Last night we enjoyed a particularly poignant NetFlick. It was called Kolja, and it told the story of a Czech bass player who married a Russian woman for money and ended up without her but with her 5-year-old boy. The languages, of course, were obtuse, a combination of Czech and […]
It had to happen some day. The tallest and the shortest man in the world met face to face. Here Mr Xishun shakes hands with Mr Ping Ping, he’s 7′ 9″ and Ping measures up at 2’4″. The little guy is Mongolian and Bao Xishun, is a herdsman from Chifeng, […]
Whenever the subject is music downloads, you hear the name “Big Champagne.” These are the folks who keep track of every music fileshare, and now they’re providing radio stations with lists of which songs are illegally downloaded the most, to help the stations play the songs people want to hear. […]
I took the Peter Pan bus back to Springfield last night, it was the last bus. There were too many people and not enough seats…at one point the driver stepped into the bus and asked if anyone would get up and let a young girl on instead, and wait 2 […]
I’m back in NYC where a light rain is falling on an internet cafe where you have to shovel dollar bills into the computer to keep it going. I’m pleased with my day. I took an early bus and made it to the Italian Tourism Commission in time for most […]
Will we ever stop being amazed by Google? I certainly won’t. The other day I wanted to see how far the trip was from Port Authority bus terminal to my appointment at a NY ad agency. I google mapped it and stumbled upon their latest twist–360 degree camera views of […]
The American Journalism review had a story about a local news website chain failure. Exactly the kind of business you’d think would make sense and money these days. But not yet. “By early 2007, Backfence.com had grown to 13 sites serving towns around Washington, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay […]
I am thinking and reading more about Colombia now that I’m planning to go there in early August. Today’s news was heartening. In all of the country’s major cities, millions marched against FARC the revolutionaries who kidnapped 11 politicians five years ago and now are being blamed for their deaths. […]
Working on a slow Saturday at the cafe. Last night I got a chance to do something I don’t do enough. Listen to a live band play good old rock and roll. I joined my pals Bill, Paul, Joe and my son Sam and we drove up to the Route […]
In Vermont, the reporters for the Burlington Free Press have had it. It’s the last straw. They are seething over…parking. “While people are angry,” said one veteran journalist at Vermont’s largest daily newspaper, this week “the prevailing mood is one of disgust.” “We feel absolutely frustrated and undervalued,” said another […]
I’m going to New York City next week. This made me think about a recent proposal by Mayor Bloomberg to begin charging cars a ‘congestion fee’ to enter the city. I think this is a fantastic idea. London began congestion pricing in 2003, and the grumblings of a few have […]
It’s the fourth of July in the cafe, and we’re getting our reward for sending out emails to our coffee lovers. I got at least six people who said they came in ’cause we sent the email. It’s not that busy but it is always heartening to welcome new folks […]