The Special Olympics Pennsylvania Fall Festival, hosted and organized by Villanova University students, is being held on campus this weekend. It is the largest annual student-run Special Olympics event in the world, and today I had the opportunity as a volunteer to observe up-close and personal just how amazing an event this is. Held during … Continue reading I Just Fell in Love with Villanova – Again →

I'm not a car guy. I really can't tell one car from another and I don't know how anything under the hood works. And I'm fine with that. I view my car as something that will get me from Point A to Point B; if it does that, that's about all I'm looking for. But … Continue reading Faraday Future – Some Competition for Tesla Motors? →

Researchers at Erasmus University and Wageningen University conducted a study to see what factors were best at predicting whether or not a gift recipient will be happy with the gift he or she receives. Typically, gift givers often spend a good deal of time trying to find a gift that best matches other people’s desires. Research has … Continue reading Give Me Your Self: Gifts are Liked More When They Match the Giver’s Characteristics →

College rankings are in the news this week as The Economist just announced its first set of college rankings. The rankings are based on The Education Department's salary numbers from its College Scorecard, an online tool that compares colleges on cost, student debt and graduation rates. This data was just released in September, and so now … Continue reading College Rankings, Income, and Liberal Arts →

The other day I mentioned Scott Dinsmore in a post. Back in 2012, Scott delivered what has turned out to be one of the most popular Ted talks of all time, “How to Find Work You Love“. In the video, Scott talks about the company he started, "Live Your Legend", which has as its mission to … Continue reading Live Your Legend – a Tribute to Scott Dinsmore →

The quote comes from motivational speaker Jim Rohn, and is one I believe to be true. The problem is, I've never actively sought out five people I would like to spend my time with. Not counting my family, I'm not sure how I would go about determining who those five people should be. I'm also … Continue reading “You Are the Average of the Five People You Spend the Most Time With” →

"I guess there’s just something about someone with a beautiful voice sharing that talent with the world that brings me to tears." from "I'm in Tears, Again". Well it happened again last night. My wife, son, aunt, and I went to see Seussical the Musical put on by the Villanova Student Musical Theater (VSMT) group. … Continue reading Seussical the Musical, Villanova Style →

In 2004, American psychologist Barry Schwartz wrote a book titled "Paradox of Choice, Why More is Less". In the book, Schwartz argued that eliminating consumer choices can greatly reduce anxiety for shoppers. He believes that choice has made us more dissatisfied and paralyzed, not happier or freer. Schwartz gave  an intriguing TED talk on this topic … Continue reading The Paradox of Choice, Oreo Cookies, and Malcolm Gladwell →

My son Pat and I were at the amazing Pop Shop in Collingswood, NJ today where we met my niece/Pat's cousin for lunch. It was great catching up with her, plus there's not many places that have vegan pancakes, and these are the best pancakes, vegan or otherwise, I've ever had. So it was well worth … Continue reading Thank you, Waze! →

Danish toymaker Lego is receiving a fair amount of criticism recently for refusing to sell its blocks at a discounted rate to a Chinese artist/activist. Lego refused to do so on the grounds that doing so would represent a political statement, something the company has always avoided. Lego has said that Chinese artist and activist … Continue reading In Defense of Lego →