Benjamin Franklin’s Self-Improvement System
Just finished reading Frank Bettger’s excellent book How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling. Bettger was a friend of Andrew Carnegie, who encouraged him to write this book after hearing Bettger’s life story (a former baseball player who applied himself to self-improvement as a salesman until he became incredibly successful). Besides explaining […]
Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Director’s Edition
When I first watched Star Trek: The Motion Picture, my parents warned me that it was long. Now, I grew up on the original Star Trek series. I loved it. I was willing to put up with a lot. But boy was that movie long. I recently got the chance to watch the newly remastered […]
A Brilliant Design: The AWANA Game Circle
So, there’s this Christian children’s club, called AWANA. When it was founded in the 50’s, its creators wanted to include athletic games in each evening’s schedule. They wanted to design a system that let the kids have fun, without encouraging cut-throat competition. So, they designed the AWANA Circle, one of the most ingenious designs I’ve […]
Save Yourself Time With Google Maps or MapQuest
I recently looked into adopting a dog from the SPCA. It fell through, but during the transaction I was surprised by something. The SPCA requires an in-home visit to verify that the house is safe for the dog. When I gave the SPCA representative my information, including my home address, she asked me for directions […]
Why I Host a Halloween Party Every Year
I want to explain just why I host a Halloween party. I mean, I do love Halloween. It’s my favorite holiday. It’s one of the few times in the year when fantasy and a belief in unexplained phenomena are socially accepted. It’s a time when we can all believe that the world contains at least […]
Pumpkin Spice Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
Okay, I’ll admit it: this is pulled straight from an issue of Bon Appetit. I’m only willing to deal with a certain amount of complexity in a recipe, and this one is right at the far edge of what I’m willing to do. The cake itself is easy, though I usually go with boxed cake. […]