers operate at 8 PSI, yielding only 234F (112C). 

Most electric pressure cookers cycle between 10-12 PSI and cook at a lower operating pressure than a standard US stove-top. This means you may need to adjust cooking time with different pressure cookers. For instance, something that would cook for 45 minutes using a standard 15 PSI stove-top pressure cooker may take up to 60 minutes using a typical electric pressure cooker. 

Some manufacturers produce cookers whose operating pressures are different from model to model.  The Spanish company Magefesa does that.  Some pressure cookers have US and European models that pressurize at different levels. The German Fissler brand cookers use 13 PSI in Europe and are recalibrated to 15 PSI for their US versions. 

A Fissler German pressure cooker. Pricey but well thought of. Image from Amazon.com

Many pressure cookers list their operating PSI (or kpa) on their product page or the cooker.  If you can’t find the operating pressure of a pressure cooker, you will have no idea about proper cooking times. 

Although making adjustments between machines may sound confusing, they are easy to implement. Cookbooks written for a particular appliance and the recipe books provided with the gadget will automatically give you the correct cooking time. Additionally, you will likely gain an intuitive understanding. For instance, if I use an Instant Pot recipe on a stove-top pressure cooker, I know to reduce the time a bit. However, when purchasing, I would stick with a standard 13 or 15 PSI stove-top or a 10-12 PSI electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot and many others).  There is a wealth of information on these devices and tons of recipes. 

A real pressure cooker danger.

Some exotic pressure cookers, like the Instagram-trending Afgan pressure cookers, may be dangerous due to contaminants.  Afghan pressure cookers use reclaimed aluminum, sometimes from old car parts. Afghan pressure cookers have been known to leach lead into foods. 

PSI vs. kpa.

Pressure can be measured in several different ways. For US pressure cookers, we use PSI (pounds per square inch); for the rest of the world, they use kpa (kilopascals).

15.0 PSI = 100 kpa  temp 250F,  cook time 23% of traditional cook time

13.0 PSI = 90 kpa    temp 246F,  cook time 27% of traditional cook time

11.5 PSI = 80 kpa    temp 242F,  cook time 32% of traditional cook time

10.0 PSI = 70 kpa    temp 241F, cook time 33% of traditional cook time

8.0 PSI   = 55 kpa    temp 234F, cook time 40% of traditional cook time

Pot-in-pot cooking.

It is possible to put another cooking vessel inside your pressure cooker. For instance, you can put a springform pan inside to make a cake or cheesecake (made under steam). You can also buy inexpensive stacking pots that fit typical pressure cookers. Using this method, you can cook two foods simultaneously, and their flavors won’t mix.  

Different types of lids.

The lid on a pressure cooker must be secure, or it will fly off when under pressure. Presto revolutionized the home cooker by using a flange/twist-on design that is still very popular today.  Some manufacturers use other methods that have also been proven to work. For instance, some third-world countries produce cookers with clamp-on lids as this style is more straightforward to manufacture.  The famous Indian company Hawkins makes cookers that use a tip-in and clip lid.  As long as the lid is secure, all is good, no matter the design.

Can I fill a pressure cooker to the top?

No. The maximum you can fill a pressure cooker is ⅔ full, as you need room to generate steam. Some foods can only be filled ½ way (for instance, rice and beans) as they tend to expand and could block the vent tube. The instruction book supplied with your machine can provide you with more details.

Maximum filling levels for pressure cooking. Image from hippressurecooking.com

Do I always have to add liquid to my pressure cooker?

Yes, your pot must have liquid to operate under pressure. Depending on the cooking time, a cup of water will usually do. Naturally, liquid dishes like soups already have water in them. 

Why does my electric cooker say “BURN” on its display?

Electric cookers are limited by their heating elements.  If you don’t have enough liquid in them or the only liquid is very thick, like tomato sauce, the cooker may burn some of the food on the bottom of the pot.  This can cause temperatures to rise, which is then sensed by a thermostat, and the cooker will shut down to protect itself. It is essential to read recipes as they stipulate how to put food in a pot.  For instance, a recipe may say to add broth and then tomato sauce but not mix the two. The broth can turn to steam, and you won’t get a “BURN” warning. 

Do I need a cooker that can operate at multiple pressures?

Some pressure cookers can operate at more than one pressure.  However, the vast majority of pressure cooker recipes use high pressure.  For most, having only one pressure is all that you need.

Can I use my home pressure cooker for pressure canning?

Probably not. First, you must ensure that your unit operates at 15 PSI (the USDA standard) and maintains that pressure.  Sterilization is based on both temperature and time.  However, there is no way that a consumer can safely calculate a pressure cooker’s internal temperature.  Poorly canned foods can breed a deadly organism called Clostridium botulinum. This bacteria produces the botulism toxin (botox), one of the most deadly neurotoxins. A very tiny amount can kill you. This botox is the same substance used to give people chemical facelifts, as it paralyzes the nerves controlling facial muscles.  However, that substance is medical grade and precisely diluted.  The bottom line is that If you are into canning, you are best off buying a pressurized canner (retort canner) designed for the job. Canners are calibrated and designed to get up to and maintain 15 PSI.

Are pressure cookers safe?  I hear that they explode.

Some pressure cookers built during the 1940 post-war times were shoddy and could rupture.  Modern pressure cookers have multiple safety devices and are safe if you follow reasonable operating procedures. Can you force a pressure cooker to explode?  That is unlikely unless you deliberately modified it, as was done in the Boston Marathon bombing.  The worst that can happen is that one of the safety mechanisms would activate and release a blast of steam, potentially spewing boiling water and food, providing you with a mess to clean up. I have used all types of pressure cookers for over 50 years and have never had a problem. However, use common sense; don’t leave the house when operating a pressure cooker.  I stay in or near the kitchen using a stove-top unit and remain within earshot when using an electric pressure cooker (which is more automatic). 

Are aluminum pressure cookers safe?  

The urban legend that aluminum pots cause Altzehiemer’s disease has long been debunked. However, aluminum may leave acidic foods, like tomato sauce, tasting metallic. This is not dangerous.  I have never tasted this, so that this ability may be genetic. Anodized aluminum does not impart a metallic taste.  

Aluminum pressure cookers are cheaper than stainless steel pots but are only manufactured as stove-top units. The American Test Kitchen advises getting a stainless steel cooker due to the metal taste issue and their concern that an aluminum pot is less durable. However, my mom’s aluminum pot was almost 80 years old before an operator error destroyed it, so I would say that they are still pretty durable.

I would choose stainless steel if you can afford it, but go for aluminum if cost is a significant issue.  

A typical aluminum pressure cooker. Image from Amazon. com

Do pressure cookers have parts that I need to take care of or replace?

Despite their advanced abilities, pressure cookers are relatively simple devices. A few parts may wear out over time.

-The gasket is a silicon ring that seals the lid and pot.  I remove mine and wash it separately.  I then replace it or leave it loose in the pot to be placed the next time I use my pressure cooker.  Never store a pot with the gasket (seal) in place and the lid locked.  This will squeeze the gasket and may impact its ability to seal. If a pot can’t hold pressure or the gasket looks damaged, it should be replaced with the same type. If you have a brand-name cooker, you can find gaskets specifically for that brand.  If you have a Chinese no-name cooker, you can measure the inner diameter of the gasket in centimeters and find a replacement on Amazon, Walmart.com, or eBay. Different gaskets have somewhat different builds, so try to find one similar to your original if you have a generic cooker. 

Some people keep several gaskets, one for savory foods and another for desserts, as a gasket can pick up odors. I sometimes use the top rack of my dishwasher to clean a removed gasket. Some say soaking a gasket in a diluted vinegar solution can eliminate “gasket odor.”  Gaskets are inexpensive, so having an extra one on hand is a good idea.

My mom would have to change the old rubber gasket on her Presto every year or two.  Current silicon gaskets are advised to be changed every 2-3 years.  However, I check mine to see if it looks good and works OK. If so, I continue to use it. My Mealthy electric pressure cooker is 6 years old, and I still use the same gasket.

-Another replaceable item is the float valve. When the cooker is pressurized, this valve pops up an indicator on the lid. It also seals the pressure cooker and locks the lid from opening. The part that may go bad on the valve is the little silicon ring at its base. If your cooker isn’t pressurizing or this silicon ring looks damaged, replace it.

Should I buy a Chinese or off-brand pressure cooker?

Brand-name cookers stand by their pots. Presto makes reasonably priced pressure cookers, and they still have parts for cookers that they sold 50 years ago.  Kuhn Rikon, Fagor, and Fissler are long-standing, reputable European companies. Instant Pot seems to support their electric pressure cookers (at least to a degree).   

However, I have used several Chinese stove-top and electric pressure cookers that seem to be well-made.  If you buy an off-brand stove-top, ensure the pressure cooker reaches 15 PSI. Some sold on eBay and Amazon do not, reaching only 8 PSI. 

As far as I know, most electric pressure cookers cycle between 10 and 12 PSI, so recipes used from one electric cooker to another don’t need to be adjusted. I have used my Mealthy electric pressure cooker for years, and it works as well as an Instant Pot.  The Mealthy was roughly the same price as a similar Instant Pot but came with extras, impacting my decision. 

Consumables, like the sealing gasket and the silicon washer for the float valve, appear fairly generic on many off-brand models (made in the same Chinese factory?). As long as you match a part correctly, they seem to work. 

I have seen some generic gaskets titled “For stainless steel pressure cookers.” I can’t say if that identifier is essential or just marketing. 

What size pressure cooker should I get?

Stove-top pressure cookers come in all sorts of sizes.  I have seen 2-quart, 4-quart, and even 10-quart electric pressure cookers, but they are usually 3, 6, and 8-quart units.  American Test Kitchen suggests getting an 8-quart cooker because “you can always cook less in an 8-quart, but you can’t cook more in a smaller cooker.  However, I disagree.  My sister has an 8-quart electric for her 2-person family and would always make too much food in it.  She got a 3-quart electric and is much happier.  I often cook for five adults and have never had a capacity problem using my 6-quart cookers.  For years, my mom used a 4-quart stove-top for a family of 7.  However, when she made stew, she cooked the potatoes separately, and when she could, she eventually bought a 6-quart stove-top unit.  

A 6-quart pot works in most situations and is the most flexible as it can accommodate relatively large amounts of cooking but can also easily cook smaller portion sizes. Remember that a pressure cooker can only be filled 2/3rds full, and some expanding/foaming foods like rice and beans should only be filled ½ full. 

First Generation Pressure Cookers.

These stove-top pressure cookers have a simple design. Air is expelled from a vent on the oven’s lid. On top of the lid’s vent tube is a regulator of a calibrated weight. When pressure builds past 15 PSI, the weight is slightly lifted, and the excess pressure is released, causing the weight to rock.  The process continues, causing the weight to “jiggle” back and forth.  These pressure cookers are sometimes called jigglers because of this. Once the regulator starts to jiggle, the operator turns down the heat so that jiggling is relatively gentle.  Timing starts once the regulator is rocking. 

Advantages:

-A straightforward mechanism that has few moving parts.

-It is evident when the unit reaches pressure and if you need to readjust the heat to achieve gentle rocking.

-These cookers tend to be less expensive than generator-two pressure cookers.

Disadvantages: 

-It is possible to lose the regulator.

-These units may lose a little more liquid in the form of steam than second-generation PCs. 

-Some people find the rocking, accompanied by a swish-swish sound, scary.

-Unless you change the regulator, these units can only operate at one PSI (not a big deal).

This first-generation “jiggler” pressure cooker uses a weighted regulator that rocks open once the pot’s pressure exceeds 15 PSI. The arrow is pointing to the regulator.

Second  Generation Pressure Cookers.

Second-generation stove-top pressure cookers use a spring-type regulator that doesn’t jiggle. Instead, these units hiss a bit (some more than others).  They usually have an indicator that says they are under pressure and may have several pressure levels. 

Like Generation-One units, you start on high heat, and when the indicator shows that the pot is under pressure, you lower the heat to maintain that pressure. For some cookers, you want to see a gentle stream of steam; in others, you are given a clear visual indicator that the pot is under proper pressure.  Your pot’s instruction guide will tell you what to look for. 

Advantages:

-May lose less moisture than Gen-One cooker.

-Quieter than a Gen-One cooker.

-Can often achieve several different pressure levels (not very important)

Disadvantages:

-May be more expensive than a Gen-One cooker.

-Some may prefer a Gen-One cooker’s clear visual and auditory cues.

Note:  My mom’s 1940s Model 40 pressure cooker likely used a spring regulator, and her first jiggler was purchased in the 1970s, so I’m not quite sure why some experts labeled jigglers as “first-generation.”

This is a second-generation stove-top unit. The arrow points to the regulator, which does not jiggle.
The arrow points to the “float valve.” As the pressure builds this valve will pop up sealing the pressure cooker and locking the lid as a safety feature.
The float valve has popped up in this photo, signaling that the cooker is sealed. Now, you need to wait until a steady stream of steam comes out of the regulator (see next photo).
Looking carefully, you can see a stream of steam coming out of the regulator. Once this happens, lower the heat until you see a gentle but steady stream of steam. This is when you start your time.
This Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker emits very little steam. Instead, you monitor the pressure indicator on the top of the lid. Once you move to the second red bar, lower the heat to maintain this pressure level.
You can see that two bars have emerged.

Both Gen One and Gen Two Pressure Cookers:

Stove-top pressure cookers can last a lifetime. 

They are high-quality pots that can be used as regular stockpots when needed. In this case, the cook leaves the regulator off/open on the pressure lid or uses a different lid. Some pressure cooker manufacturers sell a separate glass lid for non-pressurized cooking. 

What can a stove-top pot do?

Cooks Soups/Stews/Tough meats:  Yes

Has software programs for common foods: No

Set and (almost) forget operation: No

Slow cooking function: Yes (if used like a stove-top Dutch oven)

Make Rice: Yes (a favorite ability)

Make hard-boiled eggs: Yes

Make Yogurt: No

Sous Vide foods: No

Cook other grains: Yes

Make desserts like cheesecake: Yes

Can saute in the pan: Yes

Cook at 15 PSI: Yes (Many)

Can last a lifetime: Yes

Requires  AC outlet: No

Third Generation Pressure Cookers.

Third-generation cookers are electric, the most obvious being the Instant Pot. However, the Instant Pot was not the first electric pressure cooker on the scene. The first electric cooker was introduced in 1991, and the Instant Pot came out in 2010.  

I had a Nesco electric pressure cooker in the mid-90s that worked very well.  My Nesco had typical pressure cooker functions and a slow cooker setting. The Instant Pot and its clones added a lower temperature setting to make yogurt and some simple timing programs for common foods, like stew and rice. The Instant Pot became a hit because it was featured on Amazon during a Black Friday sale.  Robert Wang was wise to call the Instant Pot something different than a pressure cooker as that neutralizes Urban Legend explosion fears. People got intrigued by pressure cookers and didn’t even know it!

Advantages:

These pots offer set-it-and-forget-it capabilities. Press a few buttons, and the cooker will reach pressure for a set amount of time and then go to keep warm. In most cases, the operator is responsible for releasing pressure if indicated.  

Disadvantage:

-Requires an AC outlet.

-As a small electric, the lifespan of a 3rd generation is limited.

-Many more components than a stove-top unit.  Circuit boards, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, thermal fuses.  The list goes on.  

These pots typically cycle between 10-12 PSI, lower than a stove-top unit. Some smaller pots may have an even lower operating pressure. Only one electric pot, the Instant Pot Max, can achieve the standard 15 PSI. However, some reviewers noted that it didn’t cook any faster than typical Instant Pots, which are less expensive. 

What can a 3rd generation pot do?

Cooks Soups/Stews/Tough meats:  Yes

Has timing programs for common foods: Yes

Set and (almost) forget operation: Yes

Slow cooking function: Yes (some report poor results)

Make Rice: Yes (a favorite option)

Make hard-boiled eggs: Yes

Make Yogurt: Yes  (a favorite option)

Sous Vide foods: A few machines (poor results reported).

Cook other grains: Yes

Make desserts like cheesecake: Yes

Cook at 15 PSI: Only one machine, the Instant Pot Max.

Can saute in the pan: Yes

Can last a lifetime: No

Require AC outlet: Yes

I have used this Mealthy pressure cooker for 6 years. Prior to that I used a Nesco electric pressure cooker since the 1990s. The Nesco’s regulator was damaged, making the unit inoperative.
Electric pressure cookers operate differently than stove-top units. They may build to 15 PSI but then cycle between 10 and 12 PSI during cooking. This lowers their cooking temperature, so they cook a bit slower than stove-top units—image from hippressurecooking.com

Hybrid Machines

A few pressure cookers on the market combine their pressure cooking function with a convection oven (air fryer). This allows the user to cook food rapidly under pressure and then brown/crisp it. People who have these machines generally like them. However, they can be bulky and more expensive.

Several companies make hybrid pressure cookers that can also act as air fryers. This allows you to cook something and then brown it quickly. This is the original Ninja Foodi.
Another view of the Foodi. The pressure lid is on the pot. You can also see the air fryer lid permanently attached to the cooker.

Conclusions/Recommendations

A pressure cooker is a fantastic and safe cooking gadget.  It saves fuel, gets meals on the table 3-10 faster than conventional methods, preserves vitamins, and the food tastes great because all of the volatile aroma molecules are preserved.  Meats come out juicy and tender.  Vegetables have more vitamins, and rice, beans, and grains cook quickly.  You can make entire meals simultaneously without blending flavors with the pot-in-pot technique.  These pots will save you time and money; they use little energy while allowing you to cook cheaper cuts of meat.

The American Test Kitchen suggests buying a stainless steel cooker with a broad base for durability and quick sauteing of foods. This is good advice, but you can certainly use an aluminum cooker with excellent results. I have pressure cookers with typically sized bases and may have to brown large amounts of stew meat in two batches. I’m not working in a commercial kitchen, so super durability and saving 5 minutes of browning time are not crucial.

Stove-top pressure cookers offer the advantage of cooking at a full 15 PSI (faster cooking times). They can last a lifetime, be used as a high-quality stock pot, and be operated using many heating sources, from kitchen ranges to camping stoves.  They are the perfect cooking tool in a disaster situation. A cooker from Generation One or Generation Two cooks similarly. Remember, if a cooker operates at the same PSI, it will cook the same.

However, I suggest getting an electric pressure cooker for the first-time user.  Their ease of use and automatic nature make you more likely to use them. Additionally, dozens, if not hundreds, of websites and YouTube videos make it easy to get up and running. 

Hybrid cookers are loved by their owners due to their additional versatility.  However, that additional functionality may make an already daunting task even more difficult for a new user. Such an appliance can be purchased later if desired. 

Which type of cooker do I use?  The answer is “Yes.”.

Peace,

Mike

Images used for educational purposes.

cooking appliances energy savings.

Slow Cookers Vs. Pressure Cookers: Which Is The Energy-Saving King?

I recently came across a Yale Environment Review article that stated, “Cooking accounts for 20% of consumers’ energy use.” This percentage surprised me as I thought the energy used in food preparation was nominal. It got me thinking about appliances and their energy use.

I thought my information quest would be pretty simple if I did a Google search, but I was wrong.  I came across blogs, environmental websites, an electric power cooperative website, and even government-run environmental websites; they all got it wrong.  I’m not trying to be grandiose, but my conclusion was correct. 

If I queried, “How much energy is used by a toaster oven?”  All of the sites would say something like:

“Look at the device’s back panel for the wattage used and then multiply this number by the time in hours that the appliance was in use to find the appliance’s efficiency.  Let’s say the toaster oven’s label says it uses 1500 watts, and you bake something for 90 minutes (1.5 hours).  The energy would be 1500 x 1.5 = 2250 watt-hours of energy.”

This formula is utterly wrong, and it shocks me that so many authoritative sites use it. 

When vetting appliances for the solar-powered, all-electric kitchen in my camper van, I had to figure out how much power an appliance used to determine the size of the battery system I needed. The most significant energy draw in the van was cooking appliances that heated food, like my induction burner. I needed to know if I could practically power them with my solar/battery set-up. To do this, I used a Kill-A-Watt meter.  This device plugs between the appliance’s power cord and the wall outlet. It provides a wealth of information, including the watts the appliance uses at any moment and the total amount of watts/hours used for a given period measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).  

I knew that an appliance’s actual wattage usage is often less than stated on its back panel, and sometimes, this difference can be substantial. I also knew many appliances don’t continuously operate at full power.  Many devices that heat up use a thermostat or other sensor to control the power output.  For example, my van’s induction burner is rated at 1800 watts, but it has never drawn more than 1500 watts, and at lower power levels, it only draws 600 watts intermittently.  

I continued my search and found YouTube videos that measured the power used instead of calculating theoretical numbers. The most eye-opening one was from the channel “Under the Median.”  They did a practical test cooking the same food in their wall oven, a toaster oven, a slow cooker, and an electric pressure cooker to see which was most energy efficient.  Their results surprised them, and they surprised me, too. Naturally, their wall oven used the most energy; most electric ovens use between 3 and 5 kilowatts when the heating element is on.  They were using their personal appliances, and due to a malfunction, a given appliance may have been using more power than it should. However, per their results, their toaster oven was more energy efficient than their crock pot.  What!  I had to investigate further. 

Our toaster oven is a Ninja Foodie with a stated wattage of 1800 watts. It is relatively small compared to other toaster ovens, which should make it more efficient (it has less space to heat up). It also features a 60-second preheat, much less than my regular oven, which takes over 10 minutes to preheat. I did a one-hour test at a standard 350F (177C) and monitored the Foodie’s power usage using a Kill-A-Watt meter.  

If I had used the standard (and incorrect formula), I would expect that the Foodie would use 1800 watt/hour (1800 watts x 1 hour = 1800 watt/hour).  However, that was not the case.  These were my results: 

60-second preheat operating wattage = 1600 watts

Baking element on operating wattage = 1300 watts

The oven cycled between 1300 and 2 watts as the thermostat regulated the temperature. It used 1300 watts around 34% of the time; the rest of the time, it required only 2 watts (likely to power the electronics).

The toaster oven used only 340 watts in one hour, not 1800 watts! If I were to make a pot roast in the toaster oven at 350F for 3.5 hours, the standard calculation would be 1800 x 3.5 = 6300 watt/hour used. However, the oven would have actually used 340 watts x 3.5 hours = 1190 watt/hour. That is a very significant difference!

I was intrigued as my results with my toaster oven were similar to the “Under the Median” results.  The “Under the Median” video also noted a significant difference between the energy used by a slow cooker (CrockPot) and a pressure cooker (Instant Pot). I had several of these appliances.  Would my results match theirs?

Limitations of my tests.

There are dozens of electric and stovetop pressure cookers and even more slow cookers. Naturally, I couldn’t test all of them, so please take my findings as generalities. Slow cookers and pressure cookers are most cost-effective when cooking foods like a tough pot roast.  My experiment was to calculate the energy differences when cooking a pot roast.  I tested six devices, but with the price of beef, I wasn’t going to cook six pot roasts. Instead, I used 4 cups of room temperature water as my “pot roast” in each device.  

Things that can impact the energy used by a device include:

-The size/volume of the device’s cooking chamber.

-The watts used by the heating element.

-The level of insulation of the device.

-The temperature or amount of the food being cooked.

-The device’s computer’s programming, if it has one.

-Other heat losses include opening an oven door or lifting the lid on a slow cooker.

Different gadgets cook at different times; I used the following cooking times:

Slow cookers, 8 hours on low.

Electric pressure cookers (10-12 PSI), 1 hour at high pressure.

Stove top pressure cooker (15 PSI-cooks faster), 45 minutes at high pressure.

I used two different power meters and ran several cooking devices more than once.  The two meters gave similar results. 

Manual slow cookers (those with only a high/low/off switch) continuously apply power to a belt-like heating element around the pot’s base.  A heat-retaining ceramic crock sits in the base and is indirectly heated by the heating element. The pot is designed so that the heat added eventually equalizes with the heat lost, resulting in a simmer (190F-210F) at the low setting. The high setting incorporates a second heating element in many of these manual pots, resulting in a final high temperature of around 300F for that setting.  I did my tests with these pots set on low, as that is what most would do if they were cooking a pot roast.

Other devices, including newer automatic slow cookers/multi-cookers and electric pressure cookers, use a thermostat or other sensing device to regulate whether a heating element is off or on. This should be a more energy-efficient method of temperature control.

Stovetop pressure cookers operate similarly to a manual crock pot. In this case, the cook controls the heat applied to the pot, eventually finding an equilibrium point to maintain proper pressure. I did not have the equipment to measure the power used on my stovetop (hob) as it is a 220v device, so I used a 120-volt tabletop induction burner that I could measure using my Kill-A-Watt meter. I used the burner at full power to reach pressure, then turned it down to a power level of 2.5 out of 10 to maintain pressure. 

Here are my results from worst to best energy use:

These appliances are vastly more energy efficient than using an oven for simple meal preparation. We are looking at good to excellent energy efficiency. 

My daughter’s college crock pot. Seven quarts? Large enough for a party or big family.

Fifth Place 

Seven Quart Manual CrockPot

Stated Wattage: 270 watts

Actual Wattage Use: 204 watts (continuously on)

Final Temperature of contents: 200F (93C)

Time in operation: 8 hours

Total energy used: 1.64 kWh (1640 watts)

I’m a huge fan of this Instant Pot Dutch oven. It is a versatile and competent cooker.

Fourth Place

Six Quart Instant Pot Dutch Oven Multicooker (basically an automatic slow cooker)

Stated Wattage: 1500 watts

Actual Wattage Use: 886 watts (intermittently on)

Final Temperature of contents: 206F (97C)

Time in operation: 8 hours

Total energy used: 1.2 kWh (1200 watts)

Note:  The toaster oven set at 350F for 3.5 hours would have used the same energy!

I bought this little crock pot for $9 over 40 years ago when I was a struggling, divorced resident physician. It has served me well, making me hundreds of unattended hot meals.

Third Place

Two and a Half Quart Manual CrockPot

Stated Wattage: 75 low/150 high watts

Actual Wattage Use: 69 watts on low (continuously on)

Final Temperature of contents: 190F (88C)

Time in operation: 8 hours

Total energy used: .534 kWh (534 watts)

This Kuhn-Rikon stovetop pressure cooker could last a lifetime with proper care.

Second Place

Kuhn Rikon Stovetop Pressure Cooker/Duxtop Induction Burner

Stated Wattage: 1800 watts for the induction burner

Actual Wattage Use: 1443 watts to reach pressure, 600 watts intermittently to maintain pressure.

Time in operation: 45 minutes (15 PSI, cooks faster than electric pressure cookers)

Total energy used: 0.43 kWh (430 watts)

I have used this Instant Pot clone for many years.

First Place Tie

Mealthy 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker

Stated Wattage: 1000 watts

Actual Wattage Use: 886 watts to reach pressure, then cycled to maintain pressure.

Time in operation: 60 minutes (10-12 PSI a bit slower than stovetop PC).

Total energy used: 0.20 kWh (200 watts)

My sister’s electric pressure cooker.

First Place Tie

Fagor 4 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker

Stated Wattage: 800 watts

Actual Wattage Use: 750 watts to reach pressure, then cycled to maintain pressure.

Time in operation: 60 minutes (10-12 PSI a bit slower than stovetop PC).

Total energy used: 0.21 kWh (210 watts), virtually the same as the Mealthy unit.

Conclusions

Using a small electric cooking appliance is energy-saving. My experiment and the one conducted on the YouTube channel “Under the Median” suggest that, in some cases, a toaster oven can be as energy-efficient as a large slow cooker when cooking something that requires a longer cooking time. That was surprising.

The Instant Pot Dutch Oven uses a thermostat to regulate its slow cooking temperature. This makes it more efficient than the 6 Quart Manual CrockPot, which uses low power continuously.

There was also significant energy savings when comparing the large CrockPot with its 2.5-quart sibling. You don’t need a slow cooker of every size, but a smaller one will save a few energy pennies if you are a small family or a group of one.

The pressure cookers were outstanding in their energy efficiency. They require a lot of power to reach pressure (about 10 minutes at high power in my experiment), but then they barely sipped power, turning on the heat in 10-second bursts to maintain pressure. Naturally, you will see the most prominent energy savings when cooking something longer.  If you cook something under pressure for 1 minute, the cooker still will take 10 minutes at full power to build pressure before it starts the 1-minute countdown. 

Stovetop pressure cookers may or may not use more energy than electric ones, as my experiment couldn’t use a hob and had to rely on a lower-powered 120-volt induction burner.  Still, they are very efficient and generally cook faster than an electric pressure cooker. 

Different foods require different cooking methods. Slow cookers and pressure cookers cook with wet heat, while toaster ovens and regular ovens use dry heat. Use the most suitable process for the food you are cooking. You can improve the efficiency of a toaster oven or regular oven by using the recipe’s regular cooking temperature and the oven’s convection fan (if available). The fan can reduce cooking time by 25%, saving you money.  

Should you ever use your regular oven? Of course! Regular ovens regulate temperature better than most toaster ovens and have more capacity. Beyond Thanksgiving dinner, think about making several layers of a cake or trays of cookies at once. Additionally, think of cooking an entire meal in the oven. It takes no more energy to cook an entire meal in an oven vs. a single item. For some foods, you can turn off a regular oven up to 10 minutes before the food is done.  Regular ovens are well-insulated and will retain heat for a while after they are turned off. 

Ultimately, if you tailor the foods you make correctly with the most appropriate appliance, you will save the most energy. Where I live, a kWh costs $0.13, which isn’t too expensive, but pennies add up. In the UK, electricity is around 25 pence/kWh. In other countries, it is even more.  I saw one Reddit post where someone in an unnamed country said that energy prices are increased sixfold during peak usage times (4 -8 PM) as most people are making dinner then.  Wow!

Remember, cooking energy is 20% of your total energy bill.  Anything you can do to reduce it is worth your time.  I was so impressed with how energy-efficient pressure cookers are, I decided to do a deep dive into the topic.  Stay tuned.

Happy Eating!

family, Family relationships, family traditions, spending time with family

Sibling Breakfast

I got up a little later than usual today, around 6:30 AM. I didn’t sleep well last night, partly because a rotator cuff issues kept me awake.  I completed a course of physical therapy with mild to moderate results. The next step is surgery, something that I can’t do at this time as I need to be available to help my wife; such surgery will leave me nearly non-functional for months.  For now, I have to grin and bear it.  

Despite my hazy state, I’m excited this morning. Why? Julie and I will head off to another sibling breakfast with the remainder of my family. 

My family of origin consisted of 5 siblings.  My sister Carol is fifteen years my senior, my brother Tom was twelve years my senior, my brother Dave was ten years my senior, and my sister Nancy is seven years my senior.  

Tom passed away at age 33 from leukemia.  I liked Tom, who was a great writer of humorous anecdotes.  Just as I was reaching an age where we could have bonded, he became sick, and despite having the best care, he passed away. My brother Dave lived into his 70s but was plagued by the sequela from childhood polio and later PSP, a horrible neurological condition. I was not very close to Dave, which was unfortunate. As adults, I can’t say we had harsh words or some major point of conflict.  I guess sometimes that is just the way it is.

So, how does all of this relate to sibling breakfasts?  I am a person of relationships.  As I have said in previous posts, I don’t need a lot of connections, but I heavily invest in those that I value; some of those important relationships are my siblings and surrogate siblings.  I’ll be seeing them in two hours.

My biological siblings share my OCD tendencies. Both Nancy and Carol are very invested in the interest of the day. Currently, Nancy is locked into making fancy Bundt cakes, and Carol is focused on simplifying clutter. I talk to them almost every day and visit them when possible.  I can wholly relate to their obsessiveness.  I’m currently comparing the dynamic range of smaller camera sensors vs. larger ones. Completely unimportant for most, utterly fascinating for me- until I move on to my next obscure interest. 

My surrogate siblings are my brother-in-law Mike and my sister-in-law Kathy. I have known both since my early teens and hold them close to my heart. Mike regularly sends me links to various articles that he believes will interest me, and Kathy often says kind words when I post something. Add my wife, Julie, to this crew, and the party is complete.

We have been getting together on roughly a monthly schedule for many years.  We meet at a restaurant and “catch up.”  In reality, we know what is happening in each other lives via phone calls, visits, and Facebook.  However, we still cherish these face-to-face group times.

We are all getting older, and none of us wants to regret not trying to be together. I can’t tell you how fortunate I feel to have these people in my life. They are all inspirational to me.  I value all of them, and I am certain that this feeling is reciprocated. 

I write a lot about relationships in my posts because I understand that they are fundamental in pursuing life’s satisfaction.  In this regard, the definer is quality, not quantity.  The only investments I have had to make to have these wonderful people in my life are my time and consideration.  They pick me up when I’m down, celebrate my achievements, and most importantly, value me just for who I am.  I am so fortunate.  Let the breakfast begin!

Our last breakfast encounter.
A prior breakfast with the full complement of participants.
personal growth, Uncategorized

Things That I Simply No Longer Care About

When I originally conceived this post, I was going to title it “The life changes I made when I retired.”  However, like most things I write, the topic evolved.  The title then became “Changes that I have made as I have aged.” That was also inaccurate, as some of my life changes started in my 20s and have grown since then. The bottom line is that as an adult, I have slowly become who I am today.  Let me share some of those changes with you.

I no longer fear Imposter syndrome.

When I was younger, I received conflicting critiques about who I was and what my abilities were. On one hand, I was told I was stupid, lazy, and useless, while on the other hand, I was told that  I was bright, talented, and unique. I reveled in the later critique but didn’t believe it was real. I feared my complementers would discover I was a fraud.  

I recall being in college and breaking the curve on tests, thinking I was lucky. After doing this many times, I changed my belief to “I just study harder.”  Eventually, I came to understand that I grasped the material better than the average student, which was why I topped the curve.  Before you think I’m too grandiose, let me inform you that I have also recognized my weaknesses.  For instance, I cannot remember common facts, like a person’s name or a telephone number. Additionally, I have great difficulty putting together a simple children’s jigsaw puzzle. 

I no longer feel that I’m an imposter. Instead, I understand that I’m a person with some unique gifts and some significant weaknesses.  My goal has always been to exploit my strengths while doing everything possible to turn my weaknesses into strengths. I’m still a work in progress. 

I don’t care what people think about me.

When I moved into my house 30 years ago, I tried to be casually friendly towards my neighbors.  This effort went reasonably well, and I’m still on good terms with people I met at that time.  However, there was one situation where something went wrong.  A guy lived half a block from my house, and I had minimal contact with him.  We had kids the same age, and I occasionally saw him at the school bus stop or around the neighborhood. When I ran into him, I would greet him with a hello or raise my hand in a wave.  Initially, he responded, but then he stopped.  He would sometimes visibly scowl if he caught sight of me. If I was face-to-face with him, looked him directly in his eye, and said hello, he would look past me like I didn’t exist.  This situation upset and baffled me as I could not think of a reason for this change in his behavior. I felt that I must have done something wrong to create such a reaction, but I couldn’t even remember conversing with him, let alone saying something rude. My concerns eventually faded, and I got past his response (or lack thereof).  I never found out why this person went from a casual contact to someone who hated me. However, I no longer care.

In my private practice, I initially evaluated a middle-aged man who needed a new psychiatrist as his old one was retiring. This poor guy was taking a suitcase of ridiculous and repetitive meds.  His former doctor had him on multiple tranquilizers, sleeping pills, stimulants, and even opioid pain meds. I told the man frankly that my goal would be to get him off of 90% of the medications that he was taking because only then could I see what he needed.  He was furious with me and left my office, never to return.  I had to admit that I had a sense of relief when he left, as I knew that weaning such a patient would be as difficult for me as for him.  Six months later, I saw him on my schedule and thought, “Oh crap.”  I was sure that I was about to get some sort of dressing down because he was so angry when he left the first time. 

The man came in, and instead of reaming me, he apologized. He was seeing a new doctor who was happy to continue all of his meds, but over time, he realized that I was the first doctor to care enough about his care to risk losing him by telling him the truth.  Over time, I was able to get him off most of his meds and transition him to more appropriate ones.  He became a patient for life and continued to travel to my Illinois office after he moved to Ohio. 

There are times when I have accidentally offended someone. When things go badly in an encounter, and I am the cause, I want to make it right. However, long ago, I realized there would be people who would like me and people who wouldn’t.  Some who don’t want to be my friend will have a valid reason; others won’t. I try to be kind and respectful to everyone, but if that is not enough…so be it. I want to concentrate my energy on those who want to share time with me.  For the others, I wish them a happy life, but otherwise, I simply don’t care.

I no longer try to live up to other people’s expectations of me.

Some people think they know how I should behave, what I should do, and how I should live my life.  Sometimes, these comments are out of genuine caring and could be considered complements.  “You should write a book on that topic,” or “You should practice again; we need good psychiatrists.”  At other times, I have been the target of someone’s manipulation, like when a senior medical student wanted me, as a freshman medical student, to take her place on a horrible committee that involved a ton of work and long twice-monthly meetings. I could give dozens of other examples, but they all involve “shoulds.”  You should do this, or you shouldn’t do that.  Long ago, I realized it was OK to listen to other’s perspectives, but I knew myself better than they knew me.  I live according to my expectations, not someone else’s.

I no longer buy into societal norms.

We are constantly being pressured to fit in.  As a doctor, society tried to determine how big my house should be, what kind of car I should drive, and what friends I should associate with. When I turned 50, I bought a “doctor’s car,” a Mercedes.  I felt pretty cool and accomplished for about a month, and then it dawned on me that the Mercedes was just a box on wheels. After a time, it became a burden due to its poor construction and excessive repair costs.  I traded it in for a Honda; a happy day. I no longer need to keep up with the Joneses or the Dr. Joneses. I just want to live my life and be myself. 

It took me about a month to realize that my Mercedes was just a box on wheels.

I no longer think I’m unworthy if I’m average at something.

Growing up, I received praise and validation through my academic abilities. This reinforcement led to a pattern of behavior in which I felt that I had to prove my worth by consistently exceeding expectations. That went well beyond schooling.  I thought I had to be engaging, intelligent, and funny in social situations. It was my task to make sure that no one was uncomfortable. It was my job to come up with a topic that interested the person I was talking to, not a subject I had an interest in.  In my marriage, I felt I had to be the ultimate provider, the man with the plan, who was both in charge yet compassionate and tender, alternating roles as required. I felt I had to prove my worth beyond being a good doctor in my business. For example, I taught myself web design to save the clinic money by designing, building, and uploading a complicated corporate website instead of having the clinic contract a professional. 

These characteristics are part of me, but the operative definer is “part.”  I don’t always want to be the most competent person in the room, the most engaging, and the most thoughtful.  Sometimes, I want to be me.  Over time, I have realized I have worth, as all humans do.  It is OK for me to allow others to take the lead and be intelligent, thoughtful, and caring. My genuine self is that of a nurturer, but I sometimes need to be nurtured.  I am happy to care for the people I love, but I also want to be loved. I can learn new things to help others, but at times, I am the person who needs help. 

Sometimes, it feels good just to be good enough.  

I no longer feel a need to control others.

When I care about someone, I want to protect them and keep them safe. When my kids were young, imparting my “knowledge” to them was possible.  However, they are now adults and have had the benefits of an excellent education, a ton of love and support, and wisdom from both parents. If they ask my opinion, I will happily give it to them.  If I see a major disaster on the horizon, I may offer an unsolicited opinion. However, in most cases, I feel my role is to be a supportive listener.  This stance goes beyond my kids but requires continuing effort on my part.  I’m better at letting go, but I still want to shield those I love from hurt and trauma.  I need to remind myself that adults have the right to self-determination. 

I no longer have to be everyone’s friend.

There was a time when someone asked me to be my friend, and I would automatically say yes. Many times, these were individuals who recognized that I was a caretaker.  The relationship would consist of them using me in one way or another.  When I needed their help or support, they would be “too busy.” I no longer want such people in my life.  I want mutually beneficial relationships with others, and I would much rather have a small circle of true friends than a massive group of casual friends. 

I don’t need to accomplish everything I could have achieved.

I have many ideas and can connect seemingly unrelated pieces of information. In the 1970s, I worked with a team at the U of C, employing a new tool called monoclonal antibodies. We were using these antibodies as a research probe to study Multiple Sclerosis, but it was abundantly clear that they could also be used for clinical medical purposes, targeted cancer treatment being one of them. In medical school, I knew I could become a research doc and advance that (and other) ideas. However, I understood that I wasn’t happy as a researcher and wanted to pursue a clinical path; I abandoned the idea. 

I started an multi-media company to educate lay people. My first education DVD received good reviews, but it took me hundreds of hours to create and produce.  Although I had ideas for other DVDs, I wasn’t willing to spend every waking hour developing them. 

The bottom line is that life involves balance.  I couldn’t do it all if I wanted to have a full life.  I wanted time to explore hobbies, have time for my wife, children, and friends, and to learn new things.  This meant that I couldn’t always accomplish the big stuff. Having a balanced life turned out to be the right decision for me. 

I have less need for “stuff.”

When I was younger, I saw the road to happiness and my credit card joined at the hip. I felt envy if I visited someone who had a larger house.  “Someday, I will have that too.”  The same could be said of anything that seemed better than what I had. Thank goodness that envy ended decades ago.  

At that time, I went from a position of envy to a place of gratitude. There will always be someone who has something “better” than me, but there will always be someone worse off, too.  Where do I find my happiness?  The other day, I walked in a beautiful forest preserve just minutes from home.  I brought a nice camera and took random photos of interesting subjects. At home, I made dinner for my family and a friend. We ate and talked and ate some more. It was a lovely day. 

Random photo #1
Random photo #2

I am so grateful to have good people in my life, that I’m relatively healthy, that I enjoy being creative and learning new things, and that I have so much beauty at my doorstep. There are so many things to be grateful for!

I value these things so much more than stuff. 

I don’t worry about the clothes that I’m wearing.

I’m a basic guy.  As a practicing doctor, I had to dress the part, and my closet was jammed with dress shirts and such.  Recently, I decided to eliminate most of those shirts and almost all of my suits.  I only wore suits when I had to, but I discovered that I had 8 of them!   I tossed the worn clothes and gave away the nice shirts and suits.

My retirement wardrobe is effortless; I mostly wear jeans with a SmartWool tee or a polo shirt.  I love the ease of choosing “one item from column A and one from column B,” and I’m dressed.  At other times I’ll wear something fun.  Why? Because I can wear what I want when I want to wear it.  

Not exactly “doctor regulation clothing” but fun!

I no longer need to be perfect.

In the past, I felt that I needed to be perfect and that I had to have an encyclopedic knowledge of any topic. I would blame myself if I didn’t know something, even when I could not know it. This caused me stress.

I still try to do a good job. However, perfection is not possible.  It is a relief to acknowledge that sometimes good is good enough. 

I have no problem saying “No.”

In the distant past, I felt that if someone asked me to do something, I would have to say “OK.”

People ask me to do things all the time. I will often say yes, and it feels great to help someone. However, other times, someone wants me to do something I don’t want to do. Those requests can be minor or sometimes highly time-consuming. Long ago, I learned that a simple “No” sans any explanation was the way to go. One minute of discomfort can, at times, save months of agony.

I don’t always have to be productive.

When I worked 60+ hours a week, my free time was minimal.  I remember sitting at my desk paying the household bills and feeling guilty that I wasn’t raking the leaves simultaneously.  My limited time and excessive demands created an environment where I thought I had to produce something of value 24/7.  That was not a healthy place to be. 

In retirement, I have found the true joy of being while still doing things. Yesterday, I cleaned out the clothes occupying one foot of my closet, tossed out one large bag of junk from my basement, wrote part of this post, and helped my sister with some computer issues. However, that left time to do many other things, ranging from having coffee with a friend to studying an esoteric and useless topic. Oh, and I also took a nap-and didn’t feel a bit of guilt.

I don’t have a fear of the future.

How many times have I worried about something that never happened?  How many times have terrible things happened without me seeing them approaching? The reality is that worry has never been a strategy for success.  If I worry about something, I tell myself: Accept what I cannot change, change what I can, and know the difference between the two (paraphrased AA serenity prayer).  Life happens.  Good things happen.  Bad things happen.  I aim to live in the half-full glass zone, not the half-empty one.  For every bad thing that has happened to me, I have had a dozen good things happen.  Every morning brings a new day.  My goal is to make the most of that day. 

I no longer ignore the small things.

Life is not about a trip to Europe or the purchase of a new home. Those things are lovely but very episodic. Life is about the small stuff: drinking a good cup of coffee, spending time with a friend, having dinner and conversation with my family, going on a walk while intentionally observing all of the beauty around me, and learning something new, even if it has no practical application. There is so much joy in the small things. Why do people ignore these gifts? Not me. 

I like cooking/baking and sharing it with people that I love. The Angle Food cake turned out great. My take on cheesy herbal muffins were a bit dry, but they ate them anyway!
On another walk, I saw these tiny flowers. I thought they were so pretty that I had to photograph them. It would have been easy to miss them if I hadn’t been looking with intention.

I’m no longer hard on myself.

I have already said that I’m not perfect.  That reality permeates every aspect of my life.  However, I no longer beat myself up when I make a mistake.  I try to learn from it and make it right if appropriate.  I’m not perfect, but I’m good enough.

I no longer place unreasonable expectations on my family and friends.

We all want what we want.  However, I try to view each close relationship as a gift.  I want to have good people in my life who I love and who love me.  However, they are individuals and have their own values and needs, which may differ from mine.  I make a solid effort to accept them for who they are.  However, I intentionally choose considerate people to be in my life.  I try to be the same to them, and although we are not perfect bookends, we appreciate and value our connections.

Letting go of the above has made me a better and happier person.  Each day is a gift to be celebrated and not squandered.

Peace 

Mike

couple's relationships, Family relationships, getting rid of bad relationships, Good relationships

How To Have A Successful Relationship-What The Research Says

Why do we think that relationships are supposed to work magically, or conversely, why do we believe that relationships should be nothing but hard work?

We live in a world of unreasonable expectations, inflated self-worth, and changing roles. We also live in a world of failing relationships. Marketing executives tell us what should make us happy: things, trips, experiences. However, studies indicate that one of the most significant contributions to longevity, psychological health, and physical health is solid connections with others.  Healthy connections can be with anyone: friends, relatives, children.  However, the primary connection that many of us have is the connection we have with a life partner.  We spend the most time with this person on both an immediate and a longitudinal basis. Classically, that person would be a spouse or a person in the role of a spouse.

Yet, we continue to see a degradation of this union.  Traditional marriages have almost a 50% failure rate, with second marriages faring even worse.  The average length of a first marriage is only eight years. The average length of a cohabitating couple staying together is 18 months to six years, depending on the study. Couples who live together before they are married have a higher marriage failure rate than those who follow a more traditional path. 

Finding a relationship has shifted away from traditional avenues to online apps. The majority of women vie for the top 10% of men, meaning that many of these women become casual bonus relationships while 90% of the men face constant rejection. That rejection is often based on superficial requirements like being 6 feet tall or above or making a 6-figure salary.  

The ease of hooking up almost anonymously doesn’t lead to a sense of liberation or empowerment, as studies show that both men and women often feel emptier after an encounter.  

Although not for everyone, something must be said about a quality traditional committed relationship. The operative word here is quality. So many relationships start with high hopes, only to end in disaster. Conventional approaches to healing a failing relationship, such as couples therapy, may be effective only 50% of the time.

Is there a way to ensure that a committed relationship continues to thrive?  That was the question that John Gottman, PhD, and his wife Julie Gottman, PhD, have been exploring for the last 50 years.  Authors of over 40 books and several hundred scientific papers, it would be impossible to summarize all of their work in this short post. However, I thought I would highlight some of their observed findings.

The Gottmans discovered that some individuals were masters of relationships and were experts at nurturing connections with their significant other. Unfortunately, others were poor at maintaining relationships.  The good news was that it is possible to learn how to become a master.  Just like anything else, relationships require work and attention to thrive.  However, the Gottmans note that having a good relationship doesn’t need to be a constant, exhausting effort.  

One critical need is for partners to respond to little bids for connection from their counterparts.  Bids for connection are simple statements that one partner says to the other.  Statements like, “Oh, that tree has the most beautiful fall colors!”  or “Can you come into the kitchen to check this out?” It was found that successful partners responded to these little bids around 86% of the time.  Their response didn’t have to be much.  “Yes, that tree is beautiful,” or “OK, I’ll be right there.”  Poor prognosis couples only responded positively 33% of the time—the other 67% of the time, they ignored or turned away from their partner.  

They also noted that successful couples often had rituals of connection, routine questions that showed interest in the other person, such as “How was your day?”  or “What can I do for you this week to make you feel loved?” Our family always does “rose and thorns” at dinner time.  Each person takes a turn and says the good and bad things they experienced during the last 24 hours.  This ritual is simple but allows for further conversation and connection.  We also know when some external force is negatively impacting one of us. We do many other simple things to acknowledge each other.  For instance, if we hear someone coming into the house, we usually shout, “Welcome home!.”  Naturally, there are also many specific points of connection that I specifically have with my wife—easy ways to connect via simple rituals. 

The Gottmans note that partners should also openly discuss what is bothering them. The complainant should use “I ” rather than “you” statements.  It is better to say, “I’m feeling exhausted making dinner every night,” rather than, “You are lazy and inconsiderate for not helping with dinner.”  The latter just makes the recipient defensive. To continue to move the conversation forward, they suggest that the recipient ask questions like, “Tell me more about your concerns,” rather than instantly defending their position. The complainant’s job is not to blame but to express how something negatively impacts them. 

They note that successful marriages often have patterns of behaviors that strengthen their bonds.  One way to do this is to ask open-ended questions, which allow the other person to respond at length instead of with a one-word answer. It is better to say, “Tell me more about what is stressing you,”  rather than “So you are stressed?” The more you know how your partner feels about something, the better you understand them.

Turning toward your partner when talking acknowledges that what they say is important to you.  How many people turn away or look at their phone or TV when their partner tries to engage them? Such actions signal that their partner’s concerns are insignificant.

The Gottmans also noted the importance of expressing fondness for each other through words and touch. It doesn’t take much to say, “I love you,” or “You look very nice today.” Physical touch is vital in creating a bond between two people. That touch can be anything from intimate cuddling to holding hands. I’m a touchy guy, and I’m sure it is one of my “love languages.”  

Successful couples are skilled at managing conflict. However, 70% of disputes that couples experience are non-resolvable. Therefore, it is necessary to face these situations with humor, grace, compromise, and acceptance.  

I’m a person who does poorly with a lot of visual clutter.  I like things to be neat and organized.  Julie is more of a free spirit, and clutter doesn’t bother her.  This was an unresolvable conflict in our marriage. Many years ago, I took over cleaning the house.  This allowed me to establish simple courtesy rules for all members while freeing Julie from housecleaning tasks.  If someone uses a dish outside of a meal, they must wash it and put it away. However, I make sure that the kitchen is clean and tidy.  At the same time, I don’t mess with Julie’s areas, like the top of her dresser.  Our differences remain, but we have found a way to move past them. 

Likewise, I’m a chronic comparer and love examining how different products are similar and different. I’m a photographer and have over a dozen cameras of all types. Do I need that many cameras?  No.  However, they give me pleasure. I collect other things, too; many of those interests are temporary, and I usually give things away after ” studying” them. However, that is not the case with my cameras. Early in our marriage, Julie commented that I was pathological in my “collections.” I would counter with angry and defensive feelings as my collections never impacted us as a couple, and they were important to me.  However, at some point, she understood that this “comparison” issue was something I had been doing since childhood, and it gave me a lot of pleasure.  Would she prefer it if I had fewer collections?  I’m confident the answer would be yes, but she now accepts who I am, and we can laugh about our mutual quirks. 

Although 70% of conflicts are not resolvable, most are trivial, like the ones listed above.  Of course, there can be times when a conflict is so significant that it can’t be accepted or laughed off, and there is no hope of resolution.  However, those unacceptable conflicts are rarer than most couples believe. 

The Gottmans also found that successful couples honor and support each other’s dreams. These dreams may be different for each individual. My thought is that there has to be balance here.  Let’s say one partner gets involved in get-rich-quick scams, or the other wants to sell everything and move to Paris to live a Bohemian lifestyle.  In those situations, it may not be possible for the other person to support the other’s dreams completely.  However, there may be compromises.  Perhaps a measured amount of resources can be spent on mildly risky financial opportunities, or a more spartan lifestyle further away from the rat race can be adopted. A couple’s bond is strengthened when each person’s dreams are respected.

Establishing rituals can also be an excellent way to build bonds.  Let me share a somewhat embarrassing personal example with you.  When dating Julie, I was gifted a giant magnum of costly champagne. Julie and I are not big drinkers, but quality champagne tastes more like fizzy grape juice than hard liquor (my unsophisticated opinion).  I knew champagne didn’t age well, so I uncorked it on one Halloween over 30 years ago.  On that day, I bought an enormous amount of candy, and we both ran to the door every time we heard the doorbell ring.  The kids’ costumes became more impressive with each glass, and we wanted to see them all. At the same time, I had ordered a substantial Chinese take-out feast, which we were enjoying. It was a crazy and fun day despite the horrible headaches we both suffered the following morning. Although we have omitted the champagne part, we always have Chinese food on Halloween, and we still enjoy the Trick-Or-Treaters, who are so proud of their “disguises.”  Chinese food on Halloween has become a ritual in our house. 

Trust and commitment are critical components of successful couples. Can I trust that you have my back? Will you be there for me for life? If our situation changes, will you stick by me? If I become sick, will you support me or abandon me? 

As a therapist, I sometimes treated a person or couple in an open marriage. These arrangements usually stipulate only physical and not emotional involvement with the third party.  However, I often saw that emotional involvement did occur and that it would destroy the couple’s relationship.  An even more destructive situation was when one person decided to go outside the marriage to find an affair partner. Trust and commitment are destroyed in such situations. 

An affair partner can always look good, be nice, be supportive, and be exciting because they have none of the real-life issues married couples face. Statistics show that a vast percentage of relationships that start as an affair end badly when they go from an affair to a committed relationship. People who “cheat” often don’t stop in their next relationship.  

The Gottmans also found predictors of relationship failures.  They could easily predict what marriages would fail after watching a single argument.  They call this destructive communication style the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”  

The first horseman is criticism.  This is different than offering a critique or voicing a complaint.  It is an attack on the person. A complaint would be, “I feel unappreciated when you leave your dishes around the house, and I have to collect and wash them.”  A criticism would be, “You are so inconsiderate.  You never think about how your behavior impacts me; you only think about yourself.  You are useless and just cause me extra work! You are a horrible person!”  Hopefully, you can see the difference between these two expressions. 

The second horseman is contempt. This is far worse than criticism and is a powerful predictor of a future failed marriage. Contempt occurs when one person takes a superior position to the other. It often includes mocking, name-calling, cruel sarcasm, and scoffing. The goal is to demean the other person and make them feel worthless. Contempt implies that the perpetrator is superior to their partner.  An example of contempt is, “How dare you complain that you’re tired.  You only have to watch the kids and care for the house.  How hard is that?  I have to go to work and support the family.  I have to do the real work.  You are pathetic!”  It doesn’t take much to realize how destructive a comment like that would quickly sour a marriage. 

The third horseman is defensiveness, which is often a response to criticism. “Did you pick up the pie for the Smiths’ potluck?”  A defensive response would be, “You know how busy I am. I can’t do everything. Why didn’t you do it?”  There is no dialog; instead, there is anger and an effort to reverse blame. 

The fourth horseman is stonewalling. This is when one partner simply shuts down and stops responding to their partner. They may turn away, get involved in something else (like playing a video game), or simply ignore their partner. This is often a response to contempt. Stonewalling is the result of being psychologically flooded.  The person is so overwhelmed by the psychological attack that they are in flight or fight mode.  Their ability to respond is hampered, as are their reasoning abilities.  This is a natural response to a threat where escape and survival are at the forefront. 

If a couple recognizes that they are doing the above, they can change their behavior. Otherwise, the relationship is doomed. All couples argue there is nothing wrong with having conflict.  The key is knowing how to “fight right.”  One method is to listen and not interrupt others when they share their concerns.  The Gottmans even suggest having the recipient write them down, as this reduces defensiveness and angry reactions (obviously, this would be for more serious problems, not forgetting to pick up a pie). 

They also note that business approaches to conflict resolution do not work in these emotional situations. Doing a cost/benefit exercise is not going to help. Listening, asking open questions, taking responsibility, and acknowledging the other person’s concerns are more essential tools. A sincere apology has a lot of power. 

An abundance of research data suggests that good relationships increase a person’s psychological health, physical health, and longevity.  As the population moves toward an app-based selection method for potential partners, superficial identifiers often replace more valuable characteristics like kindness, empathy, cooperation, and compassion. Apps have turned potential partner selection into just another marketplace where you go to purchase a product—turning a person into an object to deliver something to the recipient.  Such a position is destructive to building a genuine relationship. Relationships have to be mutually beneficial to work; those benefits are often mutually supportive, as shown by the Gottmans’ research.

Here is the good news. If you, as a couple, understand and implement what the Gottmans suggest, you can transform a doomed relationship into a successful one. I mentioned the concept of being a master of relationships. If you practice their suggestions, those skills will extend well beyond your couple’s relationship and benefit your other life connections. How cool is that?

Being kind and considerate towards your partner is not co-dependent; it is an active and thoughtful process that also respects your values and needs.  However, it may feel contrary to our societal norms, filled with anger and dissatisfaction. 

It is so acceptable to use the word hate.  “I hate him!”  It is harder to say the word love when using it as it was intended to be used.  Don’t you find that strange? Image the power of two people working towards common goals who support and love one another.  Compare that to a couple that constantly finds fault with each other.  Why does the latter seem much easier in our society than in the former?

Relationships are not rocket science, but they require some thinking and effort. Why would anyone believe differently?

Peace

Mike

Here is an old joke I would sometimes tell couples:

A woman goes to see a therapist. “How can I help you,” asked the therapist. “I hate my husband, and I want you to tell me how to punish him. I really want him to suffer. I want to hurt him!” The therapist said he was reluctant to help, but in the end, he agreed. “OK, this is what you have to do. You need to treat him real well. Tell him that you love him. On occasion, pick up his favorite treats for no reason. Kiss him goodbye when he goes out. Compliment him when he looks nice. Be kind and supportive of him. Then, when he falls back in love with you, leave him!” The lady chuckled in a sinister way, nodded her head, and left the office. Three months later, the therapist saw her name on his schedule. The lady came into the office, and she was beaming. In fact, she looked 10 years younger. “I guess you did what I told you to do and then dumped him,” said the therapist. “Yes, I did exactly what you told me to do, but dump him? Are you kidding? My husband is treating me like a queen. Our marriage marriage has never been better!”

In celebrating the ritual of “Father’s Day,” Julie made an effort to make me a special meal.
It is essential to have fun in a relationship. Friends invited us to a party where we had to “act” certain parts. I was told to be a rough greaser, and Julie was given the part of a 1950s prim prissy high school girl. Why not have fun with such an experience?
psychiatry, psychology

How I Became A Psychiatrist

When I told my father my plans he was clearly displeased.  It was a spring day, and I was talking to him in his south suburban backyard. “Dad, I’m going to specialize in psychiatry.”  His response was quick and sharp, “Why would you want to do that?  You should become a real doctor.  Psychiatrists aren’t doctors.”  

By that point in my life, I had long charted my own course.  I listened respectfully, but internally, I ignored his commands.  I no longer needed his approval, and my conversation was more perfunctory rather than advice-seeking. He had his agenda, and I had mine.  Since my decision would directly impact me, it was my decision to make.  I subtly changed the topic to something that I knew would interest him. It was a deliberate manipulation on my part to a neutral subject, and the conversation moved forward.

His question was valid for other reasons. Why had I decided on this career path? My answer was both surprising yet understandable.

There are certain key events in my life that I write about repeatedly. They serve as markers that indicate significant changes in my knowledge of myself and the world around me.  They are the road signs to my life.  Many other factors are equally important, but these events note a change in understanding or direction.  A fork in the road that led to a different journey.   

I often talk about my dyslexia, a diagnosis that is only partially accurate.  I use the term because it is relatable.  In reality, I have a variety of processing differences that can make simple tasks difficult for me.  For instance, I can visualize abstract concepts but can’t assemble a simple children’s jigsaw puzzle. This processing disparity was evident when I was in second grade and couldn’t read. In the early 1960s, the concept of learning disabilities was utterly foreign at the Catholic grade school that I attended.  My teacher, a nun, recognized that I was smart and erroneously concluded that my inability was caused by a vision problem, which prompted my parents to get me a pair of glasses.  This was a significant expense, and my father was not pleased, but he complied. 

I was hoping for a miracle and was crushed to discover that they did little to translate the incomprehensible set of symbols that moved around the page with a mind of their own.  I was at a phase in my life when I thought that any imperfection in me reflected poorly on my family and parents, and I was terrified of gaining even more displeasure from my father.

Yet, I had a certain confidence in myself, likely boosted by my teachers, who would comment on how smart I was.  I had to devise a solution, and I felt confident I could. But what resources did I have?  How could I take something I already had and use it as a tool?  The answer came to me via the Sunday comics. There was a strip called “Nancy” that was very simple in both its storyline and vocabulary. I could piece together the words by tying them to the pictures.  The traditional way I was being taught to read would never work for me because I could not see the separation between words and lines of text.  However, if I viewed a word as a shape instead of a series of letters, I could decipher its meaning.  My brain could do that, and print started to make sense.  I did many other things to teach my brain how to read. Soon, an entire world of information was revealed to me. By the time I took my 4th-grade achievement tests, I was testing at the 11th-grade level. 

I was a big kid, so I can’t say that I was the object of a lot of bullying.  I was part of the mass group of kids; neither a member of the popular crowd nor the reject group.  I had friends, and I did things.  Yet, I felt like an imposter.  Subjects that interested my friends didn’t particularly interest me, and things that I was interested in held no interest with them.  I learned that to be accepted, I would have to show interest in what interested them while hiding those things that I was interested in. 

My salvation was science, and my teachers were the pseudo-scientists of the B science fiction movies that I would watch on late-night TV. My ultimate hero and male role model was Don Herbert, AKA “Mr. Wizard” of TV fame.  Mr. Wizard seemed to have the answer to how everything and anything worked. He showed me that there was a method to understanding, a way to prove ideas, and a methodology to learning.  What he demonstrated formally was consistent with what I had been doing organically.  Mr. Wizard didn’t know me, but he understood me.  He had to, as what he was explaining on TV was exactly how I was already solving problems.  Mr. Wizard allowed me to feel “normal.”  I no longer believed I had to fake who I was; at least one person understood me. 

My success in learning how to read taught me that authorities didn’t always know what was best and that there were solutions to seemingly impossible problems if I allowed myself to think outside the box.  Mr. Wizard gave me a formal set of rules to test ideas. Science and math provided the tools to implement those solutions.  I was suddenly empowered. 

It was only natural that I would pursue science, and as I have said in a previous post, the most logical course of action would have been to obtain a Ph.D. and pursue a university career. I’m a rational person who examines potential outcomes, plots a course to achieve a particular goal, and then pursues that goal with force and dedication.  It works… well, sort of… well, sometimes…well, hmmm..ummm…keep reading.

I have already told you how I successfully reached my goal of graduate school and even had the school pay for my education. A perfect plan?  Then, despite all logic to the contrary, I had an irresistible urge to abandon my plan and apply to medical school, which was an insane idea that was bound to fail.  I knew that I would never be accepted into medical school.  All of my logic, all of my “scientific method,” and all of my dreams were tossed aside for a whim. Yet, that was precisely what I did; I allowed a force outside of myself to control my actions.  I was as shocked as anyone when multiple medical schools accepted me. Many of them referred to how meaningful my personal statement was to them. Here was a kid who couldn’t read in second grade who was now moving doctors with his writing.  Life is strange, isn’t it?

I have always had an immense interest in the interface between chemistry and biology.  My graduate work centered on changes to proteins as they are extruded through a bacteria’s cell membrane.  During my application to med school year, I left grad school and got a research job at the University of Chicago using tissue culture models to study Multiple Sclerosis.  We were using a cutting-edge technology (this was in the 1970s) called monoclonal antibodies to create specific markers.  Even then, I could see how such a targeted method could be utilized clinically, from cancer treatment to fighting infections.  However, those advancements would be decades in the future.

Logic would dictate that I pursue an area of medicine that incorporated my scientific knowledge with clinical practice.  The options were plenty: internal medicine sub-specialties like infectious diseases and endocrinology to specialties like Neurology.  I knew that one of those areas would be a perfect fit.  However, they weren’t.  

I was so excited to do my internal medicine rotations, but they disappointed me. I spent 90% of my time running down labs, examining scans, and writing notes.  The time that I spent with patients was minimal.  It felt like I was back in the lab, but my subjects were humans this time. As a family practice doctor, I may have been happy as that medicine was more integrative.  However, family practice options were discouraged at Northwestern.  When I asked the medical school dean why, he responded, “Our mission is to produce specialists.”  Despite this, my problem-solving and goal-direction abilities pointed me toward an internal medicine subspecialty. It was where my background and interests led me. 

Psychiatry was never a consideration.  I had some fears about the profession.  My mother was frequently hospitalized for ketoacidosis, a condition caused by her out-of-control diabetes.  Once, she was in a medical unit that shared a floor with Christ Hospital’s psych unit.  That unit had an imposing locked metal door with a thin slit window made more solid with embedded mesh wire.  It was scary looking, but young me was curious.  I crept up to the door and, with all the courage I could muster, looked into the window, not knowing what to expect. From out of nowhere, a face appeared directly opposite me.  A deranged and disheveled-looking man started to shout at me and threaten me. His face was one inch from mine, only separated by a thin piece of glass.

Along with his verbal threats, he started to beat on the door, and I could feel the vibrations inside my chest. I wanted to escape but felt frozen.  My heart was racing, and I was overcome by fear. Eventually, I broke away and ran down the hall.  In the background, I could hear laughing.  At the time, it sounded like an insane laugh reminiscent of those heard in horror movies. In retrospect, I believe it was the laugh of someone who felt he had just played the greatest joke on an unsuspecting, nosey kid.  However, it took me quite some time before I deciphered that realization.  I was freaked out for years, and at one point, I even had a fear that I could accidentally be locked up in a psych unit, never to escape.  

Our family has an intuitive psychological understanding, which stems from my mom. However, I never thought of pursuing psychology in any form. I was a science guy and never took a psychology course as an undergrad.  

Medical students rotate through all of the specialties as part of their training, and at Northwestern, all M3s are required to do a 6-week general psych rotation. This rotation was a low priority for me, and my main concern was completing it as simply as possible. I wanted a site close to Northwestern’s downtown campus for convenience and picked the least desirable one because it was only a block away.  I knew I would get it because no one else would want it.  It was a drop-in center for the sickest psych patients, the most chronically ill.  There, they could socially mingle, play a game, attend a group, get medically seen, and renew their prescriptions. Fellow students told horror stories about bizarre behavior and poor hygiene.  No one wanted that rotation, so I picked it.  I could survive anything for six weeks, and I wouldn’t have to travel to a distant site to complete my obligation.

My first day was as expected: bizarre, often disheveled individuals milling about, talking, and sometimes shouting to themselves. Mismatched clothes, sometimes garish makeup. “It is only six weeks out of my life,” I told myself. “I’ll do this one day at a time.” I had many obligations at that place, from doing initial psychiatric evaluations, to being a group therapy leader, to helping manage meds, to injecting patients with long-acting antipsychotics.  However, I also had more free time than was typical for a clinical rotation.  I started to hang around the day room.  Sometimes, I would sit in the day room and read; at other times, I would play a game with a client. Eventually, something strange happened.  Patients would come up to me and start a conversation. Those conversations were not about meds or the latest therapy; they were about their lives, hopes, and dreams.  They would ask me about me, not in an intrusive way but in an interested way. I was becoming part of their group.  They seemed to look forward to seeing me.

One day, a client could be rational, on the following day, completely psychotic. As they gained trust in me, they let me into their life, and I developed an admiration for them.  Despite having constant hallucinations and delusions, many could still navigate the world, form relationships, and problem-solve.  I would lack these abilities under such circumstances. Many lived a life of scorn and rejection, yet many of their desires were no different from mine.  They wanted to connect with others, have value, and have those basic needs that we all require. In this crazy setting, I was doing what I wanted: helping someone improve their life, even if it was just a tiny bit. Knowing the biochemistry of psych meds helped, but just relating to them as human beings was just as important. I looked forward to showing up, playing a game of checkers, or talking to them about their past and present lives.  I always felt different growing up, but kind individuals seemed to find me and convinced me that being different was OK. 

Here, I was dealing with people who had problems very different from mine, people who were very different from me, yet all I could see was how similar we were underneath.  These were human beings, not trash.  They deserved to have the best life that they could. I felt called to spend time with them.

Once again, my logic, planning, and goal-setting were about to be tested.  I had so much training in hard science, but much of Psychiatry was soft science. However, my course of action was right before me and couldn’t be ignored.  Hard science told me that I could use powerful drugs to block dopamine receptors and reduce psychotic symptoms.  However, soft science showed me that listening and relating to another human could be even more powerful.  My beliefs were being challenged, but I was willing to listen. But was this experience a fluke? The only way to find out was to test the hypothesis, and I did that by picking psych electives that were completely different from my drop-in center experience.  I did, and my mind did not change.

And so it started: residency, becoming chief resident, jobs, co-founding a clinic, working with the underserved, then… then…then.

Do you ever think there is some guiding force beyond yourself that directs you if you allow that direction?  A guardian angle? God’s direct interest in you? Some other force. Despite all of my planning, logic, and science, my best decisions in life seem to come from outside of me.  Interesting, no?

I spent many years sitting at this desk in my co-founded clinic.
camping, cooking in a van, living in a van, Negatives of van life, Uncategorized, Urban Stealth Camping, van kitchen, van kitchen design, vandwelling, Winter Camping, Winter in a Van

Van life, My Favorite Things.

I started my van life journey very simply. I pushed down the seats of my SUV and slept on an air mattress topped with a sleeping bag. In a laundry basket I had a small cook kit, a stove, a tarp, a flashlight, paper towels, matches, and a few other things. My clothes were in a duffel bag and I kept some food in a cooler and a box. This was all that I needed, and it alerted me to the reality that you don’t need very much to get by. However, I wanted to upgrade which led me to purchasing a Ram Promaster high-top in 2018.

Here I am in 2018 with my Promaster. It was a stock model with nothing in it. I had to add the side and back windows, and just about everything else. My very talented friend, Tom said he would help me build it out but I didn’t want to burden him with such a mammoth task so I found Wayfarer Vans in Colorado Springs and had them install a kit which made the van camping ready. However, I have heavily modified the van ever since with my friend and it has always been a fun way to build something together (I’m the chief screwdriver finder).

Violet’s innards from another angle. In this photo you can see that I had a side window and rear windows installed. I had this done locally at a custom RV/van shop in the city. I’m not very big on driving in huge cities, but I can do it if the motivation is high enough. Wayfarer now offers a lot of customization options, but in 2018 it was up to the van’s owners to get the van ready for modification.

Violet proudly showing off her side window.

One of the first things that we did was to install a roof fan and the solar panels. Both of these things were must for me and I use them on every trip. I have 400 watts of solar which charges my main battery and allows me to operate at almost 100 percent electric. The fan really helps to vent out the hot air and bring in the cool air at night.

Here you can see the vent fan from the inside. This fan can operate in two directions (pulling in air, or pushing out air). If you decide on adding a vent fan I would suggest getting one that can do this.

Here you can see my basic Wayfarer built. Compare this to my SUV photo and you can see that I have gone far up in van life status. The construction is very solid and has stood the test of time for 6 years. The box on the left is supposed to be a boot box, but it became my power station. Note the kitchen with a sink. Although functional, it did not suite my needs as I never really used the sink due to the mess. It had a 7 gallon water tank and a 7 gallon grey water tank that I had to wrestle with, and I didn’t like dealing with smelly grey water. We built a kitchen that better suited my needs. Also note the cavernous under the bed space. It was designed for adventure cargo, like a bike. However, I wanted to organize the space better for general van life.

Here I’m at Wayfarer Vans picking up my newly converted van. It only took them a morning to do what would have taken me a couple of months.

One of our first projects was to build out an under-the-bed storage space (#3). That has been one of my favorite modifications. This allowed a dedicated space for a slide out fridge (#1), as well as baskets that serve as my main pantry (#2).

The second photo shows the storage box from the “garage” end. Everything is very organized and there is still plenty of room for gear.

We opened up the “boot box” and converted it into a power station. My main battery and accessory battery gives me 4KW of power. Enough for just about any tasks that I need. I’m conservative with my power use and rarely dip below 80% battery. I have multiple ways to recharge my battery, but typically the solar panels are enough. I can also charge from my car battery/alternator. Lastly, I have a small gas generator, but I have never had to use it.

Another early project were these puck lights. However, they are also a regret as they are constantly disconnecting requiring me to take down panels to find the short. They use a remote control and I have had to replace the remote module a number of times. Now I more often use other sources of light.

I use every nook and cranny in Violet. Another project was installing a Wabasto gas heater (#1). The heater taps directly into Violet’s gas tank and barely sips any gas. I would say that its output is similar to one of those little electric heaters, which is enough to allow me to camp in the Winter. So far I have been comfortable with temperatures in the teens (Fahrenheit). You can also see my emergency toilet (#3). I have tried a couple of different types and am currently using a collapsible one. I seem to always find an alternate toilet option, but it feels good to have this backup “just in case.” The rectangular box (#2) is a 2000 watt quality inverter that takes power from my car battery and coverts it to AC power. This is an alternative way to charge my house battery when I’m driving. Now DC to DC chargers are popular, but they weren’t when I built out Violet. My solution may be a bit less efficient, but it works fine for me and also gives me an extra source of AC power. I originally had a no-name Chinese inverter that promised high output, but didn’t deliver so I went with a brand-name and I am glad that I did.

I also carry this small power bank which I can charge with a folding solar panel. I can take it out of the van to power devices like my video projector or computer, and use it inside for a convenient way to charge my phone. I like this particular battery bank as it re-charges very quickly. Some similar units charge very slowly. I believe in the motto ABC (always be charging). When I have shore power I like to charge everything to 100%.

A carpet is a must to keep dirt at bay. We cut this one to look like a wall to wall carpet, but it easily pulls out. My son asked why I got this pattern, but when he went camping with me he understood why-it hides dirt!

When I camp alone I almost always boon dock. However, when I’m camping with my wife or my son I will usually stay at campgrounds. Some smaller campgrounds will only have this type of power connector, so it is a good idea to have on board a simple 30 Amp to 20 Amp converter plug. They are inexpensive and can be found everywhere from Amazon to Walmart.

This is what the adapter looks like. I have used it many times over the years to convert a 30A socket into a 20A (typical) socket.

Another thing that Tom and I added was cruise control. It was a simple install and has made long drives a lot easier.

We also added swivel front seats. I have never used the swivel drivers seat, and rarely swivel the passenger seat. However, my wife uses it all of the time. This highlights the fact that what I find necessary, you may not. Hindsight suggests that it is better to build out slowly when you know what you actually need rather than trying to figure everything out in the beginning. You can also see my first attempt at a power station, an enormously heavy GoalZero 1250. I gifted that to Tom and his camping adventures when I upgraded to a lithium system.

A must is a garbage system that can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. I hang a grocery bag on the driver’s arm rest and change it out daily. It may not look great, but it works really well. I have never had a need to upgrade it.

Last summer’s project was to completely re-build the kitchen. I have enough power to go all electric, and I used an induction hob and a small microwave. I also have a capsule coffee pot as well as a small electric pressure cooker. When I’m solo I cook very simply, but when my wife or son are on board I tend to make real meals. I want their experience to be a good one.

This is my old kitchen setup using the Wayfarer kitchen. You can see the sink that I never used. Additionally, I had an induction hob mounted to the countertop which worked well, but took up valuable space. On the right side you see a microwave oven as well as a hassock toilet. I’m constantly changing things around. Why? Because its fun!

This summer Tom and I built a new kitchen that was better for my particular needs. By eliminating the sink, building in the hob and the microwave, and extending the countertop, I added an enormous amount of usable space. As an aside, we harvested the wood for the countertop from fallen trees. Tom used the planks to make flooring for his house, but there was some wood left over and that wood became Violet’s counter top.

In van life you can never have too many fans. There are a lot of small USB fans that are cheap, move a lot of air, and barely use any power. I’ll often use one in conjunction with my roof fan on very hot days.

Another one of my missteps. We installed a water port for the sink, and the sink is now gone. I also installed a power port, but I find it easier to run an outdoor extension cord through the sliding door.

I’m a little mixed on this one, a cellular signal booster. The improvement in cell reception has mostly been marginal, but recently it allowed me to very slowly view some webpages that would not have been possible with just my phone. Was that worth all of the money that I spent for the gadget? I don’t know.

Most of us use our phones to navigate. However, your phone’s GPS app requires a reasonably good cell connection to download maps. Two summers ago I installed a new radio that also has GPS as this unit has all of the maps preloaded. I have been in many places where Google maps won’t function (poor cell reception), but this unit does. This was an expensive upgrade, but you could also just buy an inexpensive dedicated GPS device off of eBay.

I also have an inexpensive dash cam. To be honest, I’m not sure I know how to get the videos off the camera. Fingers crossed that I won’t have to.

I mentioned that you need a light source. It is also important to have a portable light. This USB headlamp does the job for me, but there are many other options available.

A portable radio is a very nice addition. Yes, you have your car’s radio, but that could potentially run your battery down. I think I bought this radio off of eBay (note the Chinese hanzi). I have been in places with little cell signal so I can’t stream, but I can always get radio signals. A portable radio allows me to listen to the news and music when I’m sitting in a chair outside. Surprisingly, I seem to always find a NPR station. NPR has a lot of podcast like shows.

I also have an inexpensive “weather station.” Violet can get pretty hot in the summer heat and pretty cold in the winter freeze. I have found this little gadget informative over the years.

Since I no longer have a sink, you may wonder how I wash my dishes. I wipe off the remaining food with a paper towel, then spray with 100% vinegar, then wipe that off. It works as well as soap and water, but it doesn’t use up any water, and I have no smelly grey water to deal with.

Another addition that I added was this hitch for a bike carrier. Necessary if you want to take a bike with you, otherwise unneeded. Of course you can also pack a bike inside the van, but that can be a hassle.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but having a a decent water bottle is a must for so many reasons.

The simple water system that I have used for a number of years. This carboy holds 2 gallons of water, and I have 2, 3 gallon refill jugs in the van’s “garage.”

It goes without saying that you must have some sort of a first aid kit. I customized mine with things that I use. You can often buy small quantities of OTC meds at dollar stores making it inexpensive to change them out every year or two. I always have a variety of bandages, Motrin, anti-diarrhea meds, anti-histamines, kineseology tape, and other stuff on hand. I usually wind up taking a Motrin several times during any trip. Last summer I managed to poke a very sharp knife in my hand while trying to open a package. I was bleeding so much that I was leaking through band-aids. I taped the wound together with kineseology tape and that saved the day.

Another wonderful addition was a 3″ memory foam mattress pad that I added to the existing Wayfarer pad. I’m a big guy and a side sleeper, so I need the extra cushioning. Installing the pad took about 1 minute and it was a game changer for me.

This steering wheel desk turns Violet into an office on wheels. You can buy plastic ones very inexpensively on Amazon. However, my steering wheel was an odd size and the plastic one didn’t fit flat so we made our own.

When it’s hot and you have no shade you soon realize, “I need some shade!” There are many solutions and I have tried two of them. In the first photo I’m using a patio umbrella adapter on my hitch. That worked fine, but the MoonShade was more compact and did a better job. Neither require any permanent installation.

This may be hard to see, but you are looking at one of my absolutely most favorite things-rain guards! They allow me to keep my windows cracked during the rain and at night. They are an absolute must and take less than 5 minutes to install.

There are many other things that have made my van life easier. Some I use regularly, like a folding BBQ grate. Some things I use on occasionally, like a butane stove that allows me to cook outdoors. Some items I rarely use, but I’m glad that I have them, like a tow rope, traction mats, a tire pump, and a jump starter. Some are just fun, like my Omnia Oven.

I’m a life long camper, have been vehicle camping for a long time, and van camping for 6 years. I’m also a gadget guy so I’m constantly upgrading and changing things as that is part of my fun. I thought I would share some of my gear with you today. Your needs and desires may be completely different from mine. Do your own thing, and HAPPY CAMPING!

Peace

Mike

Random thoughts and my philosophy of life.