Time Flies
Twenty years ago this past week, my first novel, Trolley Dodgers was published. Since then, I’ve gone on to fame and fortune, had all my books turned into movies, and have a summer home on the Mediterranean Sea. Just kidding! None of that happened. Instead,...
The Gauntlet of Shopping Angst
I was in Kohl’s this weekend and I had no idea they had changed their checkout system to a medieval torture maze to extract every last dollar from their customers. I’ve seen these before at places like At Home and Cost-Plus World Market. But Kohl’s has joined the...
Life in Array
My life seems to be in array this week. There was disarray last week, for certain. Lots of contractors milling about, removing things, moving things and installing things. I flew to Alexandria, Virginia and back. And I discovered a new sport that should be in the...
I Want to be a Mad Zoku
I want to be a madogiwa-zoku. Don’t worry, I don’t know how to pronounce it either. For the purposes of today’s story, we’re going to just call it the Mad Zoku. But trust me, this is my new destiny. It turns out, 49% of Japanese companies have a Mad Zoku. What’s a Mad...
An Alien In My Kitchen
There’s an alien in my kitchen. He’s perched on an upper shelf, looking down on me through a little glass door. He’s green and has the same expression all the time. Last night he watched me eat a cookie, right before I went to bed. He didn’t tell my wife, so I think...
The Cycle of (Robot) Life
You hear a lot about robots these days. Robots are building cars, assembling houses, and moving warehouse freight. Robots are even folding laundry. Not in my house, but I’ve seen them being tested in hotels. Our house is robot free for now, but it’s only a matter of...