Archive for June 2013
Negotiator in training
“Daddy, before I tell you that I had an accident, will you be mad if I tell you that I had an accident?” My daughter is very much a negotiator, even at the age of four, but her ability to withhold information for strategic purposes is still lacking.
Read MoreWhat is your most outdated device?
Yahoo News recently asked some of the best technology writers in the world spill the beans on the most outdated gadgets they still own. Our most outdated gadget is our television, a 42-inch Toshiba projection television from 2002. It’s a behemoth. Tall, deep and wide, it takes up an enormous chunk of real estate in…
Read MoreThe joy and panic of parenting in 60 seconds
This video, recorded at a local children’s museum, portrays the full spectrum of parental emotions: Joy, panic, fear, uncertainty, annoyance, struggle and relief.
Read MoreThe trouble with Star Wars is that it was historical fiction
I know. It’s blasphemy to even suggest that there is a flaw in the first Star Wars film. Still, there was. And it takes place in the first ten words: In these ten words, George Lucas renders everything we are about to see less immediate and less pressing by the fact that the people and…
Read MoreA perfect couple
Had it been entirely my choice, Elysha and I would’ve stopped at one child. If I were in charge, Clara would be an only child today. Needless to say, it would’ve been the biggest mistake of my life. And I’ve made a multitude of enormous mistakes over the course of my lifetime, so that’s saying…
Read MoreShould I try to be wrong?
A recent debate with a friend came to an end when she said to me, “It’s impossible to talk to you. You always have to be right.” My response went something like this: “Would you prefer that I go through life trying to be wrong? Is there some super-secret merit in spending one’s life spouting…
Read More“Dinosaurs lived with people” violates the basic human right of not being stupid.
This is an actual science test given to fourth graders in South Carolina. I consider it a human rights violation. Every nine-year-old child has the right to not be stupid. I believe that the teachers administering this test are violating this basic human right. The fact that children are being taught like this is a…
Read MoreDucklings versus a speeding motorist
I love this. Not only does the man in this video have his priorities straight, but he has allowed this potentially embarrassing video to go forth into the world. As a person who was arrested and tried for a crime he did not commit, my trust in police officers is not what it used to…
Read MoreA perfect example of how my disputatious mind works
So it turns out that some of my closest friends were highly amused by my surprise in discovering that my wife (and my arch nemesis) think I’m a know-it-all. Apparently they feel similarly. Finding myself in the position now where some of my closest friends and family members are in agreement over this issue, my…
Read MoreHow To Be A Grownup In 10 Steps (revised)
Kelly Williams Brown’s book Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps is reportedly “the most helpful guide to becoming a successful adult you’ll ever find.” Publisher’s Weekly recently offered ten steps from her book to get you started. I decided to create my own list, and after some reader feedback, I have…
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