Category Archives: Children
Email vs. Text: It’s Really Business vs. Child’s Play
Lots of stories now about how email is obsolete and dumb because it’s only used by people 55 and older. Email providers are consequently wildly jerking their knees to change their products so as not to look “out of touch.” … Continue reading
Gasoline Usage Decline Signals End of Fossil Fuel Dominance, Major Changes in How Americans Live and Work
We often pass by stories like this because they don’t have pictures or screaming headlines. But the amount of gasoline Americans use is declining- not just temporarily- but permanently. There was a time not long ago this was looked at … Continue reading
Alcoholism on TV Revived by Falling Ratings, Liquor Ads, Product Placement, Bad Economy, Lobbyists
Belied by massive popularity, “Two and Half Men” is one of the worst shows on TV. I’ve been accused of not thinking with the majority before and this may be another such instance. Incompetently written, barely acted, staffed by felons, … Continue reading
Cubs Great Ron Santo Dead; Childhood Heroes Fade but Never Die
I had a wonderful childhood growing up in the Chicago suburbs with the exception of one affliction: I was a Cub fan. They usually lost, played poorly, and their ball park was (and still is) a softball diamond with no … Continue reading
Elizabeth Smart Testimony Makes Sara Zarr’s Book “Once Was Lost” Even More Relevant, Insightful
I had the pleasure of producing the book trailer for author Sara Zarr’s then-forthcoming book “Once Was Lost” in 2008. Since then, the video has been on virtually every book-seller page on the planet including Barnes & Noble. It just … Continue reading
Welcome to “Irononomics”: Eat More Cheese! No, Wait- Eat Less Cheese!
Urged on by government warnings about saturated fat, Americans have been moving toward low-fat milk for decades, leaving a surplus of whole milk and milk fat. Yet the government, through Dairy Management, is engaged in an effort to find ways … Continue reading
Montana School Kids Meet Mountain Lion; The Never-Ending Thrill of Experiencing Wildlife in the Wild
(The children seemed) “more excited than scared.” Robert Mitchell, school bus company manager There are few things as thrilling as seeing a wild animal in its natural habitat. Growing up in the suburbs, I’d watched the animal shows on TV, … Continue reading
Smallbean Video Network Program: Better Framing Means Better Farming
If the promise of social networking is coming true anywhere, it’s in the Third World and developing nations that the non-profit organization Smallbean is operating. They are helping people use cameras, computers, and other gizmos to communicate their way out … Continue reading
Moose Key to Understanding Arthritis?
Since shooting two documentaries in Maine in 2004 about America’s über-ungulate, I remain in awe of their size, placidity, and ability to attract tourists and admirers from all over the world. The moose should be America’s national animal, not that … Continue reading
Digital Diddling vs. Natural Noodling; Studying How Nature and Technology Change Our Brains
“Music has charms to soothe the savage breast” is what playwright William Congreve wrote in 1697. But what do cell phones, computers, video games, and other techno-distractors do to us and can Nature reverse the ill effects of technomania or … Continue reading
