The NFL Has a Problem
Professional football in America dates back to around 1920. The college game goes back even further. Theodore Roosevelt loved how the game built athleticism, character, teamwork and willpower. In 1905, there were far fewer players than today, and yet 18 died during games in that one year alone. Deciding that the risks outweighed the […]
The Flash Startup
The Internet is an incredible wealth of information; somewhere out there is an answer to every question. Often when I use it, I find myself riddled with guilt. I know in my heart that it’s better to give than to receive, and with the Internet I’m a habitual receiver. Whenever I try to […]
Raising an Entrepreneur
Nature vs. nurture – it’s part of the conversation whether the topic is alcoholism, serial killers or entrepreneurs. For the latter, the cop-out answer – “it’s a little bit of both” – is quite probably the correct one. You can be off-the-charts smart and brimming with fresh ideas, but you’ll get nowhere if you […]
Air Travel Has Come a Long Way
We have become so accustomed to the post 9/11 world of air travel that most of us have forgotten what it used to be like. This video from 1933 paints a rich picture of the early days when traveling by air was the exclusive domain of the rich and adventurous. People dressed up before […]
PhDs on Food Stamps
When I am asked if getting a PhD was “worth it”, I presume this to be a question about return on investment. The short answer is no. The long answer, factoring in the lost opportunity cost of those long years as a poor graduate student and the narrower job market, is the same. There […]
The Dangers of Profiling
I am a white male adult of average height and weight. I have no discernible accent. I am generally friendly, and I make eye contact when speaking with someone. Nonetheless, I am occasionally singled out by the TSA for some form of additional scrutiny before boarding a flight. I recently watched a younger male […]
Rare Earths and China
Most of you reading this already understand that rare earths are not hard-to-find potting soils; they are exotic materials like cerium, neodymium or dysprosium, that have been key to the development of such diverse products as advanced optics, computer hard disk drives, and hybrid automobiles. While environmental concerns were shutting down RE mines in […]
Life Affirming Ideas
“How alive are you?” “Never stop. Never settle.” “Have a story.” “Honestly, I wanna see you be brave.” On a scale of 1-10, where 1 is “going through the motions” and 10 is a “vibrant, joyous, meaningful life”, where are you? If you’re not a 10, what’s holding you back? If you know […]
Managed Care
My annual physical used to begin with a visit to my doctor’s office, where lab work would be completed by his nurse. About a week later, I would report to the same office where the same nurse would take an EKG, the “vitals”, and lead me to my doctor’s office. He would chat with […]
Aircraft Security
On September 11, 2001, the US airline industry was shut down. Shortly after flights resumed, I flew to Boston’s Logan (the airport from which one group of terrorists departed for the World Trade Center). I reassured my wife that there had never been a safer time to fly; security was insanely tight. Since that […]
