In the court of the Crimson King
winterSmith
The New Constitution: did I miss one?
I saw a Free Bradley Manning sticker on a car as I walked my dog this morning and it got me to thinking. Some months back I produced the New Constitution series, which set forth the principles upon a more just and workable American government might be based. The final “deliverable,” as we say in the business world, was 20
Read moreLet’s stop “making the complex simple”
For years my career has revolved around solving communication problems. One of my specific charges has been to “make the complex simple.” I’ve played along because many of the companies I’ve dealt with (not all, but a majority) think this way. When they do, boat rocking and cage rattling is rarely a winning strategy for advancement. But the truth is
Read moreThe Friday Facepalm: business news for Nov. 15, 2013
WTF is wrong with these people? (I’m looking at you Kellogg’s, JP Morgan and especially Yahoo!) Do you ever wonder what goes through the minds of those charged with making important decisions for big companies? Other than a stiff breeze, I mean. Let’s start with a fun one.
Read moreThe hoax is a hoax: Andy Kaufman is ALIVE! (You heard it here first.)
So, it’s been kind of a confusing story to follow, but Andy Kaufman’s brother announced that Andy faked his death to escape the spotlight, is still alive and living in hiding, and has a daughter. Then the daughter materializes. Then it’s revealed that she’s an actress and it’s all an elaborate hoax. Or is it?
Read moreThe Sunday Assembly: a weird idea, but a compelling one
When thinking about why churches thrive, understand that religion is far from the most important factor. Did you see the recent story floating around on the growth of the “atheist megachurch,” the Sunday Assembly? I’m really interested in the concept. Churches have three main draws: religion, community and professional networking. The first of the three is probably the least important
Read moreInfographic: why infographics can’t be trusted
This is hysterical.
Read moreOnline dating: the physical attraction problem
In order for an online dating service to work, it has to reliably move people past the merely physical and help them perceive their match’s real attractiveness. In a post a couple weeks ago I mused about how the online dating world is plagued by what I guess we’ll call the “physical attraction problem.” I touched of a bit of controversy, both
Read moreInfographic: Commuting can be hazardous to your health. Fatal, even.
One in six Americans commutes an hour and a half a day. It makes us more angry, less happy, increases back pain and triples our risk of heart attack. I hate commuting. Hate. It. Not only is it simply no fun sitting in a rush hour parking lot, I’m stingy about my time. Even if I’m wasting it sitting on
Read moreUs Weekly Digest with Jay Frosting (Saturday Video Roundup comes a day late this week)
If Max Headroom were an actual person with a YouTube channel, he’d be Jay Frosting.
Read moreArtSunday: Dr. Sammy’s Ultimate Bitchin’ Badass Trans-Genred Playlist From Hell
What do Rammstein, The Dixie Chicks, Rick Springfield, The Beatles, U2, Uriah Heep, Toots & the Maytals, Talk Talk, Shiny Toy Guns, Primus, APC, the band that eventually turned into (shudder) Maroon 5, and a bunch of other bands, many of which you never heard of (445 in all) have in common?
Read moreIt’s WTF Friday: Home Depot, Lululemon and Guns & Ammo swallow their tongues
Nothing is more essential to crisis communications than an idiot to create the crisis… Rev. Dickie had that item yesterday about the Lululemon co-founder who observed, on national TV, that yoga pants don’t work for all women. Ask your doctor if spandex is right for you, huh? I guess we now know why he’s the former CEO. He’s not the
Read moreHappy Birthday, Raymond Loewy
Google honors the father of industrial design; so does Scholars & Rogues I have grown to really appreciate design in recent years. I’ve never had any formal training in it, unfortunately – what I know has mostly been learned ad hoc, on the fly. I have done a bit of low-level design work in the course of my work and hobbies,
Read moreBeltway Zen: has the Washington Post ever met a liar it won’t publish?
At WashPo, the narrative is more important than the facts… Earlier today a friend forwarded me, via e-mail, the text of an opinion piece that was ostensibly about the “new reality” on the right. It began well enough. Following the recent tea party Tet Offensive — tactically disastrous but symbolically important — the Republican establishment has commenced counterinsurgency operations. Sens. Mitch McConnell of
Read moreThe real problem with online dating
Online dating sucks, especially for a guy like me. There has to be a better way. Match.com sucks. eHarmony sucks. OK Cupid sucks. Plenty of Fish really sucks. (Although, it should be noted, at least those last two have the advantage of being free.) I assume that Christian Mingle sucks, although perhaps in ways I haven’t thought about yet. I
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lullaby pit 