Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, January 6, 2025
by Neil Senturia
First column of new year. No pressure. Sabbatical is over, get back to work, and as it is often said in Vegas, “Press the 8.”
A bit of contemplation on life and the new year. My home office looks out on a ginkgo tree. During December I watched its leaves quietly drop to the ground.
Some research will tell you that the gingko first appeared 290 million years ago, and as most of you know, extracts of ginkgo leaves contain phenolic acids, proanthocyanidins and flavonoid glycosides. Long live the gingko.
But, while the ginkgo might live forever, we don’t. Our personal leaves fall, and it reminds us of the inexorable passage of time — which even with artificial intelligence, we cannot change.
There were some impactful moments during my sabbatical. My wife, Barbara, and I went to New Zealand. It is a gorgeous country.
The fly-fishing was amazing. The biggest problem the country has is that the people are too nice (and drive on the wrong side of the road).
I will add that Barbara overcame terror and went zip lining in Rotorua.
Newly emboldened, she has suggested next up will be swimming with the sharks.
Now, as to serious matters and an awareness of another world, I would like to call your attention to a December article in the New York Times, “What Ever Happened to the Lady Jaguars.” Read it, and it will break your heart. The story tells the tragedy of circumstance, geography, parents and unforgiving history. It is hard stuff. Be grateful.
It is exactly that kind of story that stands in contrast to the investment technology outlook for 2025. Venture capitalists and Wall Street are getting ready to order Lambos and jets. The mood is optimistic, and the rich will get richer.
We live in San Diego, and even with its list of problems, many of which do not have easy or obvious solutions, it is a remarkable environment and opportunity. A place to dream.
My daughter came for dinner over the holidays. She works in Palo Alto for a biotech research institute, and she tells me that she is doing “the hundred dreams” — sort of like a bucket list of life goals, with a touch of Zen, before you die, whatever. It is the Silicon Valley meets the Tibetan guru with a smattering of AI.
For me, dreaming is a bit overrated. Nightmares, now that’s another story. Face the demons (and hope you wake up in the morning).
Still, this is usually the time to make personal resolutions. I am passing on that. My goal for 2025 is not to change the world, but to be a better part of the world. I do not want to make a list about me. I want to make a list about “other.”
Many of us get the “annual letter” from distant cousins or in-laws. Sometimes even from people I don’t know or remember. It recounts their family adventures and the year that has passed. Sure, it is nice to know that Betty got married and is now pregnant with triplets. I always get a calendar from a friend; it is 12 pictures of his dog and his hobbies.
But I would like to challenge my tech community in San Diego to think differently. Not just about “their startups” but also about collaboration and that nuanced phrase, “giving back.” Less transactional and more generous of spirit. Reread Adam Grant’s book “Give and Take.” Spoiler alert: Givers do better than the takers.
Lastly, I am going to clearly define my principles, the stuff I claim to hold near and dear. What is your line in the sand and how easily will you brush it over when crossed? David French, an opinion columnist at The New York Times, writes, “Very few people will sacrifice anything they truly value to correct an injustice that doesn’t involve them immediately and directly.”
If it’s easy, I’m all in. If it costs me personally, then I am going to pause and do a risk/reward spreadsheet.
I am excited to be alive and reasonably well. Invention and reinvention. And my own confession to that dream thing is simple — “I want one more at-bat.”
Welcome to the new opportunities of 2025 — and “to sleep, perchance to dream.”
Rule No. 834: Try warm milk and a melatonin.