What, No Duck Waders? Just in case you needed a(nother) reminder that you live in the snow-besotted Upper Midwest, take a look at the coupons for at least one local dry cleaner. In addition to the usual “Dress Shirts,” “Sweaters,” and “Blazers/Sport Coats,” add “Snowmobile Suits” and “Snow Pants.” How do you get snowmobile suits and snow pants...Read More
“What Were They Thinking??” Department Fans of “Breaking Bad” (I am) will get a shock of recognition reading the following news item, from a couple weeks ago: An ill-conceived effort to get rid of a pesky bird at a cookie factory with a dose of bird shot backfired when a worker at a dough machine was hit...Read More
The Other Super Bowl Yesterday At least to me, the most interesting Super Bowl match-up yesterday wasn’t Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh, or Ben Roethlisberger vs. Aaron Rogers. It was Audi vs. BMW vs. Mercedes Benz. During commercial breaks, the three car companies duked it out in some of the smartest, slickest ads I’ve seen. So, who...Read More
Uns(tr)ung Ensemble Walter White. Skyler. Jesse Pinkman. Hank Schrader. Walt Jr. “Gus” Fring. Saul Goodman. Mike (the Fixer). Jane Margolis. Jane Margolis’ father. The Assassins. Badger. Gail (the assistant chemist). And Tuco. Especially Tuco — perhaps the most electrifying villain since Kaiser Soze from “The Usual Suspects.” If a series can be judged by how many...Read More
Technology Time Capsule Want an x-ray snapshot of where technology is headed? Juxtapose an earlier version of a time-tested product used by millions — in this case, Honda’s best-selling minivan, the Odyssey — and compare it with the new-and-improved version, the just-released 2011 model. Evolutionary, not Revolutionary Faced with an increasingly long list of deferred...Read More
Not Ready For Prime Time I just spent 20 minutes or so checking out foreclosures on Google Maps. My conclusion? It’s hard to escape the feeling you are an unwitting beta tester (guinea pig) — plus, it’s apparent that Google’s real aim is use limited free data to goose subscriptions (translation: Google’s business model is...Read More
