In Memory of Scott Adams

Creator of the Dilbert comic strip passed away today, at age 68, following a protracted battle with prostate cancer. Scott Adams was, and perhaps will continue to be, a cultural and social enigma. He charmed people of all ages and persuasions with Dilbert, which started its syndication run in April 1989 (officially ending in March 2023).

But during Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign, he took on a different role: Political and societal agitator, for his sharp wit and astute analysis that antagonized many on the Left and galvanized others on the Right. For example, he astutely identified how “The Donald” chose not to play by the rules of political norms during debates with his Republican rivals, many of whom he reduced to demeaning nicknames.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 12, 20269:34 pm

Alabama Alley Freebees

San Diego weather is unseasonably mild this week. For example, today’s high was 22 degrees Celsius (72 Fahrenheit). Forecast is 23 C (74 F) tomorrow, with no measurable cooling for the remainder of the week; what a treat, or would be, if not for the flu.

I find sunlight—heat, more so—to be therapeutic. That makes reading in the car appealing right now, and I walk when temperature is highest. But I don’t want to directly infect anyone, so I traverse the alleys, like we Wilcoxes did during the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 lockdowns. There are many fewer face-to-face encounters.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 11, 20269:14 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Brier

My wife spotted this shorthair crossing Georgia street, as we walked on Dec. 14, 2025. Normally, I would have nabbed a full body shot. But instead of Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, I carried Pixel 10 Pro XL, for which I am less familiar. Yeah, I bungled getting the camera ready fast enough, and the cat settled behind shrubs.

Something else: I couldn’t see the screen so well in the blinding sunlight while wearing sunglasses. That’s strange, since the Google screen has greater peak brightness but lacks reflective coating that makes the Samsung smartphone shine outside.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 10, 202610:12 pm

December Dusk

My wife entered full flu today, while mine continues marginally diminished. Friends popped up everywhere wanting to help. One special friend sent lemon soup via Uber Eats; we wouldn’t let her come by to prevent viral exposure. At a distance another friend dropped by a walnut cake with cute cats card inside. Bianca and Jennifer, we are humbled and grateful.

That brief introduction brings us to another quick and easy Featured Image—once again from Pixel 10 Pro XL. Annie pointed out the incredible setting-sun sky on Dec. 29, 2025. I chose the Google smartphone over Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra because it more accurately renders colors—and without oversaturating them. Vitals: f1.7, ISO 32, 1/120 sec, 24mm (film equivalent), 5:09 p.m. PST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 9, 20268:34 pm

Was He Naughty or Nice?

This flu holds on tenaciously, and seemingly everyone around here has it. My wife started her decline late morning. I am three days in and feeling almost as crappy tonight as the first evening. As such, I present another sickly post; something easy before early bedtime overtakes me.

Granted, Christmas is behind us. Ho. Ho. Ho. I neglected to share a special stocking for Rick, who appeared in my “Cat’s of University Heights” series in August 2021. He relocated himself from a home in an alley to a house on the street, where he is treated lavishly by the new owners and garners massive amounts of petting by passersby.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 8, 20268:42 pm

Shadow Selfie and Friend

Last night’s post is a testament to perseverance. Some variety of virus overwhelmed my immune system. Sick is an understatement—and for the first time since Christmas 2017. Today, I slept in three hours until 7:30 a.m. PST and conked out for several hours this afternoon.

Sleep sure is therapeutic. I feel better this evening, although far from normal state. I don’t take cold medicine or pain killers, choosing to let the body’s defensive mechanisms work without interference. Besides, if over-the-counter anything makes you feel better when not, the tendency is to do too much when the body needs you to slow down and rest.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 7, 20269:47 pm

Room 8 Class Antics

Yesterday, in my news feed an odd story popped up: A cat wandered into an elementary school and made himself comfortable with the kids. He returned every school day from 1952 to 1968, delighting teachers and students. They named him Room 8, because that’s where he consistently went.

One commenter to the story flagged it as Artificial Intelligence fraud because of how it was written and Room 8 nomenclature. Not even kids would choose that name, he asserted, but AI would. I must admit that the story’s sentence structure was juvenile, which could suggest AI fakery—of which there is too much.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 6, 202610:08 pm

Funny Bunny

You are looking at my first purchase from Etsy, and I am surprised that we still have it. I ordered the “Amigurumi Flowery pink bunny rabbit with matching bag” for our daughter on July 27, 2006. Yep, that’s 20 years ago this summer. Pricey but handmade: $28 before shipping fee.

I don’t shop Etsy often, but it’s my go-to when looking for hand-crafted, hard-to-find, or specialty items. I am impressed with any of the early dot-com e-shops that survived all matter of doom—from economic calamities to mismanagement to pandemic shutdowns. May Etsy continue to be a survivor.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 5, 20268:43 pm

Adventures in Anthropomorphism

We the people crave relationships, including inanimate objects that are given human characteristics (e.g. anthropomorphizing) so that there is something shared in common—something familiar, relatable.

Take the Featured Image as example. One of my neighbors ever-so-slightly adorned a cactus with eyes, making meaning in the process. The taller cacti suddenly is an adult—let’s say single parent—standing alongside a shy youngster. Maybe someone else sees a shaggy little dog instead. Regardless, some story suddenly emerges where before there was nothing more than two cacti.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 4, 20269:20 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Bella (Ragdoll)

Time comes for another slog through the backlog. This beautiful longhair rooms with mighty Maine Coon Smokey, who joined the series in January 2022. The Featured Image is from Feb. 23, 2024 and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 32, 1/500 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 4:05 p.m. PST.

Bella is a ragdoll, and what a beauty, too. She is the one-hundred-seventh kitty seen along Alabama Street, somewhere between boundaries Adams and Lincoln. That’s out of 620 profiles, including this one. She also is the third Bella to appear in the series. (What’s up with that name?) The others: One and two (both from Alabama).

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 3, 20268:56 pm

Nikon Zf: Alley Harley Film Grain

Early fourth quarter, Nikon released firmware version 3.0 for the retro-styled Zf, which I own. Among the many new features is built-in recipe (e.g. filter) film grain, which styling is succinctly named. When flipped on, the camera captures a standard photo in RAW and nostalgic film look in JPG.

But how meaningful is it, really? Let’s compare with the alley Harley that I photographed in early December 2025 using the zf; I converted the color original to monochrome in post-production. The Featured Image was film grain-stylized in camera, six days later on the 16th of the month. Additionally, the Zf has a dedicated switch for shooting black and white; both capabilities were active.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 2, 20269:39 pm

She’s on a Mission from God

My wife and I heard the reverberating sound several blocks away—a voice carried on the wind, coming from the direction of Old Trolley Barn Park. The woman stood valiantly reading inspirational words and scriptures from a Bible. She rarely glanced up, which explains the character of the portrait.

I don’t know how deliberate the choice but can guess. Rather than face park goers she turned to the street, where across the way was a Jehovah Witness meeting hall. Tone and content made me think that she preached to the Witnesses.