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…
Human Communication
Through all of my education, the one thing I've always been passionate about is the brain and learning. As it turns out, this is hugely important, because if you know why someone does something- down to the biochemical level, if need be- you can make better and more...
Relationships with Tech
In the past few days, I've come to rue my decision to wait to upgrade my iPhone to the new one with Siri, the artificial intelligence Personal Assistant. I am happy with my phone, and I told myself that a purchase of a new one was rather silly and self-indulgent,...
Looking into The Future
There's a new video on the 'net showing a baby interacting with an iPad and then getting frustrated interacting with a magazine, because it is not responding in the same way. Take a few minutes to watch. Just take a moment and think what this will mean. Within 5...
Visual.ly
There's a new website that helps you to create infographics called Visual.ly- including one about your twitter account. It's pretty interesting for things like resumes and more- here's my Twitter Infographic: This will be something to play with as a presentation tool,...
Already Missing Steve Jobs
There's not much to say other than we'll all miss Steve. Here are a few videos of him speaking. His genius is best expressed by his own words. I know we feel pretty sad here, like we've lost someone we really admire and respect. Forbes talking about Steve's greatest...
Business for Nerds
My presentation for Podcamp Boston 6 is entitled Business for Nerds. As part of my presentation(s), I always try to give "take home" notes and resources to help people not only remember what we covered, but the things they can do after the session to implement some...
Finding a Way to Stick With It
“The problem with the Internet startup craze isn’t that too many people are starting companies; it’s that too many people aren’t sticking with it. That’s somewhat understandable, because there are many moments that are filled with despair and agony, when you have to...
Responding to Ron Clark- What Teachers Really Want to Say to Parents
CNN Online had an interesting article written by multi-awarded Ron Clark, discussing some of the things teachers really want to tell parents but don't feel they can. As a parent and someone who sits on a school district committee with teachers, I'm in a fairly good...
Rethinking School in 5 Steps
Today is the first day of school for my kids. They guys are now a junior in high school and an eighth grader, going off with a bit more enthusiasm than I expected, to be honest. Education is under fire from all fronts these days, in part because we all know, in our...
Differentiating Customers
My book on Differentiating Instruction in the classroom came out this week. While this is clearly aimed at teachers trying to reach every kid in their classroom, the concept of tailoring your treatment or requirements of others based on external factors or...
Whitney Hoffman
Hi There! I’m Whitney Hoffman. I currently work for Mingl Marketing and Comfort Media Group in Philadelphia, PA
