What slinging fish taught me about business and human behavior A typical seafood counter display When I was in college, I worked at the Safeway in Bowie, MD. I did lots of jobs in the store, but I think I learned the most while working seafood. I liked working in seafood most because it was like running my own business. Most days and nights, it was just me behind the counter, and I had a...
What a high school ceramics class taught me about slowing down and enjoying life Sometimes the most important things are right in front of us A Geek in Ceramics Class When I was in high school, I took two semesters of ceramics. Yeah, you read that correctly, ceramics! I really enjoyed it. I made figurines, pots, mugs, faces, and monsters. Not only that, but I made some great stuff that probably got thrown away before...
Should We Save Uncommon Words? A Question of Language Evolution I found SaveTheWords.org which lists uncommonly used words. If you select one of the words it defines the word and allows you to adopt it meaning you "hereby promise to use the word, in conversation and correspondence, as frequently as possible to the very best of my ability". I like the site and I love learning in general, but the site got me thinking that...
A few weeks ago, my son Tyler, my mother-in-law, and my wife were sitting together in a doctor’s waiting room. As we waited, Tyler spotted a woman across the room and, without hesitation, loudly asked, "Hey dad, why does that lady have crazy mean eyebrows?" I immediately looked at her. She immediately looked at me. For a few heart-stopping seconds, it was just the three of us caught in a very uncomfortable triangle. Thinking fast,...
I came across a simple two-panel comic the other day that hit harder than most essays I’ve read. In the first panel, a man stranded on a deserted island sees a boat in the distance. He jumps up, arms raised, and shouts, “BOAT!” Relief floods his face. His isolation may finally be over. In the second panel, we see the man in the boat. He sees the island—and the man on it—and he too shouts,...
Measuring True Content Engagement I received this question this afternoon from an association site I belong to. Below is the answer I responded with on the association site, but I want to make sure anyone can add additional thoughts to this topic, which is why I am also posting it here (similar to the lemonade stand analogy below). How would you have answered the question? Unique visitors benchmark data We are playing with a design...