I'm not sure the title above is the best way to express my feelings on this issue. You see, earlier in my life, I used to be a clown at kids' parties. I didn't really bring much to the table as a clown. My only clown-like abilities were juggling and making a small set of … Continue reading Thanks, Creepy Clowns, for Ruining It for Us Real Clowns →

Last night my wife, son, and I had the chance to see Penn & Teller bring their Las Vegas show to Atlantic City. It was, as I expected, fabulous. The show started off with a clever trick involving an audience member's cell phone, and later included several memorable tricks, one of which was a cool … Continue reading Penn & Teller – 40 Years Later →

Dan Ariely, one of my favorite behavioral economists (yes, I do have several to choose from), has an occasional column in the Wall Street Journal where he answers readers' questions. Here is one of the recent questions: Dear Dan, I hate waiting for anything. I get very impatient when I have to wait for food … Continue reading Anticipation… →

Twitter announced this week that is was shutting down its Vine operation. Vine was an app that allowed users to create six-second videos. When I first heard about it back in 2013, I thought how much could really be accomplished in a six-second video. As it turned out, quite a bit, actually. Here's a clip … Continue reading A Farewell to Vine →

The following message was posted on our neighborhood's Nextdoor web site this past week: Hi, I am K..., new to the neighborhood. My husband B... and I recently bought a house in the neighborhood and will move in this weekend. Nice to "meet" you all here! A day later, there was the following response: Welcome, … Continue reading Another Win for the Internet and Nextdoor →

In Philadelphia, one in four people are “food insecure,” which means that 25 percent of the city’s population don’t have access to a reliable, affordable food source. While there are several programs that try to address such a problem, most of these programs are isolating in that the only people participating in the programs are … Continue reading Who Said There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch? →

According to the Wall Street Journal, employers are newly hot on the trail of hires with liberal arts and humanities degrees. Class of 2015 graduates from those disciplines are employed at higher rates than their cohorts in the class of 2014, and starting salaries rose significantly, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. … Continue reading It’s About Time →

I just read a story that offers a sad commentary on one company's treatment of the elderly. At the Ikea store in Shanghai, China, management has put an end to allowing senior citizens to use its cafeteria to socialize and even find partners. China's state broadcaster CCTV News reported that the elderly patrons would often … Continue reading Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places? →

My wife and I had the opportunity last night to meet Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action (MDA), an organization we are both members of. MDA was founded by Shannon the day after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting with the purpose of demanding action from state and federal legislators,,companies, and educational institutions … Continue reading Doing Our Part… →