After a full year, I finally finished reading Robert Caro’s The Power Broker. It’s a seriously incredible exploration of the life, achievements, and controversies of Robert Moses – New York City’s “Master Builder” – who singlehandedly reshaped the face of New York City, and the lives of its millions of inhabitants, for generations. The scope … Continue reading On Finishing the Power Broker
When I first got this email from United, about their new hygiene + cleaning standards, it just kinda rubbed me the wrong way. I had trouble figuring out why exactly it felt a little off, but I think I’ve boiled it down to a few things.For starters, it strikes me as odd that this new … Continue reading CleanPlus℠
There was an article in The New York Times the other day, about how the iPad has proved to be a remarkably versatile device to have while we all shelter in place. Brian X. Chen writes, “With a bigger screen than an iPhone, the iPad excels at videoconferencing with apps like FaceTime and Zoom, and … Continue reading iPad: More than Just Watching Netflix
As someone who lives in Israel, but travels to/from the US quite a bit, I’m always surprised by how bifurcated the messaging experience is. In Israel — and much of the rest of the world ex-Asia — WhatsApp is dominant. Heck, billionaires and oligarchs even WhatsApp one another, apparently. In Israel, everything — I mean … Continue reading WhatsApp vs. iMessage
One of my goals for 2019 was to read more, with the specific aim of reading two books/month, which I more or less hit. I also had a few other, more specific goals within reading itself. Given the fecklessness and absurdity of this Presidential administration, I wanted to read more about Presidents – about competent … Continue reading 2019 Reading Roundup
This post started as a Tweetstorm. Follow me! The Wall Street Journal has an article about how traditional carmakers like Ford are benefiting from the surge in e-commerce delivery. This got me thinking: Booming growth in ecommerce has obviously reshaped traditional businesses like retail and delivery. And much has been made of the fact that … Continue reading Delivery Vans and Manufacturing Moats
There is an article in the Wall Street Journal today about how Amazon promotes its own private label products above comparable search results on its site. The article dives into various internal politics in Amazon, but I want to focus on the core contention, because there are certain assumptions the article makes – about e-commerce, … Continue reading Amazon and Private Label Goods
In general, I’m a fan of the Netherland’s flagship airline, KLM. I’ve flown them multiple times and had pleasant flights. And online, they have an aggressive, inventive Facebook presence, and generally have good marketing campaigns. But a recent email they sent caught my eye. You’ll notice a few minor — but still obvious — errors … Continue reading A Difference Between Fluent and Mother-Tongue Level Writing
Shortly after I turned 13, I was faced with a choice many young people faced in the early 2000s — Windows or Mac? (The Get a Mac ads wouldn’t air for another two years). I had a bit of cash from my Bar Mitzvah, and a burgeoning interest in filmmaking. I remember going to Circuit … Continue reading Cinema Displays and Moviemaking
I’ve written about the fabulous journaling app Day One before, but exactly a month ago, I crossed the 1,500-entry threshold. I began journaling on-and-off on a trip to San Francisco in 2013, but began again in earnest about two years later. Since June 2015, I haven’t missed a day. I find that journaling is enjoyable … Continue reading Day One: 1,531 Entries
Silicon Spatula 