Microsoft Toilet
The buzz level has been high of late. As the rumored announcement for the iPhone 6 draws closer, it is easy to overlook just how good Apple is when it comes to building a climate of envy and desire. Other technology giants have tried, notably Microsoft. Remember the Kin? I didn’t think so (it was […]
No More Horns!
If you’ve had the opportunity to drive an automobile in different parts of the country, or the world, you are well aware of the many variations of driving culture that exist. When I returned to my native California after 10 years of living and driving in Colorado, I was uncomfortable with how closely everyone […]
The Good Grade Pill
“One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small. And the ones that mother gives you, don’t do anything at all.” (opening lines of “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane). Just as physics teaches us that nature seeks the lowest possible energy state, so are humans wired to search for the “Easy Button”, or […]
The Future of Football
Mention a sudden motion of the head and for a neuroscientist, the word concussion comes to mind. The result is a scrambling of the electrical circuitry in the brain, producing some combination of headache, memory loss, confusion, blurred vision or unconsciousness. In the world of professional fighting, where the objective is to knock […]
The Daniel Diet
When airlines are forced to increase the passenger weight allowance on their planes, you suspect America might be developing an obesity problem. When pastors find it difficult to baptize people because of their collective girth, it pretty much seals the deal. When one of those pastors happens to be Rick Warren, himself a […]
America is Fat
America is fat. We are ready and able to hibernate. We have gorged on sugars and carbs, storing up enough energy in our girth to survive a very long winter. If it comes down to survival of the fattest, we are the odds on favorites. There is more at stake here than just […]
Drunk Spray
True entrepreneurs are always on the lookout for ubiquitous problems that can be solved for a profit. Case in point: Lots of folks like to get drunk now and then, but doing so can be an awkward process. Alcohol is cumbersome to cart around, fills you up with a lot of calories, and in some […]
Rush to Judgment
Dr. Benjamin Rush was a highly respected physician and medical administrator in the early 1800’s. He was enormously influential, and widely known as a man who got things done. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and is one of the founders of American psychiatry. Dr. Rush did not […]
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 […]
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 […]
