originally published January 23, 2013 Growing up in a city where most of the local skyscrapers feature all the flourish and architectural zeal of a Lego brick, I was always fascinated by New York City’s style-salad of motif integration. From the glimmering ornateness of the Chrysler Building to the bulbous Guggenheim to the triumphant Empire […]

originally published December 29, 2012 In 1989, we were handed a prediction of one particular vision of the future. We caught a glimpse of 2015, seen through the eyes of Marty McFly, and the future looked damn exciting. Hoverboards, self-tying shoes and TV glasses inspired the 14-year-old me. They told me that yes, the future […]

originally published December 19, 2012 My undercover cultural spies have confirmed that the 1970’s are back in style. The problem is, they have been telling me this for almost 20 years now. The 70’s (and, it seems, elements of the 80’s) are perpetually the retro trend of the moment. Maybe this is a reaction to […]

originally published July 28, 2012 I’m not going to lie. While this site often adopts an air of academic objectivity (so long as the topics of bacon and the New England Patriots’ magnificent defeat in their past two Super Bowl appearances don’t arise), I cannot always remain impartial. There are some subjects I will write […]

originally published June 16, 2012 Remember a few years ago, when radical Muslims were planning to build a mosque / terrorist training center right across the street from Ground Zero, with the expressed intent of burning American flags in the front lobby and cranking “Death To America (DJ Abdulisco Funktronic Remix)” on loudspeakers each July […]

originally published June 15, 2012 Of all facial accessories, from 80s-style Rayban Wayfarers to bovine-ish septum piercings, without a doubt the one which most cranks my giddy-nerve is the monocle. You can’t look trashy in a monocle. People assume you’ve achieved something in life if you’re sporting a monocle. Either that or they assume you […]

originally published June 1, 2012 Do you ever get the feeling that someone is watching you? That they’re studying your every move, your subtlest nuances, even your thoughts? If so, congratulations on being so astute! There are people watching you at all times, with the sole intent of manipulating your choices, your behaviors, your purchases. […]

originally published May 28, 2012 I need a new hat. I don’t run in the kind of social circles that would put up with a top hat, and a fedora always makes me look a little too Jewy. A beret sends the wrong message regarding my limited tolerance for slam poetry, a bowler hat makes […]

originally published May 22, 2012 Am I too old to play with toys? Perhaps. At my age, ‘toys’ are supposed to refer to power tools, iPads, a GPS, or – in a completely different context – sexual accompaniment apparati. I grew up in the 1980s. My toys were often Star Wars, Transformers, or GI Joe […]