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…
Appreciating Connectivity
In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, we were fortunate that we didn't ose power or get more than a few drips in our basement. Several hors after the storm, when things turned sunny and beautiful outside, our Comcast connection went out, and there's no timetable for...
From the Other Side of the Pond
We've just gotten back from a two week trip to Europe. We visited Spain, Italy and France, and while I'll be the first to admit we had mostly a tourist's view rather than an insider's view of what's going on, I thought I'd share a few observations: 1. Community is...
Looking Ahead, Looking Behind
It's going to be an exciting month. I'm going to be a bit off the grid for a bit, spending some time with family. My book will be released at the end of the month, culminating a year long project that taught me more than I can probably ever fully articulate. Another...
What Should Teachers Know? Or any of Us?
There's a recent article in the New York Times that talks about should be taught to teachers in Ed School, or in essence, what should a teacher have to know before going into a classroom? One of the teachers quoted in the article says something to the effect of : "I...
Revisiting the Library
Last week, my son was at camp at Villanova University, and I spent a day on campus, in the Library. I'm researching a new book project, and i thought I'd take a look at journals I might not be able to get online, and see if there were any books I may have missed on...
Who Do You Listen To?
I spent a great weekend with friends, talking and catching up. This morning, I see one of them, Chris Brogan, dealing with critique about a webinar he's running on Google +. Chris has a large audience, so he deals with more than he average person's amount of...
Expecting More From Education
In doing research for a new book project, I spent some time exploring a few books on the philosophy of education. This may sound incredibly dull, but it was some of the most exciting reading I've done recently, despite it's heft, because it really asks us to return to...
Friends and Perspectives
Yesterday, I had the rare privilege of sitting down with one of my close friends from high school. After not seeing one another for years, we ran into each other in downtown Philly a few years ago and reconnected, and I feel so fortunate to have her in my life again....
Where do Those Good Ideas Come From?
In doing some research for a new project, I stumbled across a new animate from The RSA based on a lecture I love from Steve Johnson. (You should really listen to the whole podcast, or better yet, subscribe to the series in iTunes.) It fits in well with my post the...
Ideas
I love ideas. Ideas tat keep me up at night. Ideas that fill me with a sense of immediacy and doing. The energizing, "Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?" sort of idea. Even the relatively good to great ideas that come in a stream of insight are great. They...
Whitney Hoffman
Hi There! I’m Whitney Hoffman. I currently work for Mingl Marketing and Comfort Media Group in Philadelphia, PA
