Pack It In

Posted inColumns, Things I Hate, Travel

Maria and I went on a trip recently. Nothing fancy, just a weekend in Washington, D.C., to see some tennis and have a celebration for our 15th anniversary a couple of months early.
As is our usual custom, we flew by the seat of our pants for most of our plans. That meant enjoying lunch the first night at a pub we just happen to read about in a guide book that afternoon.

I love this part of traveling. You never know what you will find when you stop for a meal in a city like D.C. In fact, on the next night, we ended up meeting the brother of a guy I went to high school with at our dinner spot.

That coincidence, however, paled in comparison to what happened on our first night. We had settled in our booth with a couple of drinks and waited for our sandwiches when I saw it.

At first, I could not believe my eyes. It had been a long day, and I wondered if my eyes were playing tricks on me, but there was no mistaking it. A family of four walked into the bar and the father, probably about five to 10 years older than me, wore something that made my jaw drop.

A fanny pack.

Spell It Out

Posted inThings I Hate, TV
The other day, an item from one of my local TV stations popped up on my Facebook page. Let's start off by getting a simple fact out of the way…

Why Do We Need These Things?

Posted inColumns, Things I Hate

Sometimes, I have very complex philosophical views, especially when it comes to technology and business. You could say I’m almost the opposite of Amish.

You see, I think we have been given the kind of knowledge and imagination that we possess as a species in order to stretch the limits of what we can do. I think coming up with new ideas and products helps fulfill our purpose.

But once in a while, something comes along to make me wonder why we have this capability. This happens when I see something that just makes me shake my head and wonder if we’d be better off as primates.

Sadly, I had this feeling twice within a week recently.