Vince Vaughn and John Cleese are 6’5”
Penn Jillette and Ryan Stiles are 6’6”
Tony Robbins and Krist Novoselic are 6’7”
Brad Garrett is 6’8”
Until very recently Michael Crichton was 6’9”
And Randy Johnson is 6’10”
I spend a good part of my working day walking between homes in New York City. Therefore, I walk past a lot of people. I'd say at least once a day I walk past a woman who is well over six feet tall and a high school-aged kid who is at least 6'6". I'm an inch taller than my father, who was seven inches taller than his own father. If I have any sons they'll probably be taller than me since both my wife's father and brother are taller than I am.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
5 Ways New York City is like Disneyland
1. It’s always crowded.
2. Anything you buy is twice as expensive as it is in the outside world.
3. It’s an artificial, man-made environment. Many parts (Central Park, Rivers of America) are fake, but great lengths have taken to make them look natural.
4. Many people possess a fanatical adoration of the place. These people are all really annoying.
5. You see a tremendous cross-section of humanity there—(the disabled, people of all different nationalities).
2. Anything you buy is twice as expensive as it is in the outside world.
3. It’s an artificial, man-made environment. Many parts (Central Park, Rivers of America) are fake, but great lengths have taken to make them look natural.
4. Many people possess a fanatical adoration of the place. These people are all really annoying.
5. You see a tremendous cross-section of humanity there—(the disabled, people of all different nationalities).
Dr. Drew
In keeping with the theme of my learning everything about life by watching it on TV, I'm going to forward the argument that Dr. Drew is a good professional role model. I find that when I need to discuss something difficult with a client's parent, or when I'm in a situation where I need to sound like I know what I'm talking about, channeling Dr. Drew always helps:
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Oswald Acted Alone
Full Article Here
Greatest hits:
"A team of experts assembled by the Discovery Channel has recreated the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Using modern blood spatter analysis, new artificial human body surrogates, and 3-D computer simulations, the team determined that the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository was the most likely origin of the shot that killed the 35th president of the United States."
and
"Schliebe, along with Tom Bevel, an independent expert forensic investigator, were brought in to examine the simulated crime scene. Both scientists had no idea what the experiment was for or that it was a reenactment of the JFK assassination."
and
""We might never know if Oswald pulled the trigger, but when you look at the wind pattern, the spread of the debris, the angles and distances involved, it's consistent with a shot from the sixth floor depository," said Martin."
and finally
""I think this is the wave of the future," said Martin. "If we had this technology back in the '60s, I think it would have put a lot of the conspiracy theories to rest.""
Greatest hits:
"A team of experts assembled by the Discovery Channel has recreated the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Using modern blood spatter analysis, new artificial human body surrogates, and 3-D computer simulations, the team determined that the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository was the most likely origin of the shot that killed the 35th president of the United States."
and
"Schliebe, along with Tom Bevel, an independent expert forensic investigator, were brought in to examine the simulated crime scene. Both scientists had no idea what the experiment was for or that it was a reenactment of the JFK assassination."
and
""We might never know if Oswald pulled the trigger, but when you look at the wind pattern, the spread of the debris, the angles and distances involved, it's consistent with a shot from the sixth floor depository," said Martin."
and finally
""I think this is the wave of the future," said Martin. "If we had this technology back in the '60s, I think it would have put a lot of the conspiracy theories to rest.""
Reckoning with Cities, Suburbs, and Small Towns
I’ve had the opportunity to live in all three of these types of places, and in spite of this fact, I can’t clearly say that I prefer one over the others. Each type of place has its own benefits and drawbacks. So much is dependent on the place itself. Sometimes it all depends on my mood on a given day. Thinking about this subject though, I have come to a few conclusions:
1) Suburbs- I find I dislike the idea of suburbs the most, but also tend to find that I can be most comfortable in this type of environment for the longest amount of time. I’m sure it’s because I grew up in one. I basically live in one now. What I don’t like about them is all the driving. I’m also not a big fan of the landscape. I really dislike the way strip malls look and feel, but I use them nonetheless. I like areas with single family homes so long as there are sidewalks and at least some commercial areas within walking distance. I also think parks and public spaces in general greatly improve the feel of suburban neighborhoods.
2) Small towns- The quaint small town is such a romantic idea. Think Bedford Falls. A place where everyone exists as part of a larger community, its citizens essentially all one big extended family. Most small towns though, aren’t really that great. Sinclair Lewis saw them as places where the smart left and the unlucky stayed. Small towns can be kind of boring too. When opportunities are limited, especially economic ones, it takes a toll on the population, especially on young people. The best small towns, in my opinion, are the ones that have just a little more to offer. Either by a) being close to an urban center (some overlap with suburbs, I realize) b) having seasonal population changes (such as a large part-time summer community) or c) having a college, and thus becoming a college town, though I think those often have their own unique set of challenges that accompany them.
3) Cities- Walt Whitman said that city air breathes freer. I think he was right in some ways. Cities offer opportunity and variety, in all sorts of different ways. They also tend to be more expensive, more competitive, more crime-ridden and less comfortable to live in than other places. I have a real fondness for cities but my personality isn’t always compatible with city life. Cities are often exhilarating, but I usually find I’m ready to go home after a while. The best cities to live in, for me anyway, are smaller cities. Places that offer a taste of urban life but don’t go overboard. I’m thinking of places like Pasadena or Northampton. It’s also very important that a small city have a functioning economy. This applies mainly to the Northeast, but there are so many smaller cities that were once prosperous but have now fallen on hard times and are thoroughly unpleasant now. The best example I can think of is a place like Springfield, Massachusetts. It should be a nice place to live, but it’s actually absolutely terrible.
So to recap: Suburbs are good when they have some mixed zoning, sidewalks, and access to public spaces. Small Towns are good when they have part-year residents, a college, or are in close proximity to other unique areas (ie, a big city). Big cities are great to visit, but the best ones to live in are smaller ones that have strong economies.
Again, this all just my own personal opinion.
1) Suburbs- I find I dislike the idea of suburbs the most, but also tend to find that I can be most comfortable in this type of environment for the longest amount of time. I’m sure it’s because I grew up in one. I basically live in one now. What I don’t like about them is all the driving. I’m also not a big fan of the landscape. I really dislike the way strip malls look and feel, but I use them nonetheless. I like areas with single family homes so long as there are sidewalks and at least some commercial areas within walking distance. I also think parks and public spaces in general greatly improve the feel of suburban neighborhoods.
2) Small towns- The quaint small town is such a romantic idea. Think Bedford Falls. A place where everyone exists as part of a larger community, its citizens essentially all one big extended family. Most small towns though, aren’t really that great. Sinclair Lewis saw them as places where the smart left and the unlucky stayed. Small towns can be kind of boring too. When opportunities are limited, especially economic ones, it takes a toll on the population, especially on young people. The best small towns, in my opinion, are the ones that have just a little more to offer. Either by a) being close to an urban center (some overlap with suburbs, I realize) b) having seasonal population changes (such as a large part-time summer community) or c) having a college, and thus becoming a college town, though I think those often have their own unique set of challenges that accompany them.
3) Cities- Walt Whitman said that city air breathes freer. I think he was right in some ways. Cities offer opportunity and variety, in all sorts of different ways. They also tend to be more expensive, more competitive, more crime-ridden and less comfortable to live in than other places. I have a real fondness for cities but my personality isn’t always compatible with city life. Cities are often exhilarating, but I usually find I’m ready to go home after a while. The best cities to live in, for me anyway, are smaller cities. Places that offer a taste of urban life but don’t go overboard. I’m thinking of places like Pasadena or Northampton. It’s also very important that a small city have a functioning economy. This applies mainly to the Northeast, but there are so many smaller cities that were once prosperous but have now fallen on hard times and are thoroughly unpleasant now. The best example I can think of is a place like Springfield, Massachusetts. It should be a nice place to live, but it’s actually absolutely terrible.
So to recap: Suburbs are good when they have some mixed zoning, sidewalks, and access to public spaces. Small Towns are good when they have part-year residents, a college, or are in close proximity to other unique areas (ie, a big city). Big cities are great to visit, but the best ones to live in are smaller ones that have strong economies.
Again, this all just my own personal opinion.
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