I’m currently on a Delta flight that I paid for eight years ago, in 2017. Well, more specifically, I bought a gift card for the flight using an Amex Offer back then; if memory serves, I paid $240 for a $300 voucher, saving me a cool $60. At the time, it seemed smart: I’d flown … Continue reading Discounted Gift Cards are Great — Except for When They Aren’t
It’s not a great time to be a political centrist. As I look at the current political landscape, I find myself disappointed by what I see on both sides. I’ll use examples from current events — and even an ongoing election — but it’s not merely about one individual or one election; a given candidate … Continue reading Stuck in the Middle
This past year, I doubled the number of books that I read. In 2023, I read 22 books. In 2024, I polished off 45. I didn’t have any more hours in my day than I did last year, and, in fact, thing were busier: Work was more intense, I ran a lot more races, and … Continue reading The Minutes in Each Hour
I read a lot this year, including a number of books that were, well, bad. I’m not going to go into why I thought the below books were disappointing (though I may write individual reviews at a later date), but I did find an overarching theme. Every book below earned rave reviews from cultural tastemakers … Continue reading Vibes Over Verbs
I read Heaven and Earth Grocery Store nearly a year ago, after it was recommended to me by friends, fellow readers, and the New York Times Book Review. But it’s been on my mind since I read it, for reasons I’ll cover soon. For those not familiar, Heaven is nominally a murder mystery: in the … Continue reading The Trouble with Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
As many folks have observed, ChatGPT has pretty remarkable potential for changing the way many of us work — particularly those of us in marketing. For those who might not be up to speed on ChatGPT, it’s an AI chatbot that can generate pretty convincing content. Continue reading Using ChatGPT to write Facebook Ads
You can, in fact, have ChatGPT plan your trip for you. It’s eerily good. Continue reading Using ChatGPT to do Trip-Planning
I had hoped to read a bit more in 2022, but c’est la vie. That said, I did happen to hit my reading goal of reading more about biology and natural sciences (thanks, Bill Bryson), and I finally tackled The Black Swan. I also read a number of seriously terrific books — notable mentions include … Continue reading 2022 Reading Roundup
I’ve been listening to the Beatles a lot lately (which is saying something; I was more or less born listening to Sgt Pepper), and I’m struck by how often I’ll suddenly realize the cleverness of a lyric or the tightness of rhyme scheme — even after having heard the song one hundred times over the … Continue reading A random Beatles appreciation post: Two songs that have been sticking with me, lately
A couple of weeks ago, I got into a freak gasoline fight accident. Okay, well, not really. What actually happened was much less interesting. I went to fill up my car at a local gas station. My car’s fuel tank is on the left-hand side, but all the left-side pumps were taken, so I pulled … Continue reading A New Interpretive Community or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Memification of Everything
Silicon Spatula 