I’ve always disliked the proverb, “Ignorance is bliss.” If only I had the choice, I sometimes grumble to myself. I tend to believe the opposite—that paying attention matters—even if our information-saturated world has lately challenged this notion, along with my mental well-being.
As with most things, it’s about finding that balance: seeking meaningful understanding without losing the pleasure of simply noticing what’s in front of you. Somewhere between “learning how the world wags and what wags it” and maintaining a childlike wonder at the absurd miracle of it all.
That tension—between depth and delight, knowledge and wonder—runs through this issue.
In “Fueling AI,” we examine how the surging electricity demand from nearly 300 California data centers, many powering AI inference models, is quietly straining the state’s clean energy goals and propping up the fossil fuel industry.
Project Censored’s “Trump vs. Higher Ed” unpacks the Trump administration’s effort to pressure elite U.S. universities into sweeping ideological changes, threatening federal funding unless campuses accepted new restrictions on speech and governance.
A Hayward mom used her science education to create a children’s dancewear line after her oldest daughter started ballet. Cassie Ye launched Stelle from her garage, building the company without venture capital and applying a methodical, testing-driven approach. The results were striking: Stelle’s sales reached $100 million while Ye was largely running the business on her own.
Former pastry chef Suzanne LaFleur launched her Berkeley company after working as a production manager at Dandelion Chocolate to learn about manufacturing. Petite LaFleur is now known for its signature salted dark chocolate honeycomb candy and also makes a golden popcorn bark.
And to further our edification, we present East Bay organizations that offer hands-on classes on niche topics: from stained glass making and woodturning to cooking, sewing and homesteading techniques like canning, soap making and herbal medicine.
Continuing our home-schooling, we explore mustard as a condiment, highlighting its ancient history and growing popularity. We also learn how to incorporate contemporary artisanal and seasonal flavors with five simple recipes.
Hearing a Bert Jansch record at 25 sparked local musician Miguel Andrés Cervantes to learn fingerpicking. He’s also inspired by the profound simplicity of artists like Townes Van Zandt and Leonard Cohen. His subsequent music could now be described as Mexican-American folk/country—or “Western noir.”
To me, Cervantes’ approach offers a version of that balance: learning from masters, paying close attention and building something meaningful from ordinary moments—one record, one song, one careful step at a time.
