by David | Apr 6, 2010 | culture, reading & writing
I couldn’t help but notice the estimable Jason Scott’s profane and precise review of the new(ish) US passport design, not least for his use of the word “glurge.” I completely agree, and the RFID chip makes me sad, too. The Mac’s...
by David | Apr 4, 2010 | culture, media, technology
I started the passover season with the first five plagues of social media, and despite a considerable transportation delay incurred by of all things a flood, I’m back with a few more plagues this Sunny Easter morning. To refresh your memory: Spam Corporate...
by David | Apr 4, 2010 | culture
Just when I was finally coming to terms with the mystery of the Easter Bunny, I learn that there’s also an Easter Duck. What the duck? At least according to the stickers in this egg decorating kit, there’s also an Easter Frog. Clearly I’m not doing...
by David | Mar 29, 2010 | culture, media
Tonight is the start of Passover, a holiday celebrating the struggle for liberation with foods designed to remind you of suffering and enslavement. At one point in the traditional Seder, participants recite the ten plagues visited on Egypt , spilling out a bit of...
by David | Mar 25, 2010 | culture, eating, urbanism
Ever wonder what the difference between tortellini and tortelloni is? Scale. Stuff with -ini are small and stuff with -oni are large. And you probably know that stuff with -issimo is superlative – biggest, bestest, most expensive, and so forth. So you can...
by David | Mar 21, 2010 | economics, transportation
I noticed an ad for a major airline selling the fact that they don’t charge for (the first couple of pieces of) checked luggage. And as my premier status on various airlines ebbs, I find myself charged even for the first checked bag more and more often. Despite...
by David | Mar 20, 2010 | culture, economics, working
Sometimes Boston feels like the city of inferiority complexes. For years it was the Red Sox thing, feeling bad about coming in second to New York in baseball. Now, it seems to be the Silicon Valley thing, coming in second to California in technology companies and...
by David | Mar 7, 2010 | culture, economics, media, reading & writing
As you may know, the first rule of my book club is, well, I can’t tell you the first rule. One of the other rules is, when it’s your turn, you pick the book and that’s the book. No discussion, voting or appeals are needed. Sure, there’s...
by David | Feb 26, 2010 | culture, design
After – way after – a 13th century painting by monk Mu Qi.
by David | Feb 17, 2010 | transportation, urbanism, working
Not sure of the status of the cars in there, but they’re not letting anybody else in.
by David | Feb 11, 2010 | eating, urbanism
Everybody’s the best at something, if you define the category right, but that should take nothing away from the excellence of this sandwich from DePasquale’s Homemade Pasta Shoppe in, or perhaps below, Boston’s North End. Since it is really a pasta...
by David | Feb 2, 2010 | culture, design
If you squint at it, you can sort of see the bird.
