Various and Sundry

Milwaukee has your layover plans covered

I knew Milwaukee’s Mitchell Airport had the added appeal of a Usinger’s store (which I no longer see listed, so maybe it doesn’t?), but I did not know it had a wonderful used book store, Renaissance Books, which you can learn about in this short piece: As with my post last week about retail stores trying to become more of an “experience,” this feels like it perfectly fits the bill. Here’s hoping they continue to…

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Acting Writing

“Happiness is equilibrium. Shift your weight.” – Tom Stoppard

I thought of that quote this weekend and what it means to me. And boy, it takes some shifting of weight for this kind of creative loss. You see, British playwright Tom Stoppard has died at the age of 88. You can read obituaries and remembrances from: Tom Stoppard and his works have been dancing around my synapses for decades both as an audience member and as an actor. From seeing posts on social media…

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Various and Sundry

The Future of Retail is, if not Bright, Using Those Vintage-style Light Bulbs

Well, maybe. Retail is the era of omnipresent online shopping needs to have some extra experiential spice of its own. And it’s no secret that retail’s “biggest season” is upon us. Much digital ink is being spent on analysis as folks try and find trends. I’m a fan of “Small Business Saturday,” but and would note: In fact it was considering how small businesses are actively working to be experiences and potentially third places that…

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Various and Sundry

Was that a kawoosh? Stargate is coming back to TV!

You heard it right, someone is dialing the gate and a new Stargate TV show is coming through the wormhole. And no, as fans will patiently explain, they’re not talking about the 1994 movie, they’re talking about the multiple shows that started in ’97 and ran for a surprisingly long time as I posted about back in 2022. But for fans, of course, there have been no new chapters for a depressingly long time. So…

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Various and Sundry

The Muppets Remember Jim Henson

On May 16th, 1990, Jim Henson a writer, director, puppeteer, and all-around friend of imagination, died suddenly. There was a public memorial less than a week later and another one in July. Then, 35 years ago this night, November 21, 1990, the Muppets did their own remembrance on CBS. I had forgotten about it, but thanks to writer and de facto pop culture historian Mark Evanier, I was reminded of it earlier this year and…

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Various and Sundry

‘Tis the Season for Cyber Security

If you’re in a workplace like mine, you probably get a lot of seasonal online safety tips… but what if you aren’t? So in the spirit of remembering some handy tips as all the holiday deals start dominating our inboxes and site next week, check out some of CISA’s guides for shopping safely: Note I saw both of these pages were labeled “ARCHIVED CONTENT” which CISA cautions may mean “outdated information,” but a) it’s from…

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Acting Voiceover

Partial Veil: Kickstarter with a Deadly Twist

You all may recall last year that I got an opportunity to play the good-natured Deputy Ray Lester in the freaky-natured horror podcast Partial Veil. Well, besides picking up some darn fine awards and acclaim, Partial Veil has continued with season two and now they’re looking for funding for said season with a twist: they’re giving some great swag as well as the chance to shape what happens in season three. Check out the Kickstarter…

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Various and Sundry

Remembering

In a more philosophical mood today, which is not unsurprising on Veterans Day (probably known better as Armistice Day and Remembrance Day for some readers). For most of the organizations I’ve worked for over the years, I have worked with a lot of veterans. In our current times where the United States is feeling far less united, I take heart that all the veterans I know came from very different walks of life. And now?…

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Writing

Do You Even Sci-Fi, Tech Bro?

This year’s sci-fi offerings on screen have included some truly dickish tech bros from Nicholas Hoult’s self-assured Lex Luthor in the latest film version of Superman to Samuel Blenkin’s infuriating Boy Kavalier in Alien: Earth. Even if you haven’t seen interviews with tech titans professing their love of science fiction and related geekery, this video may prove to be more validation than surprises.

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