<< THIS PAGE reflects this current site theme design. All essay pages within the Essay Archives now reflect the design of the summer in which they first appeared on the site.

<< All links on THIS page work to reach essays. Navigation WITHIN the essays should be done using the links in the LEFT SIDE COLUMN.

<< Because each essay reflects the theme of a particular year, links in the left column only reflect links available through that year. For example, if you are looking at a 2010 essay, links in the left column will only reflect links available through that year. You would have to come back to this page to go to an essay which appeared after that point.

<< This page and all future Essay Archives pages will reflect the current site theme. All links are active and available for the current site. THE ONLY VALID LINKS ON ESSAY PAGES OUTSIDE OF THE LEFT COLUMN WILL BRING YOU BACK TO THIS PAGE.

<< The fact that fewer essays have been available in recent years reflects the realities of how Dorothy's life has changed since the site's inception. There was no summer edition of the site in 2016, and though there was supposed to be an essay section in 2019, that had to be cancelled since Dorothy required emergency surgery prior to the end of the summer edition of the site. There was no summer edition of the site in 2020/21 due to Covid, and there simply was no time to add an essay section in the summer of 2022.

<< The entire summer site for any year (with active links to move through the pages) can be viewed using the links on the website book page.

2023 Essay: After no essays in 2020/21 due to the pandemic and none in 2022 due to time constraints, the first summer essay in a while was posted at the conclusion of Summer '23. Click on the link below to go to the essay.

• "Student Loan Forgiveness Will Do Nothing to End My 30-Year Student Loan Nightmare, or Why There's an Essay Section on www.dorothyswebsite.org." Click here to go to the 2023 essay.

2018-19 Series: From "O-Gan and the Herons." In 2018, the topic of Artificial Intelligence was introduced in the one summer essay. A follow-up to the 2018 essay was planned for 2019, but due to unforseen circumstances was unable to be completed/posted. Click on the link below to go to the essay.

• "Bird Brains: An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence." Click here to go to the July/August 2018 essay.

2017 Series: From "Fine Feathered Friends." Following a Facebook-only summer hiatus in 2016, the essay series returned in 2017 with an article on the new drone universe. Click on the links below to visit the essay.

• "A Bird's Eye View: The New Drone Universe." Click here to go to the July/August 2017 essay.

2015: "Light Year." In 2015, the site celebrated the International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies. However, only one essay appeared on the site that summer, updating earlier information on solar technology and introducing the Solar Decathlon, an event which was taking place in Southern California. Click on the link below to go to that essay.

• "2015 Solar Energy Update and Solar Decathlon Preview." Click here to go to the September 2015 essay.

2014-15 Special Series: "The Making of a World Expo." The "World's Fair Express" began in the summer of 2014 as part of "The Art of Progress" theme. The next Expo will be held from May - October 2015 in Milan, Italy. The Milan Expo will have the theme "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life," and the Fall/Winter/Spring special series delved a little deeper into the development of the Expo and how the theme would be addressed.

• November/December 2014 - "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life: An Introduction to World's Fairs/World Expos and the Expo 2015 in Milan, Italy." Click here to go to the November/December 2014 essay.

• January 2015 - "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life: Expressing a Theme." Click here to go to the January 2015 essay.

• February 2015 - "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life: Global Participants (Part I)." Click here to go to the February 2015 essay.

• March 2015 - "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life: Global Participants (Part II)." Click here to go to the March 2015 essay.

• April/May 2015 - "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life: A New Expo for a Changing World." Click here to go to the April/May 2015 essay.

2014 Series: "The Art of Progress." The 2014 theme was "The Art of Progress." The summer essay series started by defining both STEM and STEAM and looking at a variety of Southern California programs combining both science/technology and art. It concluded with a two-part look at the science of light/optics/photonics. 2015 is the International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies.

• July 2014 - Getting "S.T.E.A.M.ed" Up: STEM, STEAM and a Sampling of Southern California Arts and Science/Technology Programs and Initiatives. Click here to go to the July 2014 essay.

• August 2014 - An "Illuminating" Subject . . . The Science of Light and Optics, Part I. Click here to go to the August 2014 essay.

• September 2014 - An "Illuminating" Subject . . . Optics and Photonics, Part II. Click here to go to the September 2014 essay.

2013 Series: "A Fork in the Road." The 2013 theme was "A Fork in the Road," and the summer essay series started with a two-part look at NASA and the emergence of "New Space," or the commercial space industry and commercial human spaceflight. The series finished in September with a brief look at changes taking place in the U.S. under the Affordable Care Act.

• July 2013 - Space - Final Frontier, New Commercial Destination? (Part 1) Click here to go to the July 2013 essay.

• August 2013 - Space - Final Frontier, New Commercial Destination? (Part 2) Click here to go to the August 2013 essay.

• September 2013 - The Affordable Care Act: New Avenues in Health Care and Insurance Click here to go to the September 2013 essay.

2012 Series: "Animal Magnetism." The 2012 theme was "Animal Magnetism." The Essays section was themed to the animals of the Chinese zodiac, and 2012 was the Year of the Dragon. Since the dragon is a sign associated with ruling over bodies of water, the first three summer essays dealt with water in some way. The September essay was about biomimicry or biomimetics, looking at animals (and nature) as inspiration for products, processes or technologies.

• June 2012 - Algal Biofuels Part I: Who You Callin' Pond Scum? Click here to go to the June 2012 essay.

• July 2012 - Algal Biofuels Part II: Green-In' the Gas Tank? Click here to go to the July 2012 essay.

• August 2012 - A Sprinkling of Thoughts on Water Click here to go to the August 2012 essay.

• September 2012 - "Aping" Nature Click here to go to the September 2012 essay.

2011 Series: "Game Changer." The 2011 summer theme was "Game Changer," and the essays covered topics from Jeopardy to soccer-playing robots! This summer's works also included an introduction to synthetic biology.

• July 2011 - A Game-Changing Milestone: The Garry Kasparov-Deep Blue Chess Match and Beyond. Click here to go to the July 2011 essay.

• August 2011 - Where Scrabble Meets Lego in the Building Blocks of Life: Synthetic Biology. Click here to go to the August 2011 essay.

• September 2011 - Is America in Jeopardy? Click here to go to the September 2011 essay.

2010 Series: Music - Summer - Style. The site theme for Summer 2010 was "OCTAVE: Music, Summer-Style." Each of the essays reflected, in some way, on the three parts of that theme. The first essay's topic was music, the second and third dealt with sunshine/solar energy, and the third dealt with clothing and fibers.

• June 2010 (MUSIC) - For Your Listening Pleasure . . . Recorded Sound and Technological Change. Click here to go to the June 2010 essay.

• July 2010 (SUMMER) - Here Comes the Sun (Part 1) . . .. This is Part 1 of a two-part series looking at solar energy basics. Click here to go to the July 2010 essay.

• August 2010 (SUMMER) - Here Comes the Sun (Part 2) . . .. Part 2 of the two-part series looks at the California Solar Initiative and a few uses of solar energy in some of the cities covered on the site. Click here to go to the August 2010 essay.

• September 2010 (STYLE) - Clothes Make the Man . . . Or Man Makes the Clothes . . . Or What?. The closing essay of the summer was a few passing thoughts about the clothes everyone wears and the fibers from which they are made. Click here to go to the September 2010 essay.

2009 Series: Work in Progress - Stories for Summer 2009. Prior to the start of the summer series, a brief essay on the final transition to digital television in the U.S. appeared. Click on the link below to visit the essay.

• June 2009 - I Hooked Up Last Night - End of Story?. Click here to go to the June 2009 essay.

• July 2009 - Work in Progress - Stories for Summer 2009. Part I - Introduction. Click here to go to the July 2009 essay.

• August/September 2009 - Work in Progress - Stories for Summer 2009. Part II - Stories Skirting the Edge of Science. Click here to go to the August/September 2009 essay.

2008 Series: Petromorphosis. The summer of 2008 brought with it the highest gas prices Southern California has ever seen. The series was called "Petromorphosis," and the three essays took a look at issues concerning gas prices and the future of petroleum and other energy sources, with a focus on fuels. Click on the links below to visit the essays.

• Part I (June/July) - "Pay'n" at the Pump. Click here to go to the June/July 2008 essay.

• Part II (August) - "They Didn't Leave the Stone Age Because They Ran Out of Stones." Click here to go to the August 2008 essay.

• Part I and II Bibliography Click here to go to the Bibliography for Parts I and II.

• Part III (September) - "An Af-fuel-ent Future?" Click here to go to the September 2008 essay.

2007 Series: Putting the Pieces Together: Technological Change - Where We've Been, Where We're Going, and a Brief Introduction to the Future.. The 2007 series was entitled "Putting the Pieces Together: Technological Change - Where We've Been, Where We're Going, and a Brief Introduction to the Future. Also, prior to the start of the summer series, a brief essay on compact fluorescent light bulbs appeared. Click on the links below to visit the essays.

• "A Short Note on Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)." Click here to go to the June 2007 essay.

• "Putting the Pieces Together: Technological Change - Where We've Been." Click here to go to the July 2007 essay.

• "Putting the Pieces Together: Technological Change - Where We're Going." Click here to go to the August 2007 essay.

• "Putting the Pieces Together: Technological Change - A Brief Introduction to the Future." Click here to go to the September 2007 essay.

2006 Series: "Digital Sunrise, Analog Sunset." The series began with a continuation of and update to the previous year's article on the transition to digital television in the United States. It continued with an introductory piece on the technology allowing phone calls to be made over the internet, or VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), and concluded with an exploration of Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID.

• "An Update on the Transition to Digital Television in the U.S." Click here to go to the June 2006 essay.

• "Phone Calls Over the Internet? Getting to Know VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol)" Click here to go to the July/August 2006 essay.

• "Something Old, Something New . . . The ABC's of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)" Click here to go to the September 2006       essay.

2005 Series: "Blue Roses, Green Cars and More. What Color is Your Future?" This series covered a number of topics. It began with an update and summary of information concerning genetically modified foods. The series then continued for the next two months with a look at "green" cars and hydrogen fuel cells. The summer concluded with an introduction to the transition to digital television in the U.S.

• "Golden Rice, Yellow Maize and Amber Waves of Grain: A 2005 Update of the Genetically Modified Foods Debate." Click here to read the June 2005 essay and Introduction to the 2005 Essay Series.

• "Green Cars and the Road Ahead: A Clear Future? - Part I." Click here to read the July 2005 essay.

• "Green Cars and the Road Ahead: A Clear Future? - Part II." Click here to read the August 2005 essay.

• Combined Bibliography for Parts I and II of "Green Cars". Click here to reach the bibliography.

• "Will You Be Singing the TV Black Box Blues? The Transition to Digital Television in the U.S." Click here to read the September 2005 essay.

2004 Series: "A Taste of the Genetically Modified Foods Debate." This series examined in depth the debate on genetically modified (GM) foods. The first essay in the series was an introduction to the topic. The second continued with specific examples of foods which either had been genetically modified or were being developed. The series concluded with a look at genetically modified foods and the biotechnology industry developing them, with a particular focus on California.

• "Genes, Beans and Greens: A Taste of the Genetically Modified Foods Debate, Part I". Click here to read Part I (June/July).

• "The Products and the Promise: A Taste of the Genetically Modified Foods Debate, Part II". Click here to read Part II (August).

• "Seeds, Industry Germination and California Roots: A Taste of the Genetically Modified Foods Debate, Part III". Click here to read Part III (September).

• Combined Bibliography for Parts I, II and III. Click here to reach the bibliography.

2003 Essays: The summer of 2003 was the first summer for the site. Two essays were included, but they were neither related nor part of any series. The August essay was a look at the student loan system, and the second discussed issues pertinent to what was then the upcoming recall election in California. Also included with the September essay is a poem which appeared on the site in October, just prior to the recall election.

• "Student Loans: Open Secrets of the System and What You Need to Know". Click here to go to the August 2003 essay.

• "Politicians, Personalities and California's October 7 Plebiscite: Do You Recall . . .?", plus website poem "The California Recall Raven." Click here to go to the September 2003 essay.

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