Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas made the headlines this past week when he asked a lawyer a couple of questions during oral arguments about a gun ownership case. The reason it was such a big deal is because for the past 10 years he has maintained a strange and often-criticized code of silence. In 2013, he … Continue reading I’m the Clarence Thomas of Barbershops and Hair Salons →

The New York Times had an interesting story today that looked at one possible consequence of a future filled with robots replacing human workers - U.B.I., or Universal Basic Income. The basic premise goes like this - as people are phased out of jobs, why not just give everyone a paycheck? Imagine the government sending each adult … Continue reading A Glimpse of the Future, and the Past: Robotics, U.B.I., and Bob Dylan →

My son and I were just walking through the food court at the Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh yesterday, and it just jumped out at me. Sitting around the tables, peacefully eating their lunches, I saw whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians. Undoubtedly those distinctions could be broken down into more sub-categories. I am also confident … Continue reading How Walking Around a Mall Showed Me What’s Great About America →

It's Spring Break, and my youngest son and I decided to go visit our oldest son down in Raleigh for a few days. The drive down is usually about six and a half to seven hours, but in hindsight leaving on a Friday afternoon and driving through D.C. may not have been the best decision. … Continue reading Having Fun Is a Full-time Job →

While there has been some research that has looked at the ethical behavior of contestants before and during a competition, not much has been written about the behavior of the contestants after a competition. Amos Schurr at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Ilana Ritov at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem looked at such behavior … Continue reading The Unintended Consequences of Winning – Cheating →

I've been thinking about this idea for the past couple of weeks, and when Facebook released their new set of emojis, it was the push I needed to try and put my thoughts down in words. With the upcoming presidential election, I have to admit that no one really gets me excited, but there are … Continue reading A New Way to Cast Your Vote for President →

Bill and Melinda Gates were recently asked the superpower question by a group of Kentucky high school students. When I first read the question, I immediately thought about how I would respond. My initial reaction was that I would want the ability to teleport, to be in one place one moment and then to be … Continue reading If You Could Have One Superpower, What Would It Be? →

For some reason the other day, I started singing the song from the "Marvel the Mustang" commercial. It's amazing how easily the words came back from something I probably haven't heard in 45 years. If you've never seen it, or want to bring back some memories, here is the commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1ZGKhwTeFk By the way, I … Continue reading Stuck in the YouTube Time Warp →

Last week was International Random Acts of Kindness Week, and in keeping with the general theme of today's post, I'm just finding out about it now. I've always tried to put kindness near the top of the traits I aspire to live by, and in the traits I look for in others. However, I've realized that being … Continue reading I Wish Acts of Kindness Came to Me More Naturally →

I have a lot of thoughts swirling through my head, and I think there's some common threads running through them, so I thought I'd try to connect them. The reader will be the judge of whether or not I am successful at doing so, but be warned this is longer than most of my posts. … Continue reading Connecting Thoughts, and Manhood →