Marginalia - The Imperfect Draft

The Great Toilet Paper Experiment

Alan O’Hashi — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 01:25:22 GMT

What’s your bathroom peeve?

I refilled the toilet paper dispenser the other day, which sounds like one of those household chores that should take approximately 14 seconds.

It didn’t.

Who thought gluing the end of the toilet paper roll was a good idea?

A product engineer decided that the best way to keep the last sheet attached to the roll was to glue it dow…

My Pinto’s last ride

Alan O’Hashi — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 20:15:05 GMT

In July 1976, I was working for the US National Park Service at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado

for the summer. I don’t know if this had any influence, but I had befriended U.S. Congressman Wayne Aspinall (D-CO) who was a guest scholar at the University of Wyoming political science department when I was in grad school there.

Wayne was the former…

The Pop Wagon Capitalists of Cheyenne Frontier Days

Alan O’Hashi — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 16:30:56 GMT

What was your first cottage industry?

The best business school in America might be a folding table, a hand-lettered sign, and a pitcher of lemonade.

This summer, I’ve noticed a number of young entrepreneurs. Two boys had set up a lemonade stand during North Boulder First Friday. The next day, I met three girls selling drinks at the Longmont Fourth of July…

The Great Culver’s Misunderstanding

Alan O’Hashi — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 18:05:22 GMT

The best discovery is finding out you were right all along.

For years, I thought Culver’s was a fast food fish place because the TV ads depict the company in Wisconsin. When I think Wisconsin, I think of Frostbite Falls, fishing tents on frozen lakes, and walleye tournaments.

I had convinced myself that fish was the main attraction.

Then I learned that Cul…

Before Dismissing Democratic Socialism, Ask Why It’s Growing

Alan O’Hashi — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 21:13:07 GMT

Before Dismissing Democratic Socialism, Ask Why It’s Growing

Every time the phrase “democratic socialism” pops up in a political discussion, someone inevitably reacts as if a Soviet submarine has surfaced in the neighborhood swimming pool.

For many Americans, especially those who grew up during the Cold War, the word “socialism” comes with a lot of baggag…

The Last Carload

Alan O’Hashi — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 16:12:39 GMT

Today I drove a carload of boxes to Laramie and made the final major delivery of my Swedish death cleaning project.

One destination was the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. The boxes contained decades of my life: research materials, hard drives, scrapbooks, manuscripts, photographs, films, books, and assorted records from…

Do you have a website?

Alan O’Hashi — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 18:59:55 GMT

Back in the late 1990s, the internet was the next big thing. Every day seemed to bring another story about a startup attracting millions of dollars in investment capital with little more than a catchy name and a vague business plan. The dot-com boom was in full swing, and like many people, I wanted to get in on the action.

The Credit Card I Can’t Read

Alan O’Hashi — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 15:09:43 GMT

When my Discover card expired, the company offered several replacement designs. I could choose a cat, a dog, flags, business logos, and a bunch of others.

Instead, Braille caught my eye.

The funny thing …

Analog Meets Digital

Alan O’Hashi — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:33:51 GMT

What kind of gifts do you give out for weddings and graduations?

It’s graduation and wedding season. One of my second cousins sent me an invitation. Instead of stuffing cash into a card, I sent one of my books and, as part of my ongoing Swedish death cleaning project, one of my mother’s watercolor paintings.

Silicon Prairie: Episode 1 - How Communities Can Prepare for the Digital Boom

Alan O’Hashi — Sun, 31 May 2026 13:06:33 GMT

The Rocky Mountain West has seen its share of booms from gold and railroads to oil, gas, and coal. Now a new boom is arriving: data centers, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and industrial-scale computing.

In this inaugural episode of Silicon Prairie, host Alan O’Hashi explores how communities can prepare for the opportunities and challenges that…

Silicon Prairie

Alan O’Hashi — Sun, 24 May 2026 22:31:50 GMT

The next great Western boom is more valuable than gold, oil, or cattle.

It’s digital data.

Across the Rocky Mountain West, giant AI data centers are rising out of ranchland and prairie bringing promises of jobs, tax revenue, and “the future.”

They also bring massive power demands, water consumption, industrial noise, diesel backup generators, and political…

Confessions of an Accidental Environmentalist

Alan O’Hashi — Mon, 18 May 2026 01:10:02 GMT

Turns out reusing microwave popcorn bags now counts as activism.

“Sustainability” is one of those words that started out meaning something specific and useful, then got run through enough marketing departments that it now sounds like a yoga retreat sponsored by a bank.

Back in the 1990s, the term actually had practical roots. I received a grant from the U…

Elvis, Belly Dancers, F-15s, and the Bolder Boulder

Alan O’Hashi — Thu, 14 May 2026 12:34:48 GMT

Originally Posted on May 11, 2026

Every Memorial Day, thousands of people from around the world flood the streets of Boulder for an event that’s bigger than a 10K road race. It’s not too late to register, but sign up before race weekend—business has been brisk. I don’t know if there’s enough space left if all 5,000 of you sign up, but check out more info…

Confessions of an Accidental Environmentalist

Alan O’Hashi — Tue, 12 May 2026 18:13:23 GMT

Turns out reusing microwave popcorn bags now counts as activism.

Back in the 1990s, the term actually had practical roots. I received a grant from the U…

The Rusty Melon Mushroom Swiss That Doesn’t Try Too Hard

Alan O’Hashi — Sun, 10 May 2026 03:35:49 GMT

Do you pick restaurants based on a catchy name?

The Rusty Melon Mushroom Swiss That Doesn’t Try Too Hard

Finding a standout burger at the Rusty Melon in a strip mall is poetic. No pretense, just a grill, a TV tuned to ESPN, and a bar crowd.

The cook made my Mushroom and Swiss burger to order. I called for the half-inch hand-formed patty to be medium rare.

…

The Rusty Melon Mushroom Swiss That Doesn’t Try Too Hard

Alan O’Hashi — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 01:22:26 GMT

Do you pick restaurants based on a catchy name?

The Rusty Melon Mushroom Swiss That Doesn’t Try Too Hard

Finding a standout burger at the Rusty Melon in a strip mall is poetic. No pretense, just a grill, a TV tuned to ESPN, and a bar crowd.

The cook made my Mushroom and Swiss burger to order. I called for the half-inch hand-formed patty to be medium rare.

…

The Day Dark Star Beat Native Dancer (and I Showed Up)

Alan O’Hashi — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 03:28:48 GMT

Were you born on a day marked by a historical event?

The Day Dark Star Beat Native Dancer (and I Showed Up)

When I popped into the world May 2nd, I shot out of the gate with hooves thundering in the background.

The 79th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs marked my birthday on the first Saturday in May 1953.

My dad had money riding on the favor…

Engineering Failure with Cheese

Alan O’Hashi — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:17:14 GMT

Do you impulse-buy based on TV ads?

Engineering Failure with Cheese

Come hungry, leave wearing it.

I saw another TV ad and tried the limit-time-only, monstrous McArch by McDonald’s. It’s basically a dressed up double Quarter Pounder with cheese. It comes with chopped onions and, optionally, fried onion straws. Sliced Roma tomatoes will cost you an extra 60…

Out With the King, In with the Box

Alan O’Hashi — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 23:14:04 GMT

What do you think about mass produced burgers?

Out With the King, In with the Box

I’ve had to build my red blood cell count. The iron supplements didn’t work that great.

I turned to hamburgers. One turns into two, then three becomes a pattern, and I’ve developed opinions about whether a sandwich respects the laws of physics, which brings me to the “new” Wh…

Mildly Less Terrible

Alan O’Hashi — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:59:53 GMT

Did you buy any Peeps this Easter, or did you give them up for Lent?

Easter musings.

Mildly Less Terrible

Progress, not sainthood.

If you’ve read this far, you made it.

That’s no small thing. Even if you skipped reading a few, doubled up, or showed up reluctantly with coffee in hand and one eye open, you stayed in the conversation. That counts.

You don’t have…