It’s been a long time coming. But only within the last few weeks, after encountering a big sign at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), did I achieve full awareness of a condition that has crept across the American social domain: indoor dogs everywhere. Here was my indicator: If it’s not immediately obvious, the overhead
I have seen some ridiculous site selection decisions for Starbucks over the years. The concentration of Starbucks seems to surpass McDonald’s, Subway, 7-Eleven, or other seemingly ubiquitous chains, even though every one of the aforementioned has a larger US presence than Starbucks. But Starbucks proximity—one location’s placement near another—is notorious wherever Starbucks thrives, which is
It’s hardly earth-shattering for a storefront to have two separate entrances, if it’s over a certain size. Sometimes even smaller establishments decide that they want two doorways for customers. (Building and safety codes often require a distinct fire/service entrance in the back of the establishment, if its over a minimum size.) Then again, this is
I don’t want to belabor a point, which is why I rarely avoid two articles on the same subject in rapid succession. And besides, my May writeup on shopping cart security breaches didn’t generate a whole lot of buzz, perhaps because most readers are one step ahead: I was pointing out a feature that was
Saying “I like Trader Joe’s” isn’t very edgy; it’s not going to instigate a revolution anywhere. They aren’t exactly fighting words. Ranking right up there with California phenomenon In-N-Out Burger as one of the least controversial chains that dole out food, a person is far more likely to provoke fisticuffs for saying “Trader Joe’s is
I’m not an entomologist—not even of the armchair variety. Nor am I a conservationist, or a meteorologist. My schooling in ecology does not extend beyond a single graduate-level course that dealt with how urban development disrupts various animals’ habitat and migration patterns. And it is that course content that I can apply against a backdrop
I don’t think this article will strike too many people as a revelation, and I might be late to the party in making the observation. At the very least, I’ll try to weave in the broader social/cultural implications of this new (or “new-ish”) device, because it tethers itself to something most people have to do
Some infrastructural features are so ubiquitous and operate so effectively behind the scenes that they become almost invisible—like most utility lines. Compared to many developed nations, the United States still has a sizable portion of its electrical and telecomm wires hoisted high into the sky through utility poles. In fact, outside the densely populated downtowns
I know this isn’t the first time I’ve created an entire blog post out of little more than the bumper stickers on the rear of someone else’s car. Heck, one of those glib posts ended up becoming one of my most commented-upon articles. Typically, though, my goal is for bumper stickers merely to supplement or
I can’t exactly claim to belong to some sort of refined or elite contingent when I say I’m a big fan of small, old, and neglected cemeteries; lots of people think these relics are pretty cool. But I try my best to at least document them when I stumble across them, elevating my interest to
It’s been a long time coming. But only within the last few weeks, after encountering a big sign at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), did I achieve full awareness of a condition
I have seen some ridiculous site selection decisions for Starbucks over the years. The concentration of Starbucks seems to surpass McDonald’s, Subway, 7-Eleven, or other seemingly ubiquitous chains, even though every one of
It’s hardly earth-shattering for a storefront to have two separate entrances, if it’s over a certain size. Sometimes even smaller establishments decide that they want two doorways for customers. (Building and safety codes
I don’t want to belabor a point, which is why I rarely avoid two articles on the same subject in rapid succession. And besides, my May writeup on shopping cart security breaches didn’t
Saying “I like Trader Joe’s” isn’t very edgy; it’s not going to instigate a revolution anywhere. They aren’t exactly fighting words. Ranking right up there with California phenomenon In-N-Out Burger as one of
I’m not an entomologist—not even of the armchair variety. Nor am I a conservationist, or a meteorologist. My schooling in ecology does not extend beyond a single graduate-level course that dealt with how
I don’t think this article will strike too many people as a revelation, and I might be late to the party in making the observation. At the very least, I’ll try to weave
Some infrastructural features are so ubiquitous and operate so effectively behind the scenes that they become almost invisible—like most utility lines. Compared to many developed nations, the United States still has a sizable
I know this isn’t the first time I’ve created an entire blog post out of little more than the bumper stickers on the rear of someone else’s car. Heck, one of those glib
I can’t exactly claim to belong to some sort of refined or elite contingent when I say I’m a big fan of small, old, and neglected cemeteries; lots of people think these relics