Today Show Misses the Big Weather Point
I get emails from a guy named “Riff” called Real Media Riffs. Today’s post chastised the mainstream media for their blase attitude toward global warming. He begins with a new issue of Yankee Magazine—the cover shows a tot with snow falling around him “Snow Days where to go, why we […]
Ashley Will Never Grow Up–On Purpose
I took a break after cooking dinner (a rarity my daughter often points out) and came downstairs to read the Guardian UK on the ‘net. A story about how a family chemically caused their paralyzed 9-year old daughter to stop growing up caught my eye. “The cause of the controversy […]
Fate of Gloucester’s Fisherman Told in Film
A few nights ago I found a documentary on public television about the Gloucester fishing business. The story portrayed several of the members of the communitie’s fishing families, who have struggled in recent years as catches have declined, and the federal government has had to step in. In the late […]
Still a Thrill to See My Story in the Advocate
As the winter that didn’t yet happen moves into January, I had a chance to relive the real winter of 2004 when I traveled to Whitefish Montana for a press trip. There I skiied Big Mountain on skis and snowcycles, went dogsledding, explored Glacier National Park and and did some […]
A Smaller WSJ? We Still Won’t Read It
Today is the big day, or should I say, the small day for the Wall Street Journal. In a bid to gain ‘younger readers’ they’ve slimmed down the paper, knocking 3 1/2 inches off papers gargantuan width. Gordon Crovitz, the publisher, said that focus groups indicated that this made the […]
That’s the Smell of Cooking Memory
Memories are fickle. I found this out twice when I thought I’d just easily increase my computer’s RAM by adding two new 1 Gig sticks. Easy enough, right? Just unscrew the case and pop out the lighter ones, then put in the new ones and feel the surge of power. […]
Sarah Ayers Was the Star of First Night
Last night we went out on the town of Bethlehem, with our friends Trudy and Graham whom we’re visiting in their spacious new house in Northampton, PA. Like the other events across the US, First Night offers dozens of musical and comedy acts. We began in an old ice house […]
You’re Never Too Old To Be a Porn Star
Debbie, known as De’Bella, has a day job as an administrative assistant in the sex business, but one day decided that she too wanted to get in front of the camera. She’s 50, and still looks pretty hot, so she now makes porn movies joining a large number of oldsters […]
Where Do They Keep the Coffee Filters?
Waking up early after a difficult night’s sleep. We are visiting dear friends down in Pelham Manor NY, and I’m up early with no one else around yet. I try to make some of the coffee I brought from the cafe, but can’t find the filters. You know the feeling […]
Ouch! That Smarts….Good People Move On
Oh that smarts! I’ve just experienced what retail business owners know all too well. Just when you’re happy and feeling like your staff is running like a well-oiled machine, something happens. Oh no, not that conversation. “I have to tell you something,” said Britt, my beloved cafe manager. “I’m going […]
How to Get Three Giants Out of Quicksand
Jason Miller writes on Web Pro news about the ultimate web merger and google killer. “How do you get three giants out of quicksand? The biggest giant eats the other two and makes a boat from their bones. That seems to be Wall Street’s approach to building an apt competitor […]
Don’t You Hate it When the Shingles Give off Shocks?
Up ridiculously early this morning, for some reason five am seemed like time to rise. Jumped on the laptop and read the Boston Herald…a truly scary tale of a man who built his dreamhouse 27 feet from high tension wires. The flourescent lights in the house were going on when […]
Ball Bummer: Why Didn’t They Ask the Players?
The January issue of Business West came by mail, thanks to the Chamber of Commerce whose members now get it free. Inside was a sad story similar to the New Coke disaster of 1985–The Spaulding Ball Bummer of 2006. Local company Spaulding introduced a new basketball to be used in […]
Good Bye Gib
I got the news the other day that Gib Fullerton had passed away. Gib was the guy who hired me for my first newspaper job, back when the Valley Advocate was located in downtown Amherst. I remember applying for the job once, then not getting it, and coming back a […]
Right On Arnold!
Arnold Schwartzeneger has become the most progressive and clear-headed governor on the environment. He was profiled by the Washington Post today. “This year he signed the nation’s first environmental law of its kind, committing the state to lowering its greenhouse gas production to 1990 levels by 2020 and setting up […]
Send a Cone or Tune by Cellphone
We met the bespectacled Andreas in Goteborg, and enjoyed dinner with him and his wife Elin. He develops internet ad campaigns and one of them was fascinating, it was for an ice cream company. He showed us how a Swedish cellphone customer can send a tiny bar code to a […]
Want to Get in the Spirit? Write Cards, Give Money!
Today I took some wise advice from my sister Jenny. I wrote out cards to all of my employees and told them why I value them, and added some crisp bills to make it really feel good. You wanna know how to get into the Christmas spirit? Write cards and […]
Dreams, Goals, and Hope at 33,000 Feet
Winging our way back home from Sweden, in this Airbus 330 I am able to recap all of the things this trip has inspired me to think about. In the internet and cafe business, you meet people and see ideas in action that make you think you should try them. […]