In a new TV ad, N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory proclaims, “We’re steppin’ on the toes of the left and the right to make tough, necessary changes.” Funny, I haven’t heard anyone on the right squealing about his heavy foot, but…
Patients vs. Impatience
One word reveals a lot about the underlying problem with our health care industry—the one its suppliers use to describe their retail customers: patients. I recently opened my mailbox to find a marketing piece from a nearby primary care facility…
(thought-lets)
n: the product of faster thinking and less reflection in the age of Twitter Find this content useful? Share it with your friends!
Publishing: a crapshoot
“There’s no formula. A publisher can only do so much. A book’s fate is ultimately in the hands of the book gods.” –Morgan Entrekin, president and publisher of Grove Atlantic, on why good books by new authors often go unnoticed.…
Damn the homonyms!
English. What a language. Is there another tongue with such radically different meanings for the same words? Consider the phrase “sports bar.” One is a nutritional snack for health-conscious consumers; the other is a place to drink and sweat while…
The (Watery) Margin of Victory
Book Review: WAR ON THE WATERS: THE UNION & CONFEDERATE NAVIES, 1861-1865 by James M. McPherson UNC Press, 2012 Pulitzer Prize-winning author James M. McPherson begins War on the Waters: The Union & Confederate Navies, 1861-1865 with a quote…
To Kill or Not to Kill?, part 2
This is an update to my post, To Kill or Not to Kill?, from Aug. 12: News just broke that a jury took less than two hours to recommend the death penalty for Maj. Nidal Hasan, convicted of killing 13…
The Privacy of Rooftops
C-SPAN’s Washington Journal broadcast an excellent program on the “Domestic Use of Drones” coinciding with AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems 2013, a trade show in Washington, DC, sponsored by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. On display were the latest in…
To Kill or Not to Kill?
Every time I get comfortable with the idea of abolishing the death penalty—an expensive, flawed practice that kills an unknown number of innocent people—along comes someone who commits a crime so heinous and who is so obviously guilty beyond doubt…
E-books vs. P-books
“The truth is that the book is an exceptionally good piece of technology—easy to read, portable, durable, and inexpensive.” — James Surowiecki, on why paper books are likely to coexist with electronic books for a long time to come. http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2013/07/29/130729ta_talk_surowiecki…