A Rare Event

 

I’m out walking the dog and one of the neighborhood moms asks me, “What grade is your son in now?”

“He’s a junior in high school this year,” I reply.

“I saw him out walking the dog the other day.”

“You did? Oh you’re lucky to see that,” I said. “It’s a rare event, like an eclipse. Everyone gets very excited when it happens.”

More People I’m Sick Unto Death Of

 

People who use the word “signage,” e.g., “We’ve got to put up some signage so people can find the right conference rooms.”

Look — like most words, the plural of “sign” is formed by adding “-s” at the end, not “-age.” This kind of language abuse just makes everyone stupider.

Twitter: 2010-05-10

 
Twitter
  • RT @mccarthyjim1 In almost every case, action will produce many times more results than planning. http://post.ly/dMei #
  • RT @eddiepepitone: In honor of my mom I burnt a meal, ignored myself and accused my dad of aloofness. #
  • RT @eddiepepitone: The only thing stopping me today is my childhood, my genetics, my income, my innate laziness and my parole officer. #

The Authority of Ideas

 

A team committed to providing great products or services on time will shift its point of view on authority.

It will move from viewing authority as emanating from bosses to viewing authority as emanating from ideas and from the nurturing and championship of an ecology of ideas.

People I Thought Were Dead

 
  • Marty Allen – comedian
  • Ed Ames – actor
  • Lauren Bacall – actress
  • Roger Bannister – runner
  • Ben Bradlee – editor, The Washington Post
  • George Kennedy – actor
  • Ralph Kiner – Hall of Fame baseball player
  • Jake LaMotta – boxer, middleweight champion
  • Shirley Temple – actress

Updates

  • Marty Allen – died 2/12/2018, age 95
  • Ed Ames – died 5/21/2023, age 95
  • Lauren Bacall – died 8/12/2014, age 89
  • Roger Bannister – died 3/4/2018, age 88
  • Ben Bradlee – died 10/21/2014, age 93
  • George Kennedy – died 2/28/2016, age 91
  • Ralph Kiner – died 2/6/2014, age 91
  • Jake LaMotta – died 9/19/2017, age 95
  • Shirley Temple – died 2/10/2014, age 85

Time and People Shortages

 

High-tech workers fervently believe in time and people shortages.

Much of the time, you have no idea whether a shortage really exists. You assume that the shortage is real, instead of carefully examining the situation. Many explanations based on insufficiencies arise from unexamined assumptions.