Recommended Reading: The Future of Travel
Interesting piece by Nathan Heller in The New Yorker about the past, present, and future of air travel. Hmm. Does my passport need to be renewed?
Various and Sundry
Tag: Things to Read
Various and Sundry
TV’s Golden Age… or too much of a Good Thing?
Last week, I made passing reference to Television’s “Golden Age,” an often-invoked, but still rather unofficial designation for the TV-viewing time we find ourselves in. Yes, I know some people still want to cling to the 50s being a golden age, but while my adoration for some skits of Your Show of Shows and episodes of I Love Lucy is second to none, please. TV is currently rocking. One of the side effects of this embarrassment…
Raves Various and Sundry
Recommended Reading: Star Trek DS9 is still a worthy watch
Amidst all this talk about the current “Crisis of Infinite Star Treks,” I came across this remembrance/article from Max Temkin about my favorite Star Trek incarnation: Deep Space Nine (DS9). I have now watched the entire series three times: first, when it was broadcast. Second, in the early naughts on DVD, and most recently with its debut on streaming Netflix. Some episodes, like “Necessary Evil,” have been ones I’ve watched more than three times. Is…
Producing Various and Sundry
Recommended Reading: Hostage Negotiation and the Business World
Hostage negotiation has always seemed interesting to me, and not just when Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson are doing it. Bourree Lam’s interview with veteran hostage negotiator Chris Voss in the Atlantic is fascinating in its own right. But, of course, they’re looking at how his experience translates to the business world, specifically asking for a raise and how to deal with the concept of “fairness.” Bet you find some ways it can help you…
Various and Sundry Writing
Recommended Reading: The Unbuilt Three Sisters Bridge across the Potomac
For denizens of Washington, DC, or just those who are interested in how the region has grown, here’s a piece from Ghosts of DC about the proposed Three Sisters Bridge across the Potomac River. I love ultra-detailed local history because, even as you go through life, constructing your own narrative, there are other stories being written all around you. When I read something like this, it triggers my imagination for all sorts of alternate history about what…
Various and Sundry
Recommended Reading: Facebook’s Latest Quest
Julia Greenberg in a recent article in Wired talks about Facebook’s efforts to be more than a place to keep up-to-date with the doings of friends and family. Part of me feels like this is the formation of the new networks to replace the old triumvirate of NBC, ABC, and CBS (which vintage radio folks will point out are not as timeless as one might think: here’s looking at you, Mutual).
Producing
The Differences between a Policy, Process, Procedure, and Work Instruction
After last month’s deep dive into the realm of writing, I suppose it’s only fair that I touch on the fine art of producing and project management. Simply put, just as a “risk” and an “issue” are different in the land of project management, so too are documents like a Policy, a Process, a Procedure, and a Work Instruction. On a very basic level, you could think of them as increasingly detailed versions of the…
Raves Various and Sundry
Complete Non-Secret: I love Mold-A-Rama so very, very much
In the tradition of the Internet and blogs collectively giving you information and confessions of greater interest to the person confessing than to you, the reader, I give you this glorious article that trigger some of my fondest memories of visiting Chicago. But whatever my personal connection, let’s face it: Mold-A-Rama is awesome. It’s only now, with 21st century hindsight, do I realize that, as I was getting models of the U-505 or perhaps a plastic…
Various and Sundry
Recommended Reading: As Darkness Falls
Okay, actually, within less than a fortnight, we’ll be past Yule and slowly trudging back to the longest day (no, not that Longest Day). But this piece on Lifehacker by Kristin Wong makes me think about what lighting I need to get through the more-than-long enough winter months.
Writing
Recommended Reading: The Hugo Awards and the Pop Culture Zeitgeist
Amy Wallace expands and updates her look at this year’s Hugo Awards and the people involved that she first reported on in August. I found the first version very illuminating and this latest version is just that or more so: really going into some of the personalities and passions on the different sides. It’s certainly true that you should write from your own perspective. Chasing trends is generally not an ingredient in a unique voice.…