The one thing that was needed on the St. Joseph River in Elkhart Indiana was concessions for the boaters. Ron Simon, a former stand up comic, haden't been able to find regular gigs. That gave him an idea.  He and his wife decided to take the food truck idea one step further, creating Ron's Rive...

On Father's Day, my dad, Joe, will also celebrate his 100th birthday. As you can imagine, it's a big deal in our family. Back when he was 93 years old, we sat down with him and recorded his memories. Being a kid in rural Russia, coming to the U.S. through Ellis Island, WWII then starting a business ...

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has an interactive tool that determines some of the best places to live in the world. The countries are most all in "The West" with Japan and South Korea thrown in as well. Basically, 34 countries. OECD calls it "The Better Life Initia...

If you have time to watch the whole 24 minute 2011 Dartmouth Commencement Address by Conan O'Brien, you should. It's classic Conan. The part that got my attention starts at 16:16 in. That's where he talks about his change in professional direction. O'Brien recalled his departure from The Tonight Sho...

I just finished reading two books. Both on the future. One is fiction from comedian and filmmaker Albert Brooks. It's titled 2030, The Real Story Of What Happens To America. The other is non fiction by comedian and futurist Mark Stevenson. It's titled "An Optimists Tour of the Future."  One is ...

First it was AirBnB and similar websites. They provide a way for people with space available in their home or apartment to connect with those who need a place to stay. The next logical step was renting your car. Recently started Getaround has addressed that.  Their website notes that the averag...

Here's news that will make the owner of the one record / CD store left in your community happy. With current sales trends, vinyl record sales will increase by 25% in 2011. Yes, really. Although in the grand scheme, it's still only about 1.6% of total music sales; for you pop and scratch purists, thi...

Two things caught my attention over the weekend. The first was a Washington Post article on the e-book gold rush. Romance novelist Nyree Belleville was dropped by her publisher because her twelve books had only earned $21,000. As a writer, she goes by the name of Bella Andre. The publisher felt that...