Since high school, I've never been one to voluntarily participate in class. I'm guessing the biggest reason was the fear of giving the wrong answer, and then feeling myself transform into Lobster Man in full view of the rest of the class. Basically, I didn't walk to be like Ivan Ackerman, as seen below. This behavior … Continue reading I Gave the Wrong Answer in Class Today, and the World Didn’t End… →

I came across a company that uses Twitter to post some of the most clever ads/packaging it has discovered. As often happens, I spent way too much time on the site, because there was always one more ad to look at. So thank you to marketing_birds for the inspiration for today's post, in which I thought I … Continue reading Some Great Ads from Around the World, and a Villanova/Lego video →

Today is International Day of Happiness, and it is also the day that the newest World Happiness Report was released. The report, developed by the UN's Sustainable Development Solutions Network, ranks the world's countries based on happiness. Norway jumped three spots and displaced three-time winner Denmark to take the title of "world's happiest country" for … Continue reading Am I Doomed to a Life of Less Than Optimal Happiness? →

March Madness. It's one of the best sporting events of the year, filled with great teams, great players, great plays, lots of drama, and moments that will go down in history. Perhaps none more than the final seconds of last year's championship game featuring Villanova vs. North Carolina. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7FFJUz0tdo There are also moments that leave … Continue reading Well at Least One Person Agrees with Me →

My wife, son, and I had the chance to see the Drowsy Chaperone last night at Villanova. The play was put on by the Villanova Student Musical Theatre (VSMT), an entirely undergraduate run organization that produces at least two musicals per year. The goal of the organization is to provide students a means to unleash … Continue reading The Drowsy Chaperone →

That is the opening line of a recent decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. (Note - this is a long post that deals with some legal issues and some grammatical issues. I personally found both categories of issues fascinating. If you want the short version, always use the Oxford … Continue reading “For want of a comma, we have this case.” →

Individually, the following could be thought of as just a bunch of minor annoyances. But taken together, I think they paint a picture of a more serious problem - some people are just ignorant, and don't think about anyone but themselves. I was in the middle of doing my workout at Planet Fitness, and I … Continue reading What’s Wrong with People? →

Who knew. Man's best friend is quite the sneak. And there's research to prove it. In one study, Marianne Heberlein, who does research on dog cognition at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, wanted to test the dogs’ ability to use deception to get what they want from humans. Here's how the experiment worked. As part … Continue reading Canines: Cute, Cuddly, and Cunning →

Taking full advantage of the snow day, my wife, son, and I watched a great movie today from the comfort of our home. The movie was recommended by one of our other sons; otherwise it is likely we would have never heard of it. The movie was "Hunt for the Wilderpeople", and was released in … Continue reading A Hidden Gem →

Studies have shown that there are multiple benefits to taking short afternoon naps, for both children and adults. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered that children who didn’t take their afternoon nap didn’t display much joy and interest, had a higher level of anxiety, and lower problem solving skills compared to children … Continue reading This May Be Good for Me, I’m Just Not Sure I Could Do It →