I have a problem with being a poor sport. This extend both to sports that I actually play and to spectator sports. The Superbowl this past Sunday was certainly no exception— in fact, it was pretty much the opposite of an exception. I watched it at my place with one friend who complained that I [...]

A running diary of the Hooters’ contemptible ‘And We Danced’ video: [Note: if you're looking this and trying to decide whether or not you want to read on, I suggest scrolling down and clicking on the second video clip-- it's the best part.] 00:07-00:14: Opening scenes. A hazy vision of rural, 1950s heartland America, a [...]

People generally express surprise whenever I mention that I’m a big believer in New Year’s resolutions. I guess the thinking is that, being a coastal elite / leering smartass, I’m supposed to express contempt towards this type of conventional, pokey idealism. Au contraire! (as we coastal elites say)– self-improvement is a fucking bitch, so it [...]

Few topics can numb my buns like a discussion of how some social networking platform is or isn’t changing the cultural and/or political landscape around us. I can’t explain my disdain in rational terms– it’s more like there’s just this big, bored, empty thought bubble that appears over my head whenever the subject is raised. [...]

My friend Mike returned from vacation in Corfu last week to a spate of bad news: A lawsuit involving his dog knocking over an elderly lady in park had somehow gotten revived long after he had deemed it over and done with. Over the years, the plaintiff’s allegations have gotten trumped up and dramatized to [...]

Two new undermining tactics I’ve come up with (the first I’ve put into practice, but the second is too combustible and so far exists in theory only): 1. Deliberately misjudge or question the gender of a person you’re communicating with by email (or any other internet-fueled written medium of discourse). This one came in handy [...]

“It’s eerily familiar, but bigger. I haven’t been this impressed since I saw the giant 40-foot laptop at the Museum Of Novelty Oversized Technology in Tacoma!” – Dan Mayer, April 23 “It’s like 17 iPhones stitched together!” – Dan Mayer, May 21

Not that I’m job-hunting or anything at the moment (in fact I’ve managed to avoid anything resembling a formal job interview for about a decade now)… but I somehow came across this list of 50 common mistakes people make in job interviews during my morning procrastinatory internet warm-up routine. Most of them are pretty banal, [...]

Can we at least agree to print this on the back of all relevant health insurance correspondence for the next generation? Thanks. Speaking of the Massachusetts special election, here’s the first ever Mock Duck poll: Vote early and often, and move for cloture.

Just in time for the holidays, I bring tidings of “spite houses,” structures built for the sole purpose of irritating the neighbors (by blocking their access to light and air, etc.). I have to say — I can imagine something like this happening, but I’m a litle taken aback that this concept is so well-embedded [...]