Triumphs of the technical nature are rare for me. Here’s another fumbling admission that I’m not as clever as some young men. I tried to replace my truck’s radio, and was sent the wrong wiring harness. I like being able to talk about wiring harnesses even though I couldn’t figure […]

Two copies of Wired magazine arrived in my post office box on the same day. The March and the April issues, as usual, did not disappoint, but why they both came at once is a mystery. Inside the March issue was a colorful three-page spread about the ten years between […]

It’s a chilly morning, and today I am meeting another prospective intern who wants to come work with us. Graduating from college, I guess in today’s economy it makes sense to get an unpaid internship instead of a regular job. With or without the UMass credits, I think spending time […]

Afghanistan is a tough place. Try using your cellphone after 5 pm. A story in today’s WSJ described the stranglehold that the former rulers of the country, the Taliban, have on the public’s cellphones. They’ve issued edicts to all of the cellphone companies in parts of the country to turn […]

Here are some great places I visited last year. Nelson New Zealand: Arts town with nice layout, right next to Abel Tasman wilderness some of the nicest hiking and beautiful scenery anywhere. The seaside city of Granville, in Normandy, offers a truly French beach experience, with tides that stretch out […]

Last night I did something I haven’t done in a while. I stole away to Amherst for dinner and a movie by myself.  I strolled down the streets of this town, where in the 1990s I sold newspaper advertising, and saw all of the new businesses who have taken up […]

Jamie Oliver clearly has good intentions. The celebrity chef visited Huntington West Virginia, a city that has been ranked at the very bottom of the scale in healthy eating across the US. He makes a bunch of mistakes, calling every woman ‘hon’ and pissing off a local radio station DJ […]