Archive for February, 2009
Flipping Out Over the Flip Video Camera
Saturday, February 28th, 2009Well, it’s official. I’ve FLIP-ped. No, I haven’t become a raving lunatic – just a big fan of the FLIP video camera. A few months ago, I was searching the internet for a durable, low-cost camcorder to document my travels as well as do some video recording for my speeches and other activities related to [...]
Looking Across the Economic Abyss – Brother Can You Spare Some Hope?
Thursday, February 26th, 2009Once I built a railroad, made it run, Made it race against time; Once I build a railroad — now it’s done. Brother, can you spare a dime? Once I built a tower to the sun, Brick and rivet and lime; Once I build a tower — now it’s done. Brother, can you spare a [...]
After Hours on the Ice
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another. -Helen Keller The boys’ school I attended as a child, The Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, was like most prep schools in the ’50s and ’60s, requiring each student to be [...]
USA – A Content Nation
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009We are the members of a revolution. It has happened so gradually, and so easily slipped into our everyday lives, that we may not even notice the changes. Over the past two decades, the internet has been transformed from a tool used mainly by research institutes, universities, and government agencies into a global communications network, [...]
Say it with Latin! – Dancing to Spark the Body and Soul
Friday, February 20th, 2009“Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body.” – Martha Graham Dance is not just a collection of steps and techniques, slides and heel steps, and posture and cadence. Dance is a story, a cultural history, and an inspiring expression of passion and life. Nowhere is this more evident to me than [...]
An Unusual Birthday Party
Tuesday, February 17th, 2009“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” -Abraham Lincoln This past Sunday I celebrated my birthday. Birthdays are notoriously hated – at least when they’re your own. For those 30 and over, pretending you’re still 29 is a familiar game. This comic strip [...]
Captain Sullenberger’s “Extraordinary Event” on the Hudson
Monday, February 16th, 2009In our technologically advanced age, it may be argued that science has taken the faith out of miracles. (This could be dangerous territory, so please note, in using the word faith, I ask that you apply your own definition. I am not attempting to start a grand theological debate.) From a rational standpoint I can [...]
Re-remembering Valentine’s Day – Love IS All You Need
Saturday, February 14th, 2009Over the past several years, I have noticed a curious trend in the aisles of my local drugstore. As soon as all of the Christmas merchandise is moved to the clearance section (rough estimates indicate this happens on or very close to January 2nd) the shelves are rapidly filled with red things, pink things, a [...]
Unplugged – the Exciting Promise of Wireless Power
Thursday, February 12th, 2009If your home office looks anything like mine, you are probably inundated with electronic devices of all shapes and sizes. Your cell phone, iPod, laptop, digital camera – the list goes on, and so do the cords and transformers to keep the batteries charged. And at some point, you’ve no doubt heard the dreaded beep [...]
Hitting the Slopes
Sunday, February 8th, 2009According to statistics posted on the “Grays On Trays: Snowboarding for Adults” Web site, only 3 percent of all snow sport participants who snowboard fall in the 55-64 age bracket. And I’m proud to be part of that tiny 3 percent. I took up snowboarding in 1995, at the young age of fifty-one. “Why?” you [...]