Monthly Archives: March 2014

College at Seventy

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Roger Walck

A recent Wall Street Journal article is full of praise for a 70-year-old about to graduate from the University of Virginia. This is a common feel-good theme often played up in the media at this time of the year. I … Continue reading →

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The Value of Synthetic Happiness

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Roger Walck

Ref: TED talk, “The Surprising Science of Happiness” by Dan Gilbert, 2004 (>6 million views). See also: This blog: “The Art of Living Well,” 9/24/2008. This blog: “David Foster Wallace ,” 8/12/2012. This blog: “The Origin of Consciousness,” 2/11/2011 This … Continue reading →

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Changes in Retailing

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Roger Walck

Years ago I often joined a co-worker who drove into Wilmington on his lunch hour mostly just to browse around the stores.  His favorite, and mine, was an art and drafting supply store that had all sorts of specialized items … Continue reading →

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Captain Marvel

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Roger Walck

Captain Marvel was my favorite comic book action hero, and I was not alone.  He was the most popular superhero of the 1940s, outselling even Superman.  Captain Marvel was actually Billy Batson, a boy like me, except he always wore … Continue reading →

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International Delight

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Roger Walck

International Delight is my choice of coffee creamer (regular, not the fat-free or reduced sugar versions), mainly out of laziness.  A single shot adds both sweetness and creaminess together.  I am always looking to simplify my life. This is not … Continue reading →

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The Magic Relive Box

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Roger Walck

“The Relive Box” by T. Coraghessan Boyle.  The New Yorker, 3/17/2014 The insights of this sci-fi short story about a divorced father raising his teenaged daughter while coping with his life’s failures deserves a lengthy discussion, but, here, I am … Continue reading →

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Planespotting With Flight Tracker Software

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Roger Walck

Residents of our northern Wilmington suburbs periodically get upset about the noise from low-flying  airplanes on their way to the Philadelphia airport, but this only happens occasionally when the powers that be temporarily change the flight paths.  At those times, … Continue reading →

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Mating Behavior

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Roger Walck

A recent article described an old study done on the mating behavior of grouse, a chicken-like bird with similar intelligence issues.  Typically, the male struts in front of a picky female who either enthusiastically mates with him or rejects his … Continue reading →

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B.O.

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Roger Walck

Singin’ in the bathtub, Singin’ for joy, Livin’ the life of Lifebuoy. Can’t help singin’ ‘Cause I know, That Lifebuoy really stops . . .  Bee Ooh!” Just when you think the world is falling apart, remember we had some … Continue reading →

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SATs

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Roger Walck

“Big Score” by Elizabeth Kolbert.  The New Yorker, 3/3/2014. I never took the SATs, and that was unusual even back in 1954.  I didn’t need them.  I was going to Penn State who accepted all Pennsylvania residents, even those like … Continue reading →

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