Archive for April 2013
The Kobo eReader: Better than paper? Probably not. But incredible.
I own a Kindle. I tried to use it. I did not like it. It turns out that I prefer paper. Paper is my friend. This, however, could be a game changer. Okay. Probably not. But still. It looks fantastic.
Read MoreI understand your pain, Beaver College.
Beaver College, in an attempt to eliminate ridicule and boost enrollment, changed its name in 2001 to Arcadia University. At the time of the name change, University President Bette Landman said that the old name “too often elicits ridicule in the form of derogatory remarks pertaining to the rodent, the TV show Leave It to…
Read MoreIt’s not actually “trouble” if all your boss did was yell at you.
Trouble is a matter of perspective. When a fellow teacher tells me that he or she “got in a lot of trouble” for failing to complete a task or adhere to a policy, this most often means that the principal has spoke to the colleague and warned him or her against committing the offense again.…
Read MoreThe Moth: Charitable Contributions
On August 14, 2012, I took the stage at The Moth StorySLAM at Housing Works in Manhattan to tell a story. The theme of the night was About Time. I placed second on the evening, losing by a tenth of a point (again) to Moth legend and my personal storytelling hero Steve Zimmer. Here a…
Read MoreSpeak Up storyteller: Ellen Painter Dollar
Less than a month to go before our inaugural Speak Up storytelling event at Real Art Ways in Hartford, CT. May 4 at 7:00 PM. Admission is free. Today I’m proud to introduce our fourth storyteller, Ellen Painter Dollar. _____________________________ Ellen Painter Dollar Ellen Painter Dollar is a writer who focuses on disability, faith, parenting,…
Read MoreSpamming scumbag of the week
Each week, amongst the many interesting, insightful and occasionally scathing comments on my blog, I find comments by businesses and/or spammers who are clever enough to construct comments that avoid spam detection technology. I delete these comments and ban their IP address, but I know that I will be doing the same thing again tomorrow…
Read MoreRandom thoughts and observations from a weekend spent with authors and readers
Booktopia, the annual weekend retreat in Vermont that brings authors and readers together, has come to a close. Hosted by Ann Kingman and Michael Kindness, producers of the Books of the Nightstand podcast, it has become one of our favorite weekends of the year. As I sit at my dining room table on Monday morning,…
Read MoreBooktopia blurs the lines between author and reader.
Booktopia is a series of literary retreats organized by Ann Kingman and Michael Kindness, host of the podcast Books on the Nightstand. For the past three years, my wife and I have been coming to Vermont in April to attend these retreats, and last year, I attended Booktopia Santa Cruz as well. I was a…
Read MoreKmart is cool?
Kmart is probably the least hip brand in the world, but things might be changing based upon this daring, clever commercial.
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