Bob's Almanack

I am a powerful, infinite creator.

~ Robert

OIP Exclusive

2045: Ten Dark Fables from the Machine Age

Ten dark fables about artificial intelligence, grief, ambition, faith, and the ways people seek meaning. By Robert V. Ussley. The EPUB is $19.99, sold directly by Outside In Print to U.S. readers, with a private download link delivered by email.

Buy EPUB → Read a free sample →

Note from Bob

We can lose our footing while trying to win every room. Outside praise is not the same as what we already have, so keep one honest measure for yourself.

New from Outside In Print

An anonymous walker seen from behind follows a rain-washed sidewalk into golden morning light as a small bird lifts from the hedge beside the path.

Already Mine

A morning walk with gentleness, love, and gratitude.

Everyone Knows the Words

Over lunch in a diner, Syd and Oliver argue about social performance, the need for approval, and what honesty asks of a friendship.

Golden sunrise fills an empty brick market street between open iron gates, striped awnings, a glowing bakery window, and wooden crates of oranges.

Mantra #2: Abundance

Receiving Without Grasping

Golden sunrise fills an empty brick street rising between row houses, iron stoops, and an oak, with a folded cream page resting on a sunlit step.

Mantra #1

I walk the words until they become my own.

This Week's Virtue

Sincerity

Sincerity is more than telling the truth when someone asks. It means speaking without a hidden trap and acting for the reason you give. A kind lie may spare a moment, but it shifts the cost to someone else. Say less if you must, and make sure your words can bear the facts.

One Number

$12.8 trillion

U.S. household and nonprofit net worth rose by $12.8 trillion in the second quarter, mainly because stock values climbed. That was an asset gain, not the same as new cash income. source

One Document

Disaster Risk: Improvements Needed to Enhance FEMA’s National Risk Index

U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2026-09-10

GAO found three gaps in FEMA’s National Risk Index: guidance for combining its scores with other tools, consistent sensitivity tests, and steady user feedback. It made three recommendations. source

Results

The San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams 27–7 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 11, local time. It was the first NFL regular-season game in Australia. source

Records

Ben Shelton’s four-hour, 28-minute U.S. Open quarterfinal win over Carlos Alcaraz ended at 3:33 a.m. on September 9, the latest finish in tournament history. Shelton won 6–7(5), 6–1, 6–3, 1–6, 7–6(7), and closed with a 146 mph ace. source

Final Bows

Lonnie G. Bunch III announced on September 8 that he will retire as Smithsonian secretary at the end of 2026, closing nearly 38 years at the institution. source

Obituaries

Barry Melrose, who coached the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final and spent 27 years at ESPN, died September 9 at 70. source

The Doors of Wisdom are never shut.

~ Poor Richard

Worth Reprinting

The Dolphin Company

The Rise and Fall of the World’s Largest Dolphin Empire

The Dolphin Company grew by buying marine parks and piling up debt. Gulf World closed after dolphin deaths, while the firm's bankruptcy put living animals on the books as assets. The story asks who pays when a business built on living creatures falls apart. It returns now because failure can shift costs to those who had no say.

I take action with courage and clarity.

~ Robert