One of my favorite parts of writing a blog post is coming up with the title. I've even resorted to clickbait once or twice... But I have to give credit where credit is due. Tonight's title comes directly from Dan Ariely's column in today's Wall Street Journal. Here is the letter Dan received: I volunteer … Continue reading The Warm Glow of the ‘Maybe Favor’
I know I had said I wouldn't talk about my WordPress stats until about a year from now, but what can I say. I'm weak. I first noticed this several weeks ago, and didn't think much of it. But now it's getting annoying. For some reason, unbeknownst to me, my stats on Saturday are almost … Continue reading What’s Up with Saturday?
It felt good. Today was the first time in eight weeks I did some exercise. It wasn't much, just 15 minutes on my recumbent stationary bike, and at quite a slow pace. Even though it felt like I was starting all over, it felt good. It will take a while to get back to my … Continue reading Starting from Scratch
It only took five years and ten months. But then it happened. Shortly after I woke up this morning (OK, 10 seconds) I checked my blog stats and at some point during the night, somebody, somewhere in the world made a questionable choice. He or she decided to follow my blog, and in so doing, … Continue reading Well, That Was Kind of a Letdown
I first wrote about the fun fact that LEGO is the world's largest tire manufacturer, producing over 700 million tires per year, on June 24, 2018. The post got eight views that day, and another eleven the next day. Like most posts, the number of views quickly faded away over the next few weeks. But … Continue reading I Guess People Are No Longer Fascinated by Tires
My view count is running behind schedule this week. I am on a streak of 10 straight weeks with at least 3,000 views per week. That averages out to about 429 views per day. Currently, it looks like I will end today with slightly less than 1,600 views so far this week, which mean for … Continue reading This Blog Post Needs to Get a Lot of Views. Feel Free to Click, Like, and Leave…
This blog started on January 1, 2015, with the simple goal of trying to blog for 31 straight days. I remember how challenging it was to come up with something to write about during those 31 days. When I successfully made it to 31 days, I thought I would try for 100 straight days of … Continue reading 2001: A WordPress Odyssey
This is my first attempt at writing a limerick, at least one that isn't crude. I'll thank the wonderful poet, Brad, for encouraging me to try some poetry on occasion; I think three-line haikus and five-line limericks are about as far as I'll wander into the world of poetry. I don't want to defile such … Continue reading A Limerick About Blogging (and Stats)
Last week I wrote a post, "The Power of Poetry", and referenced John Paul Lederach, a Mennonite conflict mediator who likes to write meeting notes and trip reports in haiku form. He believes that the act of distilling information to a five-seven-five syllable format is a way to “capture the wonder of the human experience … Continue reading Haikus About Blogging
Sayre's Law states: "In any dispute, the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the issues at stake." By way of corollary, it adds: "That is why academic politics are so bitter." Sayre's law is named after Wallace Stanley Sayre (1905–1972), U.S. political scientist and professor at Columbia University. The quote is often attributed to … Continue reading Who Knew There Was a Law to Explain My Obsession with WordPress Stats
Borden's Blather 