engineering consent – Beyond The Hype

In Defense of Social Media

Vogue magazine has been published since 1892. Glamour in media is not new.

I happened to peek at Google Trends this morning as I prepared this post. Taco Bell was trending up big at #11 with “Today’s the day! A base was stolen in the World Series™, so all of America can steal a FREE Doritos® Locos Tacos.” My lunch plans have just changed. Going viral is the Holy Grail of marketing.Continue reading “Going Viral.”

The Fundamentals. Coffee Anyone?

In the spirit of sports detente, let’s ramp down the Cowboy hate for a minute so I can make a worthwhile point. Back in 1989, Jimmy Johnson took over for Tom Landry as only the second coach in Cowboy’s franchise history. In his first interview, Coach Johnson preached the fundamentals of football. Running. Tackling. AndContinue reading “The Fundamentals. Coffee Anyone?”

The One.

I believe, the quality of our lives is directly proportional to the quality of the questions we ask ourselves. So let me pose this question. Are there any limits to what science might achieve? John Marrs’ 2018 novel “The One” offers a equally challenging question. “How far would you go to find THE ONE? YourContinue reading “The One.”

Inflation.

We are all experimenting with reality. Trying to gauge the next curve in life’s seemingly vicious vicissitudes. But reality can be stubborn. Intransigent to our whims, preferences or delights. Take the debate over inflation. The issue of inflation is such a weighty matter as to merit serious debate. Is inflation back? Or not? Whose faultContinue reading “Inflation.”

Afraid.

“And so it was necessary to teach people not to think and make judgments, to compel them to see the nonexistent, and to argue the opposite of what was obvious to everyone …“ —Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago Why are we so afraid of differing opinions? On the cusp of my seventh decade of life, IContinue reading “Afraid.”

Amazing in Red

Fighting the urge to be political, I still find myself scratching my head at those we choose to lead us. And, yes by media standards the AOC dress scandal and the attending uproar is jurassically old news. Being older and I trust wiser, I take my time to aim before firing. I like to letContinue reading “Amazing in Red”

Hypocrisy??

I must admit I had to look up the definition of a hypocrite to be absolutely certain. A hypocrite is a person who indulges in hypocrisy. No surprise. According to Merriam Webster hypocrisy is defined as “behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel.” In a bitter recall election, Newsom handed ammunition toContinue reading “Hypocrisy??”

Gaslighting

In deciding to co-found this blog with my oldest son, I realized I needed to find my voice. For writers, our voice is a style silencing the little critic inside our heads persistently challenging us to be brief, unique, and clarion in our narratives. Don’t get it twisted, writers are performance artists craving your attentionContinue reading “Gaslighting”