My wife and I had the chance to visit a small, independent bookstore today, and it was well worth the 25-minute trip. Big Blue Marble Bookstore is in West Mount Airy, one of Philadelphia's great neighborhoods. According to its web site, "Big Blue Marble Bookstore is an independently owned bookstore located in the Mt. Airy … Continue reading This Is What a Bookstore Should Be →

I'm writing this while listening to the music of one of my favorite musicians of all time - Tim Moore. Now I'm guessing that the vast majority of people reading this post have never heard of Tim Moore, and that's unfortunate. And rather than shortchanging Tim and his accomplishments, I thought I would just include … Continue reading Almost Famous: Tim Moore, Singer-Songwriter Extraordinaire →

Researchers at the University of Minnesota found a positive relationship between the number of farmers markets per capita in a given state and the number of reported incidences of certain food-borne illnesses in that state. The authors are careful to point out that it would be a mistake to interpret the results as saying that the foods … Continue reading Farmers’ Market Shoppers Beware →

We received this coupon in the mail today, and I'm guessing if you were like me, the first thing that catches your attention is the 50% off ANY regular price item. Now Michaels is not the type of store that is likely to have anything I would be interested in, but my wife likes going … Continue reading The Deception’s in the Detail →

Two weeks ago Hillary Clinton gave a talk in which she outlined her economic vision. Here is one part of that speech: "... many Americans are making extra money renting out a small room, designing websites, selling products they design themselves at home, or even driving their own car. This on-demand, or so-called gig economy is … Continue reading Are We Moving Towards a Gig-based Economy? →

As usual, I am a little bit behind the times. I had never heard of Sebastian Maniscalco until last summer when Netflix began airing his first comedy special, "What's Wrong With People?". It was one of the funniest shows I have ever seen. Apparently Sebastian has been doing stand-up comedy for over 15 years, but … Continue reading My New Favorite Comic →

Jerry Kaplan, author of the soon-to-be released book, “Humans Need Not Apply: A Guide to Wealth and Work in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” wrote an intriguing essay in today's Wall Street Journal, 'Can We Create an Ethical Robot?' Mr. Kaplan offered a few interesting examples of how a robot might behave compared to a … Continue reading Can We Create an Ethical Robot? →

I ran a couple of routine errands today, and while the places I went to - a vacuum repair shop and an auto repair shop - may seem pretty mundane, the people I met at each place were anything but mundane.I went to the vacuum store to just get a replacement belt and filter, and … Continue reading Getting to Know the Person Behind the Counter →

Last Thursday, John Lohan, who has driven a bus for the Massachusetts Transportation Authority for nearly 20 years, asked his passengers if they would mind if he stopped his bus at a kid's lemonade stand. When none of the passengers expressed any concern, John pulled his bus over and bought everyone on the bus a cup … Continue reading Now this Is My Kind of Bus Driver →