Geek Soap Box

Hi, my name is Ted. If you are reading this Web site, you probably already know me. If not, or even if you do, allow me to reintroduce myself. Like I said, my name is Ted, and I am a member of the working poor. You don’t hear a lot about us in the mainstream [...]

There exists a phenomenon among New York City subway riders that astounds and confuses me.  When I first noticed it, I reasoned that it had to be a mistake, a one-time example of poor attention to detail.  Then I realized that I have seen it reoccur approximately one time every month, if not far more [...]

Darth Vader, the mythical character featured prominently in six separate Star Wars flicks, has an awful lot of “street cred” in today’s popular culture.  The American Film Institute ranked the mysterious and dark figure as the third greatest villain in cinematic history.  Quotations and parodies of his bad-assery abound.  Heck, I even follow the Sith [...]

Every so often, we the people are reminded of our civic responsibilities in this great society of ours and are called to serve a greater duty, a symbol of our individual, inalienable liberty. I speak, of course, of being called to jury duty. Nothing says democracy like spending a day or two sitting in a [...]

Cross-posted at 4A’s Events Blog. Whether you work in the advertising/marketing community, the association world, or anywhere in between, chances are you have been to quite a number of conferences over the years. These conferences are all the same on the surface, to a certain extent. They provide an opportunity to meet and share information/stories [...]

Not content with twice-weekly multi-state Mega Millions, Lotto, Take 5, Win 4, Daily Numbers, Sweet Millions, Pick 10, and Quick Draw, New York State is now offering PowerBall — the original multi-million, newsmaking jackpot bonanza — as well as part of its standard lottery offerings. I guess this has to be expected in the wake [...]

Let’s face it, our lives are pretty decent, and for that we should consider ourselves blessed.  We in the United States and other nations of the “West” are not torn apart by political strife, genocide, or cataclysmic natural disasters.  For the most part, we all are able to wake up each morning, safe and sound, [...]

Cleanliness and organization are, quite honestly, not among the strongest elements of my personal skill set.  That doesn’t mean that I don’t know where everything is; in fact, I can precisely tell you where most items can be found in my apartment…on the floor. This system has to change.  A clean, well-organized apartment is integral [...]

A wonderful extended weekend and vacation was had for your humble blogger down in Charleston, South Carolina, featuring the best friend I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting via this very blog.  In fact, it was so magical and relaxing that I actually found myself sobbing at the CHS Airport last night when faced with [...]

As the hated New York Yankees paraded up the Canyon of Heroes on Friday — and I was caught amongst the drunken, sweaty hoards of Bomber fans during my commute — I started to reflect on my own favorite teams, and how truly I’ve taken the road less traveled for the average New Yorker. For [...]

Mankind is simultaneously blessed and cursed by its unending intellectual and philosophical curiosity; the grand desire to understand how things work, and why we are here, drive all of our greatest achievements — and failures. To that extent, is there any “Big Question” more interesting, passionate, and frustrating than the one concerning our origins?  How [...]

If you are truly interested in developing a top-notch online persona, such as on a blog or via your unique, personal Twitter account, I think the best advice I could ever give you is this: Do as I say, not as I do. Much like an online microcosm of the American Dream itself, the smart [...]

I am always amazed by the incredible array of information about the history of humanity that scientists, archaeologists, and other highly trained professionals are able to pull from simple artifacts and treasures long ago buried by the sands of time.  Learning about where we came from is so integral to the knowledge of who we [...]

The Web site Investopedia defines “perfect competition” as: …characterized by many buyers and sellers, many products that are similar in nature and, as a result, many substitutes. Perfect competition means there are few, if any, barriers to entry for new companies, and prices are determined by supply and demand. Thus, producers in a perfectly competitive market [...]

Today’s unofficial opening of the 2009 4A’s Media Conference & Tradeshow featured an interesting array of afternoon panel discussions dedicated to notions of media best practices, digital metrics, government advocacy, and monetization of agency intellectual property.  Throughout it all, the consumer played an integral role, but even more so, I was struck by the constant repetition [...]

I think it’s no secret that I love the finer things in life — a little massage here, a thousand (or two) DVDs there.  This naturally extends towards my diet as well, where — as a live-alone bachelor — I must say it has degenerated into awfulness. Pizza with extra cheese and meatballs, hero sandwiches, [...]

This meme is spreading like wildfire across Facebook. So, I’m copying and posting it over here as well. 1. I am utterly devoid of creativity – even as a kid, my stuffed animals had names like Pandy, Monkey, and Baby Bear. 2. The first time I didn’t get a 100% grade on an exam I [...]

This came via an e-mail forward, but was so astonishing to me that I had to share. I have been frustrated for years by images of aluminum foil and plastic wrap falling out of the container and rolling along my floor, unraveling sheet by expensive sheet. Who knew? – I had to go into the [...]

Another year has come and gone, my friends. 2008 definitely ranks as one of the quirkiest and most-difficult-to-gauge in recent memory. It started with great promise and hope; work provided me with many unique opportunities for growth and development coupled with actual occasional personal satisfaction and gratitude. It ended, though, with utter chaos and uncertainty [...]

Human beings possess free will. For purposes of this intellectual/philosophical discussion, I will define free will as such: the ability to undertake any feasible action without consideration of the consequences of said action. Meaning, there are any number of reasons why your humble blogger does not walk outside his home and start randomly assaulting people [...]

- How cute is Shannon Miller in those Claritin commercials running during the Olympics? I usually don’t dig those man-chested gymnists, but she has aged into an exquisitely cute and seemingly sweet woman. I’m most impressed, even despite her poor cadence in the spot (watch the way she moves her mouth; it’s hella awkward and [...]

- When you have no air conditioning in your apartment (DAMN YOU TO HELL MY SLUMLORD OWNER), and it’s 86 degrees inside your living room, ironing two dress shirts for the next two days at work proves to be a nearly overwhelming experience. Did I mention that I’m wearing a frozen thermal gel pack around [...]

Why is it that nearly every young professional woman in New York City sports some variation of handbag or other carrying element sporting the Luis Vuitton classic brown pattern? It’s gotten to the point that I play “Count the LV’s” on my morning commute, and rarely does the final tally fall below five or six. [...]