It’s Gonna be one of those posts…..
As many of you know, I’ve been involved in local politics seriously since 2014. I became a local democratic zone leader in 2022. It’s been a big job, but it’s largely akin to running the PTO, but with more far-ranging consequences. You’ve got planning for events, wrangling volunteers, and keeping…
Guide to Gift Giving
It’s close to Christmas, and as we finish up our shopping, it’s worth reflecting on the purpose of gifts in the first place. I read an article this am about how millenial parents are frustrated that their Boomer parents are showering their kids with useless stuff that just ends up…
FFS
We’re living in interesting times. The lead candidate for the republican nomination for presidency just wants everyone to give up and anoint him their candidate now, despite finally starting to face the consequences of years of fraud and treating the legal system as a cudgel to use against anyone he…
AI is Going to Change Everything
Working in digital marketing, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what it can and should be used for is all the rage right now. If you want to understand AI better, the best source is really Chris Penn– who has an excellent set of videos and regularly explains what’s happening in AI…
Podcamp 2023
A small group of us, die hards from Podcamp Philly and Podcamp East, came together this past weekend for Podcamp 2023 in Philadelphia. There were amazing sessions talking about how AI and Chat GPT will pose challenges to those of us who are involved in digital marketing, or looking to…
Glad to Leave Office? I get it.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is getting into trouble because he spoke his truth, saying he’s looking forward to a time when he’s not mayor. As someone who was a Township Supervisor for 6 years, I understand this sentiment perhaps as much as anyone. Being a local elected official may look…
Almost 80 Best Movies of the 80’s
Rolling Stone just put out a post of the 100 best movies of the 1980’s- and there are a lot of obscure movies that as a teenager/college student during the 80’s I never heard of. As a child of divorced parents, I spent a ridiculous amount of time at the…
Losing but not Lost
I lost my bid for re-election as a Township Supervisor. Elections are like the world’s longest job interview. I knocked 946 doors, speaking with friends and neighbors; sending mail out to people about what I stood for, and what I believed. I chose not to attack my opponent, even though…
Running for Office
I am a local Township Supervisor in Pennsylvania, running for re-election this year. Supervisor is a part-time position, and comes with a statutory stipend of $2,500.00 a year. that equates to about $5.20 or less an hour of meeting time, and other work we put in to help guide the…
Dementia
My mother-in-law has dementia. She had been pretty good at hiding her slow cognitive decline for a long time, but gradually, not even those of us who would have preferred to be in denial could avoid the truth. We needed to move Nancy out of her home and into a…
The Near Future and Imagination
I've been playing in the web/tech space for over 8 years now. Between learning how to podcast when the tools were more primitive and labor intensive, to hopping on social networks when they were still brand new, to cruising Kickstarter for new ideas and projects to...
App of the Week- Lemon Wallet
This is my opinion and is not a promoted post in any way, shape or form. I don't know about you, but one of the things that drives me crazy is the abundance of loyalty programs, affinity cards, keychain fobs, etc. I have collected over time. I've tried various things...
Try New Things Project Update
This week, my husband and I have been out of town- and a trip is a great time to try new things and step outside your comfort zone. This week has seen: 1. Trying all sorts of complex juices and contemplating a Juice cleanse after we get back home; 2. Going to a...
School Finance from a Parent’s Perspective
I went to a public meeting of the Finance Committee for our local school district this week. The news, as anyone could have imagined, is not good. Here's the problem in a nutshell: -Property values have dropped, and as a result, to save money, many homeowners in the...
Schools and Copyright
An article was published on the Washington Post site about a new proposed rule regarding copyright for teachers and students. The article starts out stating: A proposal by the Prince George’s County Board of Education to copyright work created by staff and students...
Rethinking School
I attended my favorite conference, Educon, this past weekend. There was an interesting set of sessions talking about design thinking in schools, and how we could re-imagine the way schools and classrooms are designed, so that they would promote the skills we say we...
Becoming Your Own Hero
Seth Godin has a great post today about Going First. If there's one gift I want to give my children, it's the courage to try new things and explore. While that's something I try to live by example, getting outside our own comfort zone is often easier said than done....
The Obligatory New Year Post and Rant
Every year, folks use January as a time to reframe and recommit themselves to be better than before. I would argue that every day is equally relevant as a marker to try to do better than before, but perhaps a longer time scale, of a week or month is simply better to...
The Illusion of Safety
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin As I went to pick up my high school freshman on Tuesday for the Orthodontist, I was met by a private security guard inside the front...
Learning New Skills
When I started Podcasting a number of years ago now, I had to learn how to edit audio. I learned tips and tricks from folks like Mark Blevis and others at Podcamp that were just the thing I needed to make ordinary audio sound much more like professional audio....
Whitney Hoffman
Hi There! I’m Whitney Hoffman. I currently work for Mingl Marketing and Comfort Media Group in Philadelphia, PA
