Navigation: My Background and Education
Navigation: My Background and Education
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.
Explore my Palo Alto SEO agency and see a Brief Biography.
The Other Side of the Creek – Local history essays exploring overlooked places, buildings, and stories around San Francisquito Creek.
Palo Alto Tourism – A guide to visiting Palo Alto and Stanford, with practical advice on itineraries, transportation, museums, and more.
Gstaad Events – An independent English-language guide to events, local developments, culture, visitor information, and places to explore in Gstaad and the surrounding region.
Histoires de Genève - A French-language project collecting memories, photographs, and documents about Geneva.
art-culture.net (New)
Biographies, essays, and notes on art, literature, philosophy, music, film, and history.
HTML & Web Standards - Notes on semantic markup, forms, accessibility, browser behavior, and the continuing development of HTML.
About New Web Domains - An introduction to domain extensions, what they mean, and how they are used in web addresses.
Why Was “WorldWideWeb” Renamed Nexus? - Why the first web browser changed its name, and how that change helped distinguish the software from the web itself.
Google: The Best Data Vending Machine - A reflection on Google as a source of answers and the difference between retrieving information and understanding it.
Wittgenstein and the Wrong Kind of Clarity - How a correct answer to one question can be mistaken for the resolution of another, with examples from everyday judgments and musical interpretation.
Why Shakespeare Remains One of the Greatest Writers - An exploration of Shakespeare’s language, characters, and dramatic imagination.
Herbert von Karajan and Yehudi Menuhin - Reflections on musical expression.
My Favorite Films and Television - A personal selection of films and television series, ranging across comedy, crime, romance, science fiction, and historical drama.
About Tisha B’Av - An introduction to Tisha B’Av, the Jewish day of mourning, and its significance in Jewish history and remembrance.
Landmarks in Chess History - An overview of turning points in the history and development of chess.
Travel Planning Guide - A practical introduction to planning a trip and organizing the decisions that need attention before departure.
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.
For corrections, permissions, privacy requests, or accessibility assistance, use the contact form or call +1 (650) 427-9358. For details, see Legal, Privacy and Accessibility.
Disclosure: AI tools assist with research, summaries, drafting, and editorial review. Their use varies by article and stage of the writing process. Ardan Michael Blum writes, revises, and updates the content, shapes its arguments and interpretations, and makes the final editorial decisions.
© 2026 Ardan Michael Blum.