This Won’t Be a Shock to some of you, but Verizon Wireless is absolutely obliviotic. Let me count the ways! And reveal something shocking.
Bureaucracy
Canada & Guns
I didn’t just have more to say about a story in this week’s issue, I have a suggestion on how to fix it.
Wells Fargo, Trampled
Some extra story commentary about a business sector people love to hate. And sometimes, our feelings are fully justified.
Zero Gravity Bureaucracy: The Real Story
When NASA first started sending astronauts to space, they knew ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity.
Kill the Messenger
An item in this week’s newsletter is the tip of the iceberg of a much deeper problem: how bureaucrats so love to kill the messengers. First that item, from the 9 August 2020 issue — the Headline of the Week:
Fixing Georgia
A story in this week’s issue needs a lot more room for explanation, not to mention a full-sized copy of the graph involved. First, let’s start with the story, from True’s 17 May 2020 issue:
067: Counterintuitive
In This Episode: An American company that makes masks and other PPE chose NOT to ramp up production to help with the Covid pandemic. That sounds like a decision to be criticized, but it’s actually an example of Uncommon Sense. This episode explores why.
055: Resisting Uncommon Sense
In This Episode: Why isn’t there more Uncommon Sense? Because the default for humans is to resist change. Uncommon Sense requires your mind to be open to new ideas, to be convinced that “the way we’ve always done it” might not be the best way. Yet humans resist change even when sick and dying, and the change might save their lives. Don’t believe me? Then you haven’t heard this story.
Pho Keene Controversy
Update: The Restaurant Pho Keene Won!
Sometimes, I’ll Look at the Comments on a news site’s story that I use as a source for a True story. Not very often, since most news comments are a vast wasteland, but the comments on one of the Pho Keene stories I read caught my eye. The top comment was, “Who knew that Keene lacked a sense of humor?” And there was one response: “Anyone that lives here.” Let’s start with the story, from True’s first issue of 2019:
Colorado Screws Over Small Businesses like This is True
I Did Have to Stop Selling physical products to Colorado customers only because This is True is actually in Colorado.
And then this virus spread to other countries….
Jump to the Update or read on.
Dust Storms May Exist
While Driving Across southern New Mexico this morning, I rolled my eyes a bit at a warning sign: “Dust Storms May Exist”. Well yeah, so might space aliens bent on beaming someone up from the desert. Reminds me of the one I see farther north: “Icy Conditions May Exist”. Are lawyers writing road signs now? Maybe charging by the letter?
Weird News Video #43 — Wisconsin Hillbilly
Episode #43: “So She’s Loadin’ Up the Truck for a Move to Bev-er-lyyyyy”, from True’s 29 March 2009 issue.
Weird News Video #32 — Please Don’t Be Annoyed
Episode #32: “Stop That!”, from True’s 11 January 2009 issue.
Weird News Video #30 — Put a Lid On It
Episode #30: “Put a Lid On It”, from True’s 28 December 2008 issue.
Weird News Video #25 — Buyer Beware
Episode #25: “Buyer Beware”, from True’s 23 November 2008 issue.
Weird News Video #23 — Big Brother
Episode #23: “Big Brother”, from True’s 9 November 2008 issue.
Weird News Video #19 — Tomb of Stifled Patriotism
Episode #19: “The Tomb of Stifled Patriotism”, from True’s 12 October 2008 issue.
The Three Gorges Dam
When discussing the Three Gorges Dam project, the Chinese guides loved to spout numbers. (27.15 million cubic meters of cement. 281,000 tons of metal structures plus 354,000 tons of reinforcing bars. 365 townships in Sichuan and Hubei provinces have been or will be inundated — a total of 632 sq. km. Etc.) What I found more interesting was the human factor.
Pluto Planet Day
Long-time readers know I have a special place in my heart for the planet Pluto. It’s not just that I spent 10 years working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and worked on the precursor project to the probe that’s on the way there now.
The True Story of Leonard Carlo’s Bar
See Updates Below!
I showed a friend the story below from the 3 October 1999 issue, and she found it way too hard to believe.