Starting with this issue, The Vashon Loop has updated its editorial policies to clarify that AI-generated art and writing are not eligible for publication in the paper or on the web site. I felt like I should explain my reasons for proposing this new policy, and why I’m pleased it has been adopted. Why do…
By Andy Valencia The world is coming for you, no invitation needed. Your phone rings, a notification chimes, a spam pops into your inbox. For every time your phone rings and it’s a loved one, there are many more selling you extended warranties or potency pills. We give them their very own words, like “spammer”…
Welcome to our second interview with a business owner who, despite her geographic location, still seems to lie well outside of Vashon Town, as the tourist walks. Join us in exploring the nooks and crannies of our abundant community. Past Snapdragon, one driveway beyond Euphorium, hides an eatery that has been serving Vashon for years….
By Andy Valencia We moved onto Vashon more than 20 years ago, and although there were occupants in Vashon Village, most times when I walked through, the feeling I got was “ghost town.” Eleven years ago, Cliff Goodman established himself as a local brewer whose products eventually made their way onto the ferries and to…
By Andy Valencia I built a nice device for a huge company (well, I did most of the system design and all of the software). It made lots of money, and – yay! – I was a rock star at my company. Sic transit gloria mundi. I measured its performance, and determined that it could,…
By Andy Valencia In the years we’ve lived on Vashon, I’ve read many an article on Vashon Island Fire and Rescue. All too often, I have finished the article befuddled and no more informed than when I started. As I join the club of people who have written about VIFR, I’m finding a newfound sympathy…
By Andy Valencia While we wait for Washington State Ferries to announce any initial findings in the Cathlamet accident, the Vashon Loop has been gathering background information to help interpret what we’ll eventually be told about this incident. An important piece of the Cathlamet’s history is its tendency to crash into docks; thus, it was…
By Andy Valencia When I was the manager of all software development at a fairly large startup, I made the worst management decision of my career. Two of my top technical leads came to me with a design tradeoff which they just could not settle between themselves. They each told me their position, and I…
You believe something which isn’t true. It’s the human condition, so you should get usedto it. I first ran into this in 2nd grade, when my teacher announced that porcupines flicked their tails to fire quills like missiles. I had just read a science book which refuted this old folk tale, and I corrected my…