The BBC had a story today about Norway's Olympic team that received 15,000 eggs, instead of the 1,500 they thought they had ordered. While some of the Norwegians claimed it was a translation error from Norwegian to Korean, the most likely culprit simply seems to be a typo, accidentally adding on an extra 0 at … Continue reading Just One More in a Long History of Costly Typos
Merriam-Webster’s Time Traveler tool allows the user to discover the words that were born (or at least appeared in print) the same year you were. For the year 1957, of the 155 new words, a few of them are either words that I use somewhat frequently, or words that are in the news these days: chronic traumatic … Continue reading Words That Were Born (or first appeared in print) the Same Year as You
A colleague at Villanova (one much more cultured than myself) suggested that I attend an Evensong service at St. Paul's while I was in London. Well tonight was the night we had the opportunity to go, and it was beautiful. Before I share the Evensong experience, I thought it might be helpful to offer a … Continue reading Evensong at St. Paul’s Cathedral
The weather in London has been relatively mild, at least compared to the weather back home in Philadelphia. Temperatures typically reach a high in the mid 40s, and the lows are in the upper 30s. But it's still winter. We are outside quite a bit, and I bundle up as much as I can. I … Continue reading The Brits Are a Hardy People
What a game, it kept me on edge until the final play. After all, the opponent was Tom Brady and the Patriots. Thankfully his Hail Mary pass fell to the ground and time expired. Philadelphia Eagles. Super Bowl Champs. My son and I managed to stay up for the entire game. It didn't start until … Continue reading Congrats to the Eagles, from London
I was flipping through the latest issue of Time Out London, a free weekly magazine that focuses on food, attractions, art, culture, shopping and nightlife. While much of the magazine is devoted to reviews of restaurants, movies, plays, and upcoming events, there is the occasional feature story, and this week's copy of the magazine had … Continue reading Philly Ranked among Top 10 Urban Cities in the World; Boston Comes in at Number 30
A couple of items from my favorite behavioral economist, Dan Ariely. In today's Wall Street Journal, Dan was asked the following question: I live in a city with mediocre public transportation, so I’m thinking of buying a car to help me get around. Should I buy a car with a stick shift or an automatic transmission? … Continue reading Clever Solution to the Texting and Driving Problem; Bitcoins and Bar Mitzvahs
Since the New England Patriots hired Jack Easterby as one of its coaches in 2013, they have gone on to win two of the last four Super Bowls, an incredible achievement. (The Patriots also won in 2002, 2004, and 2005 and are playing in this Sunday's Super Bowl once again, against my Philadelphia Eagles.) There … Continue reading Every Organization Should Have This Position; the New England Patriots Do
The Wall Street Journal had two headlines this week that both referred to time, in particular, very short amounts of it. One story had the headline, Some Elite Colleges Review an Application in 8 Minutes (or Less)". The headline is somewhat deceptive, since the story notes that many colleges split up the task of reviewing … Continue reading Time IS of the Essence, Apparently
According to a story in the New York Times earlier this week, back in 2014, Volkswagen, Daimler, and BMW financed an experiment in an attempt to prove that diesel vehicles with the latest technology were cleaner than the smoky models of old. But the American scientists conducting the test in Albuquerque, NM were unaware of one critical … Continue reading Monkeys, Cartoons, and Diesel Exhaust – Why?
Borden's Blather 