How to Time-Shift (Just a Little) “Synch-ron-ate” (verb): taping a TV or cable show, then watching it ” without commercials ” so as to finish at the same time as the live telecast. — Proposed addition to English language; Ross Kaplan. Almost four years ago, I proposed a new word, “synchronate,” to describe the practice of...Read More
Minnesota Gophers vs. San Jose State (9/20/14) San Jose State clearly didn’t have an overpowering running game yesterday (I was there with my older son and my Dad). But, their running back still appeared to be gaining at least a few yards on most plays. So, it was puzzling to hear the public address announcer keep announcing...Read More
Minnesota’s Nine-Month Winter(?), or, “Oh, No! Not Yet!!” Notwithstanding the gorgeous skies and picture-perfect 75° weather today in the Twin Cities, frozen yogurt seller Yogurt Lab is officially on “winter” hours. Translation: it opens an hour later (noon) and closes an hour earlier (10 p.m.) much of the week. At least, noon is when the...Read More
Marketing Idea For New Cheese Product If you’re a cheesemaker and looking for a catchy, new marketing name, here’s a freebie: a feta cheese named “feta compli.” You’re welcome (or “sorry“, depending on your sense of humor . . .).Read More
Nature’s High Tech Factories “Natural organisms have managed to do everything we want to do without guzzling fossil fuels, polluting the planet or mortgaging the future.” –Janine Benyus, “Biomimcry” (1997) In her 1997 book, biologist Janine Benyus speculated about a world where human manufacturers would unlock the secrets of spider silk and abalone shells to...Read More
Old Wine in New Bottles Sneakers “There was an old woman Who lived in a shoe She had so many children She didn’t know what to do” –Mother Goose nursery rhyme From all appearances, the brainstorm came from an upstart shoe manufacturer, not Tyvek manufacturer DuPont. And at $8 million sales total since 2009, it’s...Read More
