I wasn’t quite as prolific in 2013 as I was in 2012, as this will be “only” the 72nd post on this blog this year. However, part of that had to do with the fact that I’ve been writing for three other outlets on a regular basis (Cover 32, Hogs Haven, and A New Voice), plus some occasional work elsewhere (Uproxx).
So, there’s my lame excuse.
Still, of those five dozen or so items, there are several I like quite a bit (or at least find amusing). Here’s a look back at the stuff I liked best in 2013. As always, I’ll go in chronological order:
About Last Night (1/11): I started the year off on a high note, taking a trip to New York City after being secretly tipped off by old friend (and talented performer) Joey Bland that none other than Sir Patrick Stewart would be a surprise player in their Improvised Shakespeare Company show one random Thursday night. This is my account of that incredible evening.
Will High School Sports Exist in 2043? (1/31): As our society (or at least taste-makers) are increasingly less-inclined to value the “risk” portion of the “risk/reward” proposition, I question whether youth sports will continue to have the level of importance they do today a generation from now. More to the point, I wonder if youth sports will become increasingly specialized, and an activity that schools consider to be too much of a liability, no matter how much benefit or pride they bring to a community.
What Media Bias Looks Like (2/11): The accusation of “salting” the news to favor a particular side isn’t one born in 2013. However, when the media got its hands on polling data related to trust in various news outlets, the presentation of that data offered a fairly sharp example of what media bias looks like (and what it does not look like). Continue reading
As something of an 80s music aficionado (for better and for worse), I have probably heard Chicago’s “If She Would Have Been Faithful” at least 100 times in my life. I’m not bragging about that. Just stating it as a fact. Yet, it was only recently, after not hearing the song for some time, that I detected a rather . . . unique lyrical style.
But Blockbuster was the most successful national company by far, thanks to a business model that included tailoring a store’s selection to fit local demographics, as well as a breakthrough in the form of video game rentals, something that became possible (and lucrative) after Blockbuster won a 
I’ve talked before about how I enjoy writing for a bunch of different outlets, because doing so allows me to write about such varying topics. One of the things that burned me out on being full-time at VirginiaPreps was writing the same four articles every week for over a decade. I liked it, but, eventually, it got to be too repetitive to do full-time.
Breaking Bad is finished, and what an ending it was. The short version is that I thought it was excellent, and totally appropriate for that show. To be fair, I should note that I absolutely adored the same Lost finale that a good chunk of Lost fans hated, so I have no way to gauge what the reaction will be to the Breaking Bad ending.
The saga of teacher-turned-kingpin Walter White comes to a conclusion this Sunday night.
Nice Try
I received a mailer recently that advertised a new miracle advance in hearing aid technology.
Yes, hearing aid technology.
Now, despite my rapidly advancing age, I’m not remotely old enough to fit into the key demographic for people with hearing problems. In fact, as far as I know, my auditory abilities are above the norm.
Yet, I do get these sorts of mailing materials from time to time, probably because I happen to have the same name as my father and grandfather (as do many other men in my home state). There’s probably some confusion on the part of these companies about who exactly I am, or what my age may be.
So, getting an advertisement like this in the mail isn’t all that unusual—but this one was quite unusual in one very important respect.
The letters plastered across the top of the card, in a huge font, didn’t say “hearing” or “aid” or “fight deafness” or “hear again” or anything of that sort.
They said “Nanotechnology.”
Nanotechnology!
Even more curiously, the company responsible for this ad and the accompanying $500 off coupon is never identified.
All I can say in response to this is: Nice try.
I know how this works. I come in for a consult, you inject me with your little nanomachines, ostensibly to “improve my hearing.”
Once the “hearing aid” nanomachines are safely inside me, you’ll smile slyly and break the bad news: I’ve been infected with a virus that will kill a target of your choosing once I come into contact with him, making it look like the mark had a “heart attack.”
You’ll explain that your “hearing aid company” is merely a front for the Pentagon, and that I’ve been unwittingly conscripted into service on your behalf. Oh, and, by the way, you’ll mention that, because you mistakenly believed I killed someone close to you, you modified the nanomachines so that they’ll take me out as well at an unknown date in the future.
Then, years later, this all ends with me putting a gun in my mouth at my dead father’s grave site, only to have dad show up with some old guy in a wheelchair to tell me that not only is he alive, but that he helped put all of this into motion indirectly. Then my dad kills the wheelchair dude, I inadvertently kill my dad, and then I walk away, mostly just confused.
So, you see, I know what’s going on!
Don’t you realize that I know what’s going on?!?
I won’t do your bidding, hearing-aid-company-that-is-really-a-front-for-black-ops.
Better luck next time. But I’ve seen this movie before.
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