Peter Boumgarden, a college marketing professor, uses the weekly New Yorker cartoon caption contest (the cartoon above is his favorite) to generate lively class discussions on language and meaning. Boumgarden believes that cultivating the discipline of writing is one practice toward clear and creative thinking, and that returning every week to the journey from an image … Continue reading Can Cartoon Caption Contests Make You a Better Writer? →

I came across this story in The New York Times yesterday; below is a brief summary. On February 4 of this year, Monroe Bird III, a 21-year-old black male, was sitting in his car with a friend, in the parking lot of his apartment complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ricky Leroy Stone, a 56-year old white … Continue reading A Sad Story That Didn’t Have to End This Way →

"Ah these cigarettes!" Porfirry Petrovitch ejaculated at last, having lighted one. "They are pernicious, positively pernicious, and yet I can't give them up! I cough, I begin to have tickling in my throat and a difficulty in breathing. You know I am a coward, I went lately by Dr. B------n; he always gives at least … Continue reading Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky →

Yesterday (Friday, July 17), the first Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) approved delivery by drone took place. While the actual drone flight was only a mile and lasted just three minutes, Matthew Sweeny, head of the drone-delivery startup Flirtey Inc., which carried out Friday’s deliveries, said that “It was absolutely a Kitty Hawk moment”. And I … Continue reading First FAA-Approved Delivery by Drone →

I'm a big believer in the saying, "You Get the Behavior You Reward." And if I think that statement is true, it seems logical that I would also believe the saying, "You Stop the Behavior You Punish." "Rewards" can be split between extrinsic type rewards, such as salary increases, bonuses, promotions, bigger offices, etc., and … Continue reading Using Taxes and Fines to Control Human Behavior →

Today was one of those perfect summer days, and I suggested to my wife and son that we go into Philly for dinner. Despite the 75 minute commute (Waze had initially estimated 44 minutes, but we got hit with the classic last mile problem, which took us 25 minutes). My son picked up a sandwich … Continue reading Street Performers at Rittenhouse Square and Bruce the Busker →

Since Amazon is trying to create a sort-of Christmas in July with its Prime Day today, I thought I would provide just the right commercial to go with such a "holiday". I had included this commercial in a previous post where I wrote about the U.S. Women's World Cup victory. However, it seems as if … Continue reading A Christmas in July Commercial →

As I was doing some grass trimming today with my electric weed wacker, I knew my time was limited. The battery is only good for about 10-15 minutes of trimming, which isn't quite enough to finish my whole yard. As a result, I always have to take the battery off and recharge it, which takes … Continue reading Will We Ever Have a Big Battery Breakthrough? →