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Shortcomings and Flaws: 2019

Years ago a reader accused me of being materialistic after I wrote about my lack of a favorite number, specifically criticizing me for saying that when it comes to my salary, my favorite number is the largest number possible. After properly refuting the charges of materialism, I acknowledged that I had plenty of other shortcomings and…

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I’m worried that Frost’s poems will someday die

I dreamt last night that the Earth’s orbit was temporarily shifting towards the sun, which would briefly raise temperatures high enough to kill nearly every living thing on the planet. Great dream, Huh? Actually, in my dream, Paul McCartney had built some kind of refrigerated house, so he thought he might survive, but experts doubted…

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Why bullies bully

“Most people are bullied because they’re better than the people who bully them.” – Simon Cowell A reader sent me this quote by Cowell, who judges singing shows on television. Except for clips on YouTube, I haven’t watched a singing show since the first season of American Idol back in 2002, but I remember Cowell…

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Lottery winners are happy after all

Good news! Winning the lottery will not make you unhappy. For years, we’ve all heard that winning the lottery will make me unhappy. This made no sense, of course, since everyone likes money, myself included. It’s hard to imagine that being handed a large sum of cash for doing almost nothing wouldn’t make me at…

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Sometimes the answer is exactly wrong in every possible way

In the midst of my math lesson yesterday, I leaned over and switched on the document camera. This is a device that has replaced the overhead projectors of my childhood. Place a document or object of any kind under the camera, and the image will appear on the Smartboard. A very useful tool in the…

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Speak Up Storytelling #65: Elva Guo

On episode #65 of the Speak Up Storytelling podcast, Matthew and Elysha Dicks talk storytelling. In our follow-up segment, we read a listener’s email about a filmmaker using a transition strategy mentioned on the podcast to great effect.   STORYTELLING SHOWS 2019-2020 November 2: Great Hartford Story Slam, Hartford Flavor CompanyNovember 9: Sara Kaplan: Champion of the World at…

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Elva Guo: “Finding Uncle John”

On episode #65 of the Speak Up Storytelling podcast, Matthew and Elysha Dicks talk storytelling. In our follow-up segment, we read a listener’s email about a filmmaker using a transition strategy mentioned on the podcast to great effect.   STORYTELLING SHOWS 2019-2020 November 2: Great Hartford Story Slam, Hartford Flavor Company November 9: Sara Kaplan: Champion of the World…

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Fun facts are never fun

Fact: The percentage of times that a “fun fact” is actually fun is exceptionally low. Yesterday, while working on a project about a Japanese bridge, Clara said, “Fun fact! This bridge has survived eight earthquakes because it’s built on a faulty line.” My response: “That’s not fun.” And no, it wasn’t. It was certainly a…

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Cashews are not pleasant

These hideous monstrosity – if you can believe it – are cashews. They grow on the end of the cashew apple. Bizarre. Right? Cashew apples are sweet and tangy. Brazilians squeeze them for juice, and Indians ferment the juice into an alcohol. But most of the apples are discarded because they are too delicate to…

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Seeking submissions for my annual list of shortcomings and flaws

Years ago a reader accused me of being materialistic after I wrote about my lack of a favorite number, specifically criticizing me for saying that when it comes to my salary, my favorite number is the largest number possible. After refuting the charges of materialism, I acknowledged that I had plenty of other shortcomings and offered…

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