Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling Blink provocatively asks, how is it the mind sometimes understands in a flash highly complex situations that seem to defy rigorous analysis. No question that’s true. But so is the opposite: Sometimes, our minds lie to us, just can’t believe conclusions science tells us to be true. Flip five heads in a row, the odds Read More …
Now lawn inflatables move, with penguins that pop out of igloos and Santas and snowmen that wave. What’s next? How about inflatables turned mid-air balloons? Use helium, hot air or much more powerful fans keeping tethered characters aloft. The hot-air system would probably need flaming gas jets, which might not be too safe, but, hey, if you want to make Read More …
Finally, got my Internet back, after a few more weeks of problems with Verizon DSL. While working on a new puzzle for word lovers, I came up with this idea: Words that have the same sounds rearranged. Like mix and skim. See? Unlike anagrams, which rearrange letters, these words can use different letters. Must be Read More …
Not saying Rush Limbaugh should hold court on your editorial pages. (Not knocking that, either.) Asking how the energy and give-and-take of the best radio talk could swiped and put in print. (1) Column of best bits of the Morning Zoos. (2) Host online chats, and slap some of the lively dialogue in print. (3) Do team writing, or Read More …
Gossip columns are popular, and so are TV series. Doesn’t it seem sometimes that people are almost as interested in TV characters as they are in real people? Aha! Do a newspaper column called Character References that’s “gossip” about what happened last night on TV. Write it up in chatty mock-shock-schlocky style. Boldface the unreal names. Only Read More …
OK, I know this is a dumb idea … unless somebody’s really desperate. But when it comes to losing weight, some people are. Instead of locking the fridge, which makes others suffer, lock the dieters’ hands with Diet Mittens. They’re so puffy and plump, you can’t hold a fork or even a burrito. Or even a can Read More …
The horrible flaw in presidential primaries is this: In a six-person field, one person with a fifth of the vote can look like a winner … and yet not even be among the majority’s Top 2 choices. Besides, what do such “victories” prove in small states? As a result, a marginally popular candidate can ride a wave of media hype to a Read More …
Philadelphia’s Roosevelt Boulevard is one of the most dangerous roads in the country. In recent months, several people have died trying to cross the road at night. Apparently they’re tempted to try to dodge speeders because multiple medians break up the perilous path. The big-budget fix of installing overhead walkways doesn’t seem likely, despite a nifty legislative Read More …
How about a cereal called Puzzles & Games? The back of the box has a flap that pulls down into a game board. Edible bits inside would be game pieces (like chess or checkers, letters or numbers). Maybe the pieces vary for different editions. Or maybe the box come with a Magic Pen for solving invisible ink puzzles Read More …
The needed newspaper revolution could learn from the one on TV: Faltering ratings were boosted, temporarily at least, with the surge in reality TV. Basically, such shows were (a) cheap to produce, and (b) based on providing contrived vicarious thrills. How do real people behave? In a way, isn’t that one reason we read newspapers? Read More …
I know the news people at newspapers will find this amewsing, but I’m serious about making newspapers more unpredictable and fun. As usual, these thoughts may seem like rambling, but there is a vision to my madness, if only to open minds to more possibilities for making content varied and surprising. Why, for example, can’t that billboard Read More …
Build into each club a device that (a) senses where the flag is, (b) calculates where the clubface is actually aiming, (c) and tells aloud how much the trajectory is off. Super-deluxe version also (d) inertially monitors the swing, (e) tells you why you hooked or sliced, (f) is made of an indestructible material because, well, you know why, Read More …
Clearly, newspapers are best when readers have lots of time. And newspapers know they need to have content for the five-minute reader. But how about being multi-tasking friendly? What kind of content could you enjoy while you’re watching TV? Eating dinner with the family? Driving? Out on a date? (Patience: Asking dumb questions sometimes leads Read More …
National or international event: It’s like getting a wrong number on purpose. You sign up with your phone company that you’re willing to place and accept a random call. You call on the event day (best to have it during some miserable month, like February) and get connected to someone somewhere who sees your picture while Read More …
Simple: People get a mischievous kick of seeing things destroyed. (It’s the Shiva in us, the flipside of creation that balances out the universe.) Like Letterman dropping pumpkins off a roof. Take it to the limit. See who can whack the most heck out of unneeded objects the fastest: That old Webber grill, a carton of chipped Read More …