The Wall Street Journal recently had a story about how more and more companies are using software to monitor its workers' habits. ActivTrak software can track "every little thing that happens on the computer from the time it’s fired up.". If you're on ESPN for five minutes it knows. It knows how much time you … Continue reading Uh-oh. It May be Time for Me to Stop Using the Company Laptop.
I haven't given them much thought in the past 20 years or so, but after reading a recent article in the Wall Street Journal the memories came flooding back. I'm referring to the multiple clotheslines we had set up in our backyard where I grew up. There are so many details I remember: The wicker … Continue reading The Good Old Backyard Clothesline
Long-time readers of my blog (i.e., my wife and children) will likely recognize where this photo comes from. For the rest of you, this photo was featured in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, in its most recent story about men's fashion. This post marks the fifth one I've written about the crazy men's fashion stories that … Continue reading I Can’t Even…
Who would have known that a decision I made as a nine-year-old would have predicted the career I have chosen for the past 33 years. When I was about nine-years-old I discovered that I liked swimming, and with my parents' encouragement, I joined the local swim team. I think back then swimming was a more … Continue reading A Choice I Made as a Nine-Year-Old Determined My Career Path
I wish the Wall Street Journal had turned on comments for this article. In today's paper, the Journal had a brief description of a textbook titled "Mathematics for Social Justice: Resources for the College Classroom". The description was copied nearly verbatim from the online bookstore of the American Mathematical Society (AMS). Here is the full … Continue reading Math for Social Justice
I've always said that I want to live to be at least 100. There's no particular reason why, it just seems like a nice round number and perhaps confirmation of healthy living. I've always viewed running out of money as my biggest worry if I were to live to 100, but after reading an article … Continue reading Is It Worth Living to 100?
The Wall StreetJournal just revealed the results of a year-long stock-picking contest which pitted a group of dart-throwing monkeys, I mean newspaper reporters, against a group of high-profile hedge fund managers. The idea for the contest has its roots in Burton Malkiel's famous quote in “A Random Walk Down Wall Street” that “a blindfolded monkey … Continue reading Dart-Throwing Monkeys (AKA Newspaper Reporters) Beat Stock Market Wizards
It seems like every day I find a new thing to annoy me, and I often wonder if it's just me. So it's nice when I find out that there are other people who get annoyed at the same thing, and even better when the Wall Street Journal does a story about that annoyance. It … Continue reading For Once, It’s Just Not Me – Getting Annoyed at Poor Gym Etiquette
It's been a recurring theme in my posts - unintended consequences. I find the topic fascinating because the unintended consequence is usually something I would have never thought of. For instance: A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a possible downside to peace - the destruction of rainforests. I've also written about the unintended … Continue reading Add One More to My Growing List of Unintended Consequences
Who would have thought that there could be an ecological downside to peace, to the end of conflict and war? After all, isn't peace what we are always striving for? So what could go wrong once peace is established? An article in Saturday's Wall Street Journal references a paper published last month in the journal … Continue reading Is There a Downside to Peace?
Borden's Blather 