After last month’s deep dive into the realm of writing, I suppose it’s only fair that I touch on the fine art of producing and project management. Simply put, just as a “risk” and an “issue” are different in the land of project management, so too are documents like a Policy, a Process, a Procedure, and a Work Instruction. On a very basic level, you could think of them as increasingly detailed versions of the…
In the tradition of the Internet and blogs collectively giving you information and confessions of greater interest to the person confessing than to you, the reader, I give you this glorious article that trigger some of my fondest memories of visiting Chicago. But whatever my personal connection, let’s face it: Mold-A-Rama is awesome. It’s only now, with 21st century hindsight, do I realize that, as I was getting models of the U-505 or perhaps a plastic…
Okay, actually, within less than a fortnight, we’ll be past Yule and slowly trudging back to the longest day (no, not that Longest Day). But this piece on Lifehacker by Kristin Wong makes me think about what lighting I need to get through the more-than-long enough winter months.
Amy Wallace expands and updates her look at this year’s Hugo Awards and the people involved that she first reported on in August. I found the first version very illuminating and this latest version is just that or more so: really going into some of the personalities and passions on the different sides. It’s certainly true that you should write from your own perspective. Chasing trends is generally not an ingredient in a unique voice.…
While I’m wary about any attempt to: Place people into neat, cleanly definable generations Ascribe specific, seemingly inviolable characteristics to said generations Such articles are often good jumping off points for discussions about the past and the future… or maybe that’s just the psychohistorian in me. In any case, I found this piece by Fareed Zakaria about Millennials interesting, not in the least because it raises the point that they might actually be a product of…
Cara Giaimo has a wonderful feature article all about the ongoing history of cops and doughnuts sprinkled with multiple anecdotes you didn’t realize you really wanted to know. Reading the article made me think of my own anecdote. When I was going to school in Maine, a local radio station (WBLM aka “The Blimp”) had a rambunctious morning show that would often feature the game “Cop or No Cop?” The format was delightfully straightforward. A listener would…
After doing a little bit of research in writing my post about American Express, I came across this article about the surprisingly heated battle for Costco to sell gas in Washington, DC. It’s from 2013, so presumably the status quo has adjusted to the discount interloper, but I’ll probably follow-up and see what’s been going on.
Devin Leonard and Elizabeth Dexheimer have an interesting feature-length article about the decline of American Express aka “AMEX.” I am surprised at some of the umbrage attributed to American Express personnel in the article. They apparently think their business existing for over 150 years is reason enough to continue to exist. Certainly, service and quality matter. However, in a world where every point of cost is scrutinized backwards and forwards to justify its existence, why wouldn’t…
How could I not be interested in the work of Oliver Sacks? It’s not just the one about the anthropologist on Mars (though I have that). Sacks explored the human condition in a multitude of cases where the humans in question were grappling with many rare and unusual conditions. What is life? What is humanity? What is perception and consciousness? These were some of the questions he touched on in an engaging writing style that…
I feel I have many missions here on this Earth. However, one ongoing mission is definitely to cause people to spew coffee from their noses. In that spirit, I give you Lauren Modery’s open letter to people who live in tiny houses. Feel free to add your comments and coffee choices below.