Defunct Designs: The Bell System Logo
There are many great logos that, for some reason or another, are no longer in use. One of my favorite defunct designs is the logo for the Bell System. “Ma Bell”, as it was...
Big Sports and the Cable TV Bubble
In economics, a “bubble” occurs when when something gets wildly overvalued. Its value increases to ridiculous amounts, until people realize what’s going on. Then the bubble bursts. This has happened many times throughout history,...
The Odd History of the JB Bridge
Every month or two, I have a dream about the JB Bridge. I’m not sure what it is about this bridge that’s stuck with me over the years. In many ways, the Jefferson Barracks...
Diet Soda and Artificial Sweeteners
Confession time: as a little kid (maybe six or seven), I would steal packets of Equal from the kitchen and eat the aspartame inside. My mom would find the remains under the couch cushions....
The People’s Almanac and Book of Lists
I’ve always been a big fan of trivia and random facts, as the eclectic nature of this blog will attest. Nowadays I get most of my random trivia from the Internet, sites like Cracked...
The Problem with Prequels
We live in an age of fictional universes. It’s no longer cool to write a self-contained story. Instead we like to geek out at extended franchises, like the Star Wars or Marvel universes. Even...
The Beauty of Old Charleston Houses
Charleston, South Carolina is one of the oldest cities in the US. While it has its share of suburban sprawl like any other American city, the core of Charleston still has a lot of...
Meeting Friends through Meetup
Somehow, in the six years I’ve been doing this blog, I neglected to write about a topic that’s near and dear to my heart: Meetup.com. I’ve met almost all of my friends through the...
Growing Up with the Cub Scouts
There wasn’t a whole lot to do in Dupo, Illinois back in the late 1980s / early 1990s. Thankfully, I got involved in Cub Scouts. Most of the boys in my core group of...
Why Apple Should Revive the NeXT Computer
Here’s what I’d like to see. A new NeXT Computer. For those of you who don’t know, NeXT was computer company founded by Steve Jobs after he was fired from Apple. The NeXT computer...
