Few will argue with me when I suggest that the best way to lead a meeting or resolve a dispute is to help all of the participants both express their views and hear the thoughts and feelings of the others. It has been many, many years since anyone thought that anything from families to committees […]
In Bad Company: St. Peters, O’Fallon, and St. Charles
It is almost never good when your locality is mentioned in the same sentence with Detroit. USA Today’s article, City Council pays for lessons in civility, takes an in-depth look at acrimonious squabbling on the Ashland, OR city council and includes, More recently, public fireworks have been reported on city and county panels in Detroit; […]
Those Born 1930-1979
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930’s 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s !! First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep […]
Talk to Humans at Netflix
Netflix is bucking the customer “service” trend, abandoning email “service” and replacing it with real human beings, based in the United States (not outsourced) on the telephone. These good folks are available 24×7 and their phone number is prominently displayed on Netflix’s web site. The New York Times has an article on it, At Netflix, […]
Oshkosh AirVenture 2007, Part 2
I’m home from AirVenture in Oshkosh and ready to go back again. Sunburned. Tired. Sweaty. Twenty pounds heavier in the belly and $_____ lighter in the wallet. Full of memories of new friendships, long and winding conversations, glistening airplanes, cool new toys tools. I saw more awesome airplanes than any guy has a right to […]
A Penny Per Email
Spam disgusts me. It has rendered free email, one of the most heartfelt examples of human cooperation, completely untenable. I have been relying on email, for business and personal connections, since I worked at TRW in 1980. I used to run a medium-sized UUCP hub at FileNet in Orange County, CA on a VAX 750 […]
Ignore Safety, Reduce Airline Costs
There is a tempest brewing in the Washington tea cup. Congress has to pass a bill that provides funding for the FAA by the end of September or the FAA ceases to exist. Background The airlines and the FAA are pushing hard to reduce the costs imposed on airlines while increasing the costs for pretty […]
Presidential Bumper Sticker
A friend saw this bumper sticker on the back of President Bush’s limo. Unfortunately, my friend didn’t have a camera so I don’t have a photograph. IRAQIS: DEMOCRATIC OR DEAD One thing I’ll say for Bush, his agenda is right out there in plain site. No hidden agendas for him, no sir!
Saying “Christmas”
I thought it was OK to say “Christmas” this year. I thought we had gotten through all of the silliness about whether you can or should or might say, “Merry Christmas” to another person without first receiving written permission to extend that wish. I just visited Kohls.com and was shocked, dismayed and apalled to see […]
Hack the Vote: Steal the Election
It’s almost Halloween (and election day) so it’s time for scary stories. I firmly believe that the scariest stories are the ones that also happen to be true. Being the nasty guy that I am, I bring you a tale which should terrify you to your democracy loving core: Ars Technica’s How to steal an […]
LibraryThing
I’m addicted to LibraryThing. It only took a few hours and I only have a start on cataloging my library. This is great stuff! Must sleep… must sleep… must ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz
Oshkosh AirVenture 2006
Jack Hodgson and his friend Phil wrote, Oshkosh is like sex. I can never get all I want but sometimes I get all I can take… and you should shower afterwards. Oh, how true! I have wanted to attend the Oshkosh AirVenture air show all of my life and I finally made it last week. […]
Give Yourself $100
CNN.com reports, “Every American taxpayer would get a $100 rebate check to offset the pain of higher pump prices for gasoline, under an amendment Senate Republicans hope to bring to a vote Thursday.” You can read the rest of the article in, Senators to push for $100 gas rebate checks. Cool! The government is going […]
The Torn-Up Credit Card Application
Halloween horror story in March. Read The Torn-Up Credit Card Application. Buy a shredder. ‘Nuff said.
Nikon D200: First Impressions
I just upgraded from a Nikon D70 to a Nikon D200 camera: WOW what a difference. I have been too busy taking pictures to write about pictures but here are the things that leaped out at me first: Available light image quality is vastly improved. I had been jealous of my son’s D50’s quality and […]
Trust & Privacy
You may have noticed that I am “somewhat” concerned about erosion of our privacy. Here is another example, reported by ThinkProgress.org. Mind you, I am not picking on the GOP here; I am sure that the Dems are just as bad in other places and times. I just want you to be aware that it […]
“Big Brother” for Real
Have you ever read George Orwell’s book, 1984? Fifty-six years ago, Orwell created a fictitous world where Big Brother (the government) delved so deeply into its citizens lives that it could completely control them. Do you remember when, two years ago, Congress shut down the Total Information Awareness program because it collected too much private […]
Who is in Charge in the White House?
Since I wrote yesterday’s article on trust, it is becoming widely apparent that Cheney’s staff managed most, if not all, of the press on this incident independently from Bush’s staff. Articles such as the New York Times’ Handling of Mishap Creates Strain in the White House have the details. The disconnect between Bush’s and Cheney’s […]
Who Can We Trust?
When my children were small, I taught them to tell the truth. They learned that they need to be truthful with the little things in life so that they will have credibility when it comes to the bigger things. I also helped them see that it is far better to volunteer information about something they […]
“Years of Dubya” Tees
These are too much fun to ignore. Visit DubyaTees.com to pick up your own Years of Dubya tee shirt. These are cleverly produced and offered by my friend Pete.
