Ardan Michael Blum: Writing and Projects
I am a Swiss-born American writer, cellist, and dachshund lover. After working in nonprofit management in Geneva, I founded A. Blum Localization Services in 2016. Discover the Palo Alto SEO agency and learn more about me and my work at ardanmichaelblum.com.
Local Writing
The Other Side of the Creek – Local history essays exploring overlooked places, buildings, and stories around San Francisquito Creek and neighboring Menlo Park.
Palo Alto Tourism – A locally written guide to visiting Palo Alto and Stanford, with practical advice on itineraries, transportation, parking, museums, neighborhoods, nature, and when to visit.
Gstaad Events – An independent English-language guide to events, local developments, culture, visitor information, and places to explore in Gstaad and the surrounding region.
Culture & Discovery
Histoires de Genève – A French-language project collecting memories, photographs, and documents about Geneva.
New: art-culture.net – A site featuring biographies, essays, and notes on art, literature, philosophy, music, film, and history.
HTML & Web Standards – Discover semantic markup, forms, accessibility, browser behavior, and the continuing development of HTML.
Articles and Essays
Why Was WorldWideWeb Renamed Nexus? - Discover why the first web browser changed its name to avoid confusion with the World Wide Web itself.
New Web Domains – An examination of new domain extensions and what they have changed for online naming, branding, search, internationalization, and the domain-name system.
The Best Data Vending Machine – An essay about Google Search as an answer-producing system and what can be lost when convenient summaries separate information from its original sources.
Herbert von Karajan and Yehudi Menuhin – A close reading of a filmed conversation between two major musicians about conducting, rehearsal, discipline, spontaneity, and what happens between the written notes.
Wittgenstein: The Clarity Trap – An essay on how an explanation can appear precise and complete while quietly failing to answer the deeper question that prompted it.
AI in Science: The Difference Between Prediction & Understanding - Artificial intelligence can make remarkably accurate predictions while leaving important questions about causes and mechanisms unresolved.
About Tisha B'Av – An introduction to the history, meaning, mourning practices, and traditional observance of Tisha B’Av in Jewish life.
Landmarks In Chess History – A guided introduction to important games, players, and turning points that help trace the development of competitive chess.
My Favorite Films and Television - From Casablanca and Seven Samurai to Twin Peaks and Dekalog, this page brings together some of my favorite films and television series.
Why Shakespeare’s Writing Remains One of Literature’s Greatest Achievements – An examination of Shakespeare’s writing through language, dramatic structure, characterization, and his ability to make thought change and develop through speech.
Travel Planning Guide – A practical framework for planning trips around purpose, time, distance, cost, transportation, accessibility, booking dependencies, and the realities of an actual travel day.
Palo Alto: A City Shared - Palo Alto depends on people who work, study and provide care there, yet high housing costs prevent many of them from making the city a lasting home.
Media & Elsewhere Online
Photographs – Personal photography and visual notes from Palo Alto, travels, daily life, and the occasional appearance of a particularly photogenic dachshund.
YouTube: Timeless Tunes – A personal collection of music worth returning to. | Culture and Creativity – Videos and discoveries related to art, music, history, and creative work. [Related: How to Research Art on YouTube].