Plan for the Worst, Hope for the Best
Joey, Have You Ever Been in a Turkish Prison? The 1980s comedy franchise Airplane does a great job of spoofing the more dramatic Airport and, to a lesser extent, The Poseidon Adventure. At a time when truly global travel was emerging for the general public, there remained in the hearts of many a fear of […]
A Swing and a Miss!
June is usually a big month for baseball, but sometimes the biggest news is found beyond the box scores. This year the boys of summer, or at least their front office representatives, took a swing at a slider and hit a really foul ball, making the statistics-obsessed management of America’s game seem like child’s play. […]
Welcome to Fergus Falls!
The thumb drive sits on the edge of the table, carefully wrapped in cellophane and surrounded by the other promotional materials from the SWAG bag left by the Chamber of Commerce. It was a very nice gesture, and you’re giving serious thought to the guided tour of local brewpubs pictured in one of the brochures, […]
Internet of Things
SOC it to You! Imagine a small chip with an oddly configured pin out footprint, originally designed to connect serial to USB. Now tweak the ROM on that chip, infuse it with a dash of RAM and a sprinkle of flash memory, and you have just actuated SOC, or system on a chip. Actually, you […]
If It Ends in Y, It Could Be A Monday
Think of today as Monday. Maybe you’re just back from a long holiday weekend. You’ve celebrated the birth of a nation, perhaps, and the chili dogs are still waging war, keeping the spirit of rest and relaxation alive and well. Now the battle takes a twist as you rattle down the list. These are the projects […]
Follow the Money
Looking for a good business model with a market poised to explode in the next five years? No, it’s not the latest social media platform or even a cryptocurrency. It’s cybercrime, and your business is rapidly becoming their business.
Hacking the IRS History
April 15th lurks in the shadows of every year, as inescapable as the Grim Reaper and only slightly less popular. The IRS has conflict in its DNA, as our nation’s first revenue commission was established in 1862 to pay for the Civil War. Repealed ten years later and even ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court […]
Internet of Wings
Ever feel like somebody else is in control of your life, flying the airplane that is your body through the friendly skies of your daily routine? Well, if you’re on the same plane with Chris Roberts, you might just be living beyond the metaphor. Chris likes to fly big airplanes, with real people on them. […]
Like It Never Even Existed
Joplin, Missouri is like a barbell. Downtown retains an interesting mix of history and mid-rise offices while, several miles to the south, the medical complex and commercial corridor almost glistens with new construction. In the middle, a once-vibrant residential area known as South Joplin, is a mix of random new commercial buildings and tract homes, […]
Rolling Like a Rockefeller
First Quarter results are in the books, and the contracts you hunted late into last year have borne fruit. Like the Robber Barons of yesteryear, you have a dogged commitment to your industry, though sometimes you wish you had cornered the oil market instead. Because, like the scions of the Gilded Age in American history, […]
