Archive for February 2014
NFL players are clearly the most distractible people on the planet
Former NFL players and coaches and other professional football pundits have been commenting on the news that former Michael Sam, the University of Missouri football player and NFL prospect, is gay. Much of the commentary has been positive. There have been a few players who have expressed concern over a gay man seeing their pee…
Read MoreBest packaging ever
I know that Apple fans become nearly orgasmic over the packaging of the company’s products, but I don’t think there is any better packaging in the world than the packaging of Sony’s new waterproof Walkman. It’s likely to be the smartest thing you see this week.
Read MoreHelicopter parenting has gone national
I feel so lucky that my wife and I were teachers for so many years before becoming parents. As a teacher, I have come to understand the value of allowing a child to struggle. I’ve learned the value of clear limits and high expectations. I know the perils of false promises and idle threats. I’ve…
Read MoreTim Burton apparently agrees: Spite is the best reason to do anything
From the Wikipedia entry on Jack Nicholson (and confirmed on IMDB and several other independent sources): In 1996, Nicholson collaborated with Batman director Tim Burton on Mars Attacks!, pulling double duty as two contrasting characters, President James Dale and Las Vegas property developer Art Land. At first studio executives at Warner Bros. disliked the idea…
Read MoreProductivity tip #2: Listen to the 120 year-old version of yourself and stop playing stupid games on your phone.
The creator of Flappy Bird (which I have been told has taken the place of Angry Birds in terms of popularity) has removed the popular game from iOS and Android app stores. The game no longer appears in searches on both Google Play and Apple’s App Store. When viewing the Top Charts from an iPhone,…
Read MoreMore airlines embracing the Spiderman Principle of Meetings and Presentations
Last week I complimented Delta airlines for their willingness to be creative in their in-flight safety video. Here are two more. Neither is as outstanding as Delta’s (both seem to try a little too hard), but they’re still very good. And a hell of a lot better than the standard, unimpressive safety video. More importantly,…
Read MoreThe definition of hubris
When I want to teach my students the meaning of hubris, I will simply ask them to read this:
Read MoreSelf love is a battlefield. In Idaho, at least.
Brigham Young University’s satellite campus in Idaho released a motivational video encouraging students to report friends, roommates or themselves if they suspect that they are masturbating too much. This would be bad enough, but the World War I battlefield imagery used in the video is completely insane.
Read MoreTires in need of slashing
My wife’s car is on the right, parked legally within the lines. The car parked to the left is owned by a handicapped veteran who wedged himself into the space between her car and the one in the handicapped spot to the left. This is the space typically afforded to a handicapped spot in the…
Read MoreGreatest Super Bowl commercial ever
If you lived in Savannah, Georgia, you would’ve been treated to this incredible, amazing, epic, unbelievable, spectacular, mind-blowing two-minute long masterpiece during the first local commercial break of the Super Bowl. It’s real. I checked.
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