Day 659: Rules Of Technological Thumb

originally published October 20, 2013 It’s a good rule of thumb to double-check your facts before accepting any rule of thumb. Even the term itself shelters its own little deceit. Like a resilient pimple that puffs out its bulbous little pus-nipple every so often, my email box inevitably oozes little “Didja Know” trivia messages from […]

Day 632: Einstein’s Others

originally published September 23, 2013 Someone once asked me if I’d take a thousandth of this project to explain Einstein’s theory of relativity in plain, common-sense layman-speak. I replied that this had been done on numerous occasions, in fact I think they even tried to do it in an Archie comic once. And besides, isn’t […]

Day 629: Curse You, USB Demon!!!

originally published September 20, 2013 I have always been an ardent embracer of technology. And technology, for the most part, has reciprocated the hug. I own a device the size of a cassette tape that not only stores thousands of songs, but also enables me to play games, tweet photos of Anthony Weiner’s genetalia to […]

Day 623: Macro-Engineering – Dreaming Just Slightly Too Big

originally published September 14, 2013 I am, though most don’t know this about me, an avid spectator of macro-engineering. I love hearing about grand schemes to transform the most fundamental geography of our world, despite the unwavering mental image of some bald super-villain plotting the entire process from his underground volcanic island lair. This is […]

Day 621: Back To The Playground

originally published September 12, 2013 I am no stranger to nostalgia, which I define as the patently false illusion that there was ever a time in one’s life before everything was mucked up beyond recognition. I lived in the same house for my entire childhood, and I’ll admit to feeling somewhat flattened by the bombardment […]

Day 618: The Immaculate Conceptions, Part 2 – The Independents

originally published September 9, 2013 In an effort to make this weekend’s topic of automobiles more relatable to a lifelong non-car-guy like myself, I’m going to draw a simplistic parallel to the world of movies. The majority of what the big auto-makers put out are akin to the majority of big-studio movies that populate our […]

Day 617: Immaculate Conceptions, Part 1

originally published September 8, 2013 One of the topics I almost never sprinkle my words upon is cars. Sure, I’ll admit to an ethereal arousal at the curves of a ’65 Corvette, and I melted into my seat a little the first time I experienced a back-up camera. But I’m not a car guy. When […]

Day 616: Top Floor – Ladies’ Wear, Shoes, And The Cold Dark Void Of Space

originally published September 7, 2013 A scientist looks at a problem and asks, “How?” A skeptic looks at a problem and asks, “Why?” A caribou looks at a problem and just keeps on moseying along because a caribou has no damn problems. When faced with the dilemma of constructing a viable and dependable space elevator, […]

Day 609: At The Tone The Count Will Be 609,000 Words… BEEP!

originally published August 31, 2013 There was a moment in 1933 when it seemed that technology had finally found a way to bridge all peoples, to unite us under a singular cloak of shared information and otherworldly convenience. It was a glorious rebirth for the human race – and no, I’m not talking about the […]

Day 607: The 3,660-Mile Race

originally published August 29, 2013 What’s the fun of owning a hotel if you can’t change history in some small but significant way? When Raymond Orteig bought the Lafayette Hotel on 4th Street in New York, he was pleased when it became a hangout spot for airmen after World War I. Ray was an affable […]