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 iPad- first impressions
Everyone's talking about the iPad, and I picked mine up on Saturday. We unpacked it at the food court at the mall, and the people at the next table were very curious. We spoke about what I expected from it, and what I thought it was good for, although the proof would...
Disruption of Social Contracts
(This is a blog post that represents an idea being fleshed out, so please be patient if it seems more half-baked than usual- because it admittedly is.) What happens during times of disruption? Right now, we live in a time where things are changing fast. The old rules...
Why Trust is the Killer App
I've been listening to NPR in the morning, following the news about international politics, and these points keep being made over and over: In (international) relationships, trust is important and vital to getting anything done. The kind of reception leaders get make...
The Digital Generation Gap
Last week, the Archer Group in Wilmington held a Trust Summit at duPont's Theater N, featuring presentations by Mitch Joel, Julien Smith and Chris Brogan, some of my favorite people ever. One of the stories Mitch told keeps coming to mind again and again. It can...
Understanding Habeas Corpus
The term "Habeas Corpus" has been in the news a lot recently, regarding the new "Al Queda " seven attorney smear campaign, and Marc Theissen's new book. I thought I'd explain what this is about as simply as possible. Habeas Corpus is also known as "The Great Writ" and...
Comments and Commentary
I've been having an ongoing discussion with several friends about what keeps them engaged in blogging, podcasting and the like, and why they have shut down some of their older projects or put them on hiatus. Some folks don;t feel like they are generating any sort of...
Social Media, Brands and Friendship
It seems like anytime I shop in a store or hear a commercial, a brand or commercial entity of one sort or another asks me to become a fan or a friend on Facebook and to follow them on Twitter. As someone who tries to help businesses figure out how to use social media...
Book Review: Switch by Chip & Dan Heath
I'm just finishing "Switch: How to change things when change is hard" by Chip and Dan Heath. As I'm sure everyone who knows me knows, Chip & Dan Heath wrote one of my all time favorite "business" books, "Made to Stick" which talks about how to express ideas so...
Challenge Yourself
If there's one concept that keeps getting reinforced for me over and over again it's that I do my best when I do things that are challenging. It means exploring unknown territory. It means doing things where there's often a risk of failure. It means also believing...
Privacy- Do We Have Any Anymore?
I listened to the most recent Media Hacks episode of Mitch Joel's excellent Six Pixels of Separation podcast, where the guys were discussing everything from the Please Rob Me website, geo-location apps like Gowalla and Four Square, and even Blippy, my favorite example...
