I realize the headline above makes a big assumption, and probably an invalid one. It assumes that people actually did see humor in my April Fools' Day prank from a few weeks ago. This year's prank, which I wrote about earlier, involved using the web site Nextdoor.com to ask my neighbors if anyone knew a … Continue reading Someday, Perhaps, No One Will See the Humor in my 2017 April Fools’ Day Prank
The Wall Street Journal had a story today that looked at how some traditional liberal arts colleges are starting to offer programs that focus on helping students to acquire skills that get the students ready for the job market. Programs in computer-science, data analysis, and business are now available to students at schools that would … Continue reading Are Liberal Arts Colleges in Danger?
When trying to think of something to write about each day, I tend to turn to the same sources: The Wall Street Journal The New York Times The (Philadelphia) Inquirer USA Today the Daily Alert from Harvard Business Review Crain's Philadelphia Seth Godin Fred Wilson David Kanigan Adam Grant YouTube Facebook my personal life Unfortunately, … Continue reading A Welcome Distraction from Blogging
About a week and a half ago I wrote a blog post about a research study that concluded: the use of Facebook was negatively associated with overall well-being. These results were particularly strong for mental health; most measures of Facebook use in one year predicted a decrease in mental health in a later year. We … Continue reading Follow-up to “A New Study Confirms: The More You Use Facebook, the Worse You Feel”
The Wall Street Journal had an interesting story about a suspect's motive behind the recent bombing of Borussia Dortmund, a popular German soccer team. At first, authorities investigated whether or not Islamist terrorists were behind the attack. That was in part because the suspect apparently left notes to throw investigators off his trail. German police investigated … Continue reading “Follow the Money” Was Never This Easy
Arkansas executed Ledell Lee on Thursday night after the Supreme Court voted to deny a stay request. This post is not about Lee's innocence or guilt; it's about our inhumane use of the death penalty. I don't understand how a juror could ever vote to have someone executed; if you think taking another person's life … Continue reading We Can Do Better – A Sad Day for the U.S.
Tonight was week seven of Radnor's Citizen Police Academy, which my son and I are participating in. Next week will be our final class, followed by a graduation ceremony the following week. I plan to write a reflection on the experience after all is said and done, but I wanted to briefly write about one … Continue reading Learning Under the Influence
My wife woke me up at 2:30 this morning with the words, "Nellie's gone." Mary had gone downstairs a few minutes earlier to let our dog Nellie out into our backyard. However, Nellie did not come back pawing at the door in her usual time frame, so Mary went outside to call her in. Unfortunately, … Continue reading The Curious Incident of Our Dog in the Night-Time
Nikhil Sonnad, a reporter for the online site Quartz, wrote a fascinating article tracking the evolving definition of the word "happiness" at Wikipedia. Part of what I found fascinating was not only the changing definition of happiness, but also a sort of behind the scenes look at how the editing process works at Wikipedia. The earliest … Continue reading Happiness, According to Wikipedia
I was reading the Philadelphia Inquirer today, and a story about a local boy's dream to deliver a weather forecast on the Weather Channel and meet his hero, weatherman Jim Cantore, caught my attention. 11-year old Ryland Mishura from New Jersey, has a rare genetic disorder called isovaleric acidemia, and his mom had sent an … Continue reading The Amazing Make-A-Wish Foundation
Borden's Blather 